Call number
FIC LEV
Collection
Genres
Publication
Europa Editions (2011), Edition: First Edition, 172 pages
Description
"When a college graduate with a history of hapless jobs (ice cream scooper; gift wrapper; laziest ever part-time clerk at the Pet Library) reads Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island, she is dumbstruck by the timid design of her life. ... Convinced that Stevenson's book is cosmically intended for her, she redesigns her life according to its core values: boldness, resolution, independence, and horn-blowing. Accompanied by her mother, her sister, and a hostile Amazon parrot that refuses to follow the script, our heroine embarks on a domestic adventure more frightening than anything she'd originally planned"--Book jacket flap.
User reviews
LibraryThing member wandering_star
Imagine that you have decided to take Stevenson's [Treasure Island] as your self-help book. Wait - imagine that you are a sociopathically un-self-aware 20-something, and you've decided to take [Treasure Island] as your self-help book. You work out that the book's Core Values are BOLDNESS,
When our unnamed narrator attempts this, she rapidly brings chaos into her own life and the lives of those around her. This part of the book was hilarious - I laughed out loud every couple of pages, as her behaviour became bigger and wilder. But at some point the reader notices the clues scattered through the book, suggesting what she might have been like before she adopted this boldness.
If there was a problem with this book, it was the disconnect between the two sides of her personality. She's just so good at being a larger-than-life, monstrous character - it's hard to see how she transformed from someone so different. Worse, I can understand why she preferred the new persona, destructive and heedless of others as it was.I was a little disappointed by the resolution of the book, which leaves her wiser but more restrained: a nicer person to know, for sure, but a less fun one to read about.
But the twists in the book mean that I think next time I read it I will see more in it; and I am sure I will read it again.
Sometimes I consider BOLDNESS a quality one has or does not have; other times I think of BOLDNESS as a quality one chooses to cultivate or to let wither on the vine.
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RESOLUTION, INDEPENDENCE and HORN-BLOWING, and you try and put them into practice in your daily life. When our unnamed narrator attempts this, she rapidly brings chaos into her own life and the lives of those around her. This part of the book was hilarious - I laughed out loud every couple of pages, as her behaviour became bigger and wilder. But at some point the reader notices the clues scattered through the book, suggesting what she might have been like before she adopted this boldness.
If there was a problem with this book, it was the disconnect between the two sides of her personality. She's just so good at being a larger-than-life, monstrous character - it's hard to see how she transformed from someone so different. Worse, I can understand why she preferred the new persona, destructive and heedless of others as it was.
But the twists in the book mean that I think next time I read it I will see more in it; and I am sure I will read it again.
Sometimes I consider BOLDNESS a quality one has or does not have; other times I think of BOLDNESS as a quality one chooses to cultivate or to let wither on the vine.
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LibraryThing member nosajeel
The second book I read this year with an exclamation mark in the title (and this one has three of them, which is three times as exciting as Swamplandia!), also one of the better books I've read this year--the best not to make any yearend best books lists (possibly because of its December
Treasure Island!!! is told in the first person by a narrator who is hilarious, quirky and as self-centered as she is completely unselfaware. She is a recent college graduate stuck in a series of dead end jobs, most recently working part-time in a "pet library" where people can rent pets for a few days at a time. The book begins with her discovery of the book Treasure Island and the story is about her increasing obsession with modeling her life after the hero, Jim Hawkins.
She reads Treasure Island over and over again the exclusion of everything else. She believes she can divine key life lessons and values from it that she puts on index cards and uses as a model for her own life, and she even goes so far as to buy a parrot. She finds so many layers to Treasure Island but hilariously seems to be blissfully unaware that it is a pirate story and to not know many of the basic aspects of what it is actually about.
Treasure Island!!! follows the standard downward spiral of an addiction story, but does it with over-the-top zaniness, wit, charm, and insight unintentionally shed on the people around her and herself. Every page sparkled and it was hard to put it down until reading to the very end.
