Book Review ~ Stevenson's Treasure, by Mark Wiederanders

 

Available on Amazon US, Amazon UK and Barnes & Noble

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Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson was one of the first novels I remember reading, so it was with high expectations that I started reading Stevenson's Treasure, by Mark Wiederanders, and I was not disappointed.

In the best tradition of historical fiction, Mark uses an informed imagination to fill in the gaps in his extensive research. This included reading dozens of letters between the main characters, many of which had been 'edited' by family members for the sake of decency.

As a struggling young writer in the summer of 1879, Robert Louis Stevenson (referred to as Louis) risks everything and sails across the Atlantic to find Fanny Osbourne, an American woman he has fallen deeply in love with.

Awkwardly for our hero, she is much older than him and married with children to a gun-toting Civil War veteran. This is a love that won't be denied, however, so we live through the pleasure and the pain as he tries to find a way for them to be together.

I particularly enjoyed the last chapter, 'Finding Treasure', where we find ourselves on a rainy day in Braemar, Scotland and understand a little of how Treasure Island came to be written.

Mark Wiederanders has an engaging and very readable writing style, with a fascination for the story of Robert Louis Stevenson which really shines through. I highly recommend Stevenson's Treasure.

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About the Author

Mark Wiederanders lives in Northern California and writes about the private lives of famous authors. His screenplay about William Shakespeare's family, "Taming Judith" was a finalist in the Academy of Motion Pictures' annual screenwriting competition and was optioned by a film company. The idea for his current novel, STEVENSON'S TREASURE hatched during a visit to Carmel, when Mark learned that Robert Louis Stevenson suffered a near-fatal collapse in 1879 while hiking nearby. What was the young, as-yet unknown Scottish writer doing so far from home? To write the novel that resulted from this question, Mark studied hundreds of historical letters and visited sites near him in Monterey, San Francisco, and Calistoga. Then he followed Stevenson's footsteps to Europe, lodging at the Stevenson home in Edinburgh followed by a week in the Highlands cottage where RLS wrote TREASURE ISLAND. Mark is also a research psychologist (Ph.D, University of Colorado) who has studied treatment programs for delinquents and the criminally insane. His interests include acting in community theater (recently a Neil Simon play), downhill skiing, golf, and spending time with his wife and three grown children. For more information please visit Mark Wiederander's website and blog. You can also find him on Facebook.

Stevenson's Treasure Blog Tour Schedule:

Monday, September 15 Review & Interview at Back Porchervations Tuesday, September 16 Review at The Writing Desk Wednesday, September 17 Review at The Book Binder's Daughter Review, Interview & Giveaway at Based on a True Story Thursday, September 18 Review at Library Educated Friday, September 19 Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews Monday, September 22 Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past Tuesday, September 23 Interview at Book Babe Wednesday, September 24 Spotlight at Princess of Eboli Thursday, September 25 Review & Giveaway at Beth's Book Reviews Spotlight & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books Friday, September 26 Spotlight & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Connection Wednesday, October 1 Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views