Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe - a book review

Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe   

Who has not dreamed of life on an exotic isle, far away from civilization? Here is the novel which has inspired countless imitations by lesser writers, none of which equal the power and originality of Defoe's famous book. Robinson Crusoe, set ashore on an island after a terrible storm at sea, is forced to make do with only a knife, some tobacco, and a pipe. He learns how to build a canoe, make bread, and endure endless solitude. That is, until, twenty-four years later, when he confronts another human being. Rich detail, gripping plot, profound character development ,insightful meditations, and the meeting of two radically different worlds in Robinson and the cannibals. You can never stop reading this book. First published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has been praised by such writers as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and  Samuel Johnson as one of the greatest novel in the  English language. Daniel Defoe trained for the ministry, became  a political journalist, and finally, to many, became “ the father of the English novel.”  Robinson Crusoe is one of the most famous adventure stories ever written, The account of a sailor shipwrecked on  a desert island  for twenty –eight years, it is also a tale of mythic proportions, an allegory, and a spiritual autobiography.