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publication date).Treasure Island!!! is told in the first person by a narrator who is hilarious, quirky and as self-centered as she is completely unselfaware. She is a recent college graduate stuck in a series of dead end jobs, most recently working part-time in a "pet library" where people can rent pets for a few days at a time. The book begins with her discovery of the book Treasure Island and the story is about her increasing obsession with modeling her life after the hero, Jim Hawkins.
She reads Treasure Island over and over again the exclusion of everything else. She believes she can divine key life lessons and values from it that she puts on index cards and uses as a model for her own life, and she even goes so far as to buy a parrot. She finds so many layers to Treasure Island but hilariously seems to be blissfully unaware that it is a pirate story and to not know many of the basic aspects of what it is actually about.
Treasure Island!!! follows the standard downward spiral of an addiction story, but does it with over-the-top zaniness, wit, charm, and insight unintentionally shed on the people around her and herself. Every page sparkled and it was hard to put it down until reading to the very end.
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LibraryThing member jasonlf
The second book I read this year with an exclamation mark in the title (and this one has three of them, which is three times as exciting as Swamplandia!), also one of the better books I've read this year--the best not to make any yearend best books lists (possibly because of its December
Treasure Island!!! is told in the first person by a narrator who is hilarious, quirky and as self-centered as she is completely unselfaware. She is a recent college graduate stuck in a series of dead end jobs, most recently working part-time in a "pet library" where people can rent pets for a few days at a time. The book begins with her discovery of the book Treasure Island and the story is about her increasing obsession with modeling her life after the hero, Jim Hawkins.
She reads Treasure Island over and over again the exclusion of everything else. She believes she can divine key life lessons and values from it that she puts on index cards and uses as a model for her own life, and she even goes so far as to buy a parrot. She finds so many layers to Treasure Island but hilariously seems to be blissfully unaware that it is a pirate story and to not know many of the basic aspects of what it is actually about.
Treasure Island!!! follows the standard downward spiral of an addiction story, but does it with over-the-top zaniness, wit, charm, and insight unintentionally shed on the people around her and herself. Every page sparkled and it was hard to put it down until reading to the very end.
Show More
publication date).Treasure Island!!! is told in the first person by a narrator who is hilarious, quirky and as self-centered as she is completely unselfaware. She is a recent college graduate stuck in a series of dead end jobs, most recently working part-time in a "pet library" where people can rent pets for a few days at a time. The book begins with her discovery of the book Treasure Island and the story is about her increasing obsession with modeling her life after the hero, Jim Hawkins.
She reads Treasure Island over and over again the exclusion of everything else. She believes she can divine key life lessons and values from it that she puts on index cards and uses as a model for her own life, and she even goes so far as to buy a parrot. She finds so many layers to Treasure Island but hilariously seems to be blissfully unaware that it is a pirate story and to not know many of the basic aspects of what it is actually about.
Treasure Island!!! follows the standard downward spiral of an addiction story, but does it with over-the-top zaniness, wit, charm, and insight unintentionally shed on the people around her and herself. Every page sparkled and it was hard to put it down until reading to the very end.
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LibraryThing member lisapeet
Kind of a one-trick pony, but she did a good job with it and it was fun in a car-crash kind of way. Horrible narrator without a single redeeming feature, which is always worth reading.
