[3][4]: 210 Stacpoole, being a seasoned medical practitioner, had encountered instances of birth and death, and as a result, these occurrences no longer possessed any sense of awe or enigma for him.

[6] The author deliberately draws parallels between The Blue Lagoon and the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, highlighting the innocence and naivety of the two young protagonists, Emmeline and Dick.

The narrative structure of childhood leading to adolescent romance in Stacpoole's novel is likely influenced by Longus’s Daphnis and Chloe and Bernardin de St. Pierre's Paul et Virginie.

[6] The similarities continue with Emmeline's innocent attempt to eat the "never-wake-up berries" and receiving a lecture on poison from Paddy Button, which is reminiscent of Alice's encounter with the "Drink Me" bottle.

The children lose track of time, similar to the Mad Hatter's tea party, and undergo physical changes, like Alice growing taller and Emmeline becoming plumper.

[6] The critical acclaim was substantial, with the Times Literary Supplement commending the book's tale of discovering love and experiencing innocent mating, describing it as refreshing as the ozone that had strengthened the characters.

[7][8] The Saturday Review highlighted the novel's ability to captivate readers, its carefully constructed premise, the characters' growth from childhood innocence to self-sufficiency, and the enchanting love story.

The reviewer acknowledged some grammatical issues but commended the author's imaginative storytelling, and went so far as to assert that the label of "romance," frequently used in contemporary works, was genuinely fitting for this novel.

[9] The Athenaeum's review highlighted the poetic and imaginative qualities of the story, which revolves around two children stranded on a desert island with an elderly Irish sailor, Paddy Button.

Although the review noted the eventual rescue and return to civilization, it underscored that the most attractive aspects of the novel lie in the initial chapters and the endearing character of Paddy Button.

[11] The Sydney Morning Herald praised Stacpoole's handling of a challenging subject matter, as well as his keen eye, accurate psychology, and "quite adequate literary skill".

[13] The novel received acclaim from the South Australian Register, which described it as an exemplary maritime narrative suitable for both male and female juvenile readers.

"[16] The New York Sun praised the novel for being "told prettily enough" and "provoking to have a situation carefully prepared", but warned that "the author [Henry De Vere Stacpoole] is so carried away by the machinery he devises that he seems inclined to pass over the poetry in a hurry.

While acknowledging that the novel deviated from conventional literary standards in terms of construction, Cooper commended it for its successful attempt to explore the complex and unusual theme of two individuals growing up in a state of nature without guidance.

He noted the book's similarity to a short story by Morgan Robertson and highlighted the careful insight into the psychology of the characters as they navigate existence unaided.

However, Cooper critiqued the book's narrative mechanism, particularly in the final episode where the father encounters his child by sheer chance, finding it jarring and lacking in credibility.

The newspaper did issue a warning, however, suggesting that those with traditional and rigid beliefs might continue to hold out hope that a missionary would soon arrive on the island carrying religious items.

No one but a writer of the finest sensibility could have dealt with the stirring of innocence to knowledge without creating a sense of awkwardness and embarrassment in all those who reverence the spirituality of youth.

Conventions of romance like the mysterious idol and the threat of the savages (complete with drums and secretly observed human sacrifice) lend a necessary minimum of fear and excitement to the story, but even less than in Daphnis and Chloe.

[23] Six films have been based on this novel: Following the triumph of The Blue Lagoon, Stacpoole wrote two sequels: In Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, the novel's copyright expired on 1 January 2002.