Kidnapped (annotated): 2019 Edition

Kidnapped (annotated): 2019 Edition

Kidnapped was rated number 24 in the 100 best novels of all time by the UK’s Guardian Newspaper, which declared it to be a masterpiece, a thrilling adventure story and gripping history.. Stevenson’s electrifying narrative is intertwined with historical events and coloured with Scottish dialect. For those unacquainted with Scottish history and dialect, the book is annotated with notes on history and language. It also contains a glossary of 170 Scottish words and expressions. Do you know what Alan means when he says to David, “Ye have a … clappermaclaw kind of a look to ye, as if ye had stolen the coat from a potato-bogle.” Though some of the Scottish words are easily understood by those whose first language is English, there are many that are not. A chield is not a child; Jock is not a person’s name nor a term for a Scot; a kyte is neither a bird nor something to fly in the wind. These expressions and many more are explained. This powerful novel is deceptive in its simplicity. It can be read and loved for its breath-taking storytelling, action and characterisation, but it also carries a message for the 21st century. One of the two central characters is David Balfour, a protestant supporter of the English King George ll. The other is Alan Breck Stewart, a Jacobite, loyal to the Catholic pretender to the throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie. Their common humanity results in a friendship that transcends politics and religion.