LibraryThing member gbill
The tale of a young woman who becomes enamored with the classic novel “Treasure Island” and wants to use it to guide her life. At first this seems like an endearing and noble obsession (“If life were a sea adventure, I knew: I wouldn’t be a sailor, pirate, or cabin boy but more likely a
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barnacle clinging to the side of the boat. Why not rise, I thought.”), then it becomes apparent that the girl is shallow, cruel and manipulative. Original, funny, and a joy to read from beginning to end. Show Less
LibraryThing member Pennydart
A wickedly funny book about a 28-year-old underemployed college graduate—she works in a “pet library,” which lends out small animals—who causes all kinds of trouble when she becomes obsessed with “Treasure Island” and starts to live her life according to its four core values: Boldness,
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Resolution, Independence, and Horn-Blowing. Show Less
LibraryThing member JackieBlem
This is about an obsession with a book that goes wayyyyyyy to far. The "heroine" of the book (who never gives us her name), a 25 year old just drifting about without any sort of ambition but a history of crappy jobs, gets goaded into reading Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island". She gets
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swept up in the sense of adventure and decides to live her own life based on what she deems are the "Core Values" of the book: Boldness, Resolution, Independence and Horn-Blowing. And so her own adventure begins--with some hilarious results and no few character quirks that left me alternately wanting to straggle her, laughing out loud or cringing--sometimes all at the same time. This is another interesting debut novel by an award winning essayist and well worth the time to read in the name of good fun. Show Less
LibraryThing member cameling
A college graduate reads Robert Louise Stevenson's Treasure Island and becomes obsessed with Jim Hawkins and his adventures. She uses the book as her guide to living, seeking adventure where she can, but without taking responsibility for her own life. Her pursuit of the Core Values of boldness,
It could have been more entertaining if not for the rather irritating voice of the narrator.
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resolution, independence and horn-blowing lead her to an Amazonian parrot, an unambitious boyfriend, moving back in with her parents, and a family crisis. It could have been more entertaining if not for the rather irritating voice of the narrator.
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LibraryThing member kdhanda
Read this book since it was recommended by local librarian. One of those irritating books that never got better.
An obsession with RL Stevenson turns crazy, the narrator is completely selfish and can only think about herself.
Skip the book, absolute waste of time
An obsession with RL Stevenson turns crazy, the narrator is completely selfish and can only think about herself.
Skip the book, absolute waste of time
LibraryThing member eenerd
Super-fast and wacky read about a woman who becomes obsessed with the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and decides to live her life by it. She ends up losing her job, moving in with her parents, and basically bringing misery to all around her...and her hated parrot, Little Richard.
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Mad cap and zany are also appropriate descriptors for this book. The author drops you right into the story, and doesn't worry about spending a ton of time introducing you to each character, which some people may have issues with. Fast fun, I look forward to seeing more from Sara Levine. Show Less
LibraryThing member JimElkins
A black comedy, in which the narrator is not so much undependable as full of bad choices, misperceptions, self-absorptions, fixations, and delusions. Her unexpected interpretations of the transparently caring, annoyed, or indulgent attitudes of her friends and family provide the humor. It's a
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difficult setup for a novel, because the kinds of misinterpretations have to be continuously varied so that the narrator isn't always simply imagining selfish or self-justifying explanations for other people's unselfish or critical concerns. It works best when the narrator's mistaken perceptions are unexpected, and it avoids what I imagine must have been a temptation to have the narrator become progressively more deluded. Show Less
LibraryThing member julie10reads
In Levine's first novel, an unnamed 25-year-old heroine, ambivalent about her boyfriend and unhappy in her job at the Pet Library (lending furry or finned companionship in lieu of books) adopts Treasure Island as a roadmap for life. Taking the book's "Core Values" of "boldness, resolution,
The three exclamation marks caught my eye. Trolling the YA section of my local library, I hoped to find a story that was fresh, narrated with style and clear of the paranormal realm. I am a reader with high expectations...!
Sara Levine did not disappoint. The nameless 20-something protagonist (all of us who inflict character-building quests on family and friends!) is egregiously manipulative,obnoxiously narcissistic and entirely entertaining! She is the pirate model for the 2010s: she lives off the gold ($) of acquaintances, boyfriends and failing all else, Mom and Dad. Judging from other reviews, I assume many readers have been repulsed by this heroine's efforts to adopt RL Stevenson's "core values" whereas I enjoyed the tale as delightfully ironic and here and there close to the bone of truth. It's a particularly apt read for New Year's (today!), a time one is prodded to formulate resolutions to improve, mend, renew one's life.
