I may be the only person who has read two books by Daniel Defoe, neither of them Robinson Crusoe or Moll Flanders. Decided to finally remedy that. It may be heretical to say, but Robinson Crusoe feels more like a historical curiosity than a great novel. If the Odyssey or Bleak House were published for the first time today they would be considered masterpieces. If Robinson Crusoe were published today one would think the action was somewhat lame, the character's psychology implausible, and the novel lacking in a coherent structure, especially as manifested by the ending, not to mention the books racism and imperialism.

That said, it as a very worthwhile historical curiosity and it is hard to imagine it not having been written and it is generally enjoyable to read,. The first quarter is a series of adventures culminating in Crusoe being stranded on an uninhabited island in the Caribbean. The last quarter is another series of adventures, not just his escape but -- oddly continuing to adventures like being attacked by wolves while traveling overland from Portugal to Northern France.,

The middle half of the book is the timeless story of Crusoe's 27 years on the island, starting with his meticulous efforts to save as much as possible from the ship and continuing through his becoming increasingly productive through agriculture and livestock rearing, much of it described in minute and fascinating detail. Crusoe himself, however, is a stock character who has no psychological depth, no depth of emotion about his situation, and often has attitudes that seem implausible for someone stranded alone for more than twenty years.