One of my favourite characters was Richard the parrot----can't have a modern day pirate yarn without one! His dialogue, usually laugh-out-loud tag lines from TV commercials, contrasted delightfully with our main character's hatred of him: "Steer the boat, girlfriend." Richard calls out, or "It's big, it's hot, it's back!"|
It would be unfortunate if potential readers were discouraged by the "young adult" label. (I just thought! Perhaps that is ironic too? Pointing the novel to the demographic Ms Levine jokingly pins to the page?!) I recommend it to fans--regardless of age--of sharp, witty, farcical social commentary.
8 out of 10!!! Looking forward to the next one!
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independence, horn-blowing" to heart, she stops cleaning up after the pets, uses her boss's life-savings to acquire a parrot, and generally makes a huge pill of herself to everyone around her. Summary BPLThe three exclamation marks caught my eye. Trolling the YA section of my local library, I hoped to find a story that was fresh, narrated with style and clear of the paranormal realm. I am a reader with high expectations...!
Sara Levine did not disappoint. The nameless 20-something protagonist (all of us who inflict character-building quests on family and friends!) is egregiously manipulative,obnoxiously narcissistic and entirely entertaining! She is the pirate model for the 2010s: she lives off the gold ($) of acquaintances, boyfriends and failing all else, Mom and Dad. Judging from other reviews, I assume many readers have been repulsed by this heroine's efforts to adopt RL Stevenson's "core values" whereas I enjoyed the tale as delightfully ironic and here and there close to the bone of truth. It's a particularly apt read for New Year's (today!), a time one is prodded to formulate resolutions to improve, mend, renew one's life.
One of my favourite characters was Richard the parrot----can't have a modern day pirate yarn without one! His dialogue, usually laugh-out-loud tag lines from TV commercials, contrasted delightfully with our main character's hatred of him: "Steer the boat, girlfriend." Richard calls out, or "It's big, it's hot, it's back!"|
It would be unfortunate if potential readers were discouraged by the "young adult" label. (I just thought! Perhaps that is ironic too? Pointing the novel to the demographic Ms Levine jokingly pins to the page?!) I recommend it to fans--regardless of age--of sharp, witty, farcical social commentary.
8 out of 10!!! Looking forward to the next one!
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LibraryThing member mawls
I found myself laughing at parts and rubbed the wrong way at parts. I understand that the protagonist is meant to be obnoxious in a variety of ways, but sometimes I was thinking to myself "alright alright, we get it" I did still want to know what happened though, so wanting to finish it counts for
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something. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lacy.Simons
This is gonna be amazing. I can feel it.
LibraryThing member scote23
I enjoyed this book. The bit about driving is pretty relevant to my own feelings. Would I want the main character in my life? Not particularly. But it was an enjoyable quick read.
LibraryThing member Laura400
Cute and funny, a nice summer read. Of course a large part of the humor stems from the narrator's utter self-absorption and unreliability.
LibraryThing member sparemethecensor
I read this after hearing about it in Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist. I absolutely LOVED this book. It's hilarious but simultaneously so clearly captures this element of being lost in your 20s. The use of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island to anchor this novel is an inspired choice. Clearly my
Also, I was reading this on my commute and someone on the train mistook it for the original Treasure Island, and went on and on about how much he'd loved that book as a teenage boy, which was so appropriate and added a nice meta level of hilarity in my life.
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life needs more horn-blowing!Also, I was reading this on my commute and someone on the train mistook it for the original Treasure Island, and went on and on about how much he'd loved that book as a teenage boy, which was so appropriate and added a nice meta level of hilarity in my life.
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LibraryThing member book_in_hand
This book was entertaining and very well written. However I have to give it three stars because the main character was so awful. I should probably give it a higher rating because the author made me feel so much but oh well. :)
LibraryThing member gayla.bassham
The author did a great job sustaining the voice, but honestly after a while I just wanted the narrator to die in a fire. A little bit one-note for me. Hard to believe that a 172-page book is too long, but that's how it felt.
LibraryThing member Iambookish
What started out as a book I was ready to rate 4 stars half way through became a book that I generously gave 2. The dark humor in the book suddenly took a turn to the totally unfunny and the annoying main character made me want to hurl the book across the room and hope something dark and unfunny
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happened to her! Show Less
LibraryThing member mkunruh
It was fun rooting against her: horrible, horrible woman that she was. Lars don't do it!! Watch out Rena! Adrianna tell her nothing!
LibraryThing member MusicalGlass
It’s not about the self-absorbed young woman narrator who takes Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island as her life manual. It’s an audacious satire about self-improvement jammed with wacky black humor held at a whirring pitch by a talented young writer named Sara Levine.
Dr. Klug nodded.
“Well, it takes an awful lot of energy to give birth to oneself. It’s not as though you do one bold thing and then you are bold. The thing about adventure is that you have to keep on doing it, day in and day out. I don’t know, can it ever be definitively accomplished? I hardly rest, I hardly can!”
Dr. Klug nodded.
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“You do seem anxious. You shredded your gown.” “Well, it takes an awful lot of energy to give birth to oneself. It’s not as though you do one bold thing and then you are bold. The thing about adventure is that you have to keep on doing it, day in and day out. I don’t know, can it ever be definitively accomplished? I hardly rest, I hardly can!”
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LibraryThing member dinahmine
The main storyline is a good one, but I absolutely could not handle the main character’s attitude towards and treatment of animals. DNF’d at about 1/3. I should have quit sooner.
LibraryThing member CasaBooks
Short easy read.
What a path one can take when deciding to live by the core values of the real "Treasure Island":
Boldness
Resolution
Independence
Horn Blowing
Twisting, unusual set of plots.
Might not be what expected - but you can always stop if it annoys you.
What a path one can take when deciding to live by the core values of the real "Treasure Island":
Boldness
Resolution
Independence
Horn Blowing
Twisting, unusual set of plots.
Might not be what expected - but you can always stop if it annoys you.
LibraryThing member debnance
Don’t take anything in this book at face value; it’s all a farce of the highest order.
Either that or our main character and heroine is the most self-centered, obnoxious, hard-to-get-along-with human being on the planet. With family and friends who are not far down the path themselves.
This has
Yes, odder than 1Q84. At least that book was set in an alternate universe.
Not so this story, with a main character who works at a pet library, who reads Treasure Island and decides it has changed her life, who buys a parrot with money stolen from petty cash at the pet library, with a sister who is having an affair with the same elderly man that her own mother once slept with…It just goes on and on.
I can think of a dozen people who would loathe this book. Abhor. Possibly set on fire.
On the other hand, I can think of a dozen people who might think this Treasure Island (don’t forget the !!!) has changed their lives.
You decide.
Either that or our main character and heroine is the most self-centered, obnoxious, hard-to-get-along-with human being on the planet. With family and friends who are not far down the path themselves.
This has
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to be one of the oddest books I’ve ever read. Yes, odder than 1Q84. At least that book was set in an alternate universe.
Not so this story, with a main character who works at a pet library, who reads Treasure Island and decides it has changed her life, who buys a parrot with money stolen from petty cash at the pet library, with a sister who is having an affair with the same elderly man that her own mother once slept with…It just goes on and on.
I can think of a dozen people who would loathe this book. Abhor. Possibly set on fire.
On the other hand, I can think of a dozen people who might think this Treasure Island (don’t forget the !!!) has changed their lives.
You decide.
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Awards
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Fiction/Poetry — 2012)
Globe and Mail Top 100 Book (2012)
Pages
172
ISBN
1609450612 / 9781609450618