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bookishwendy's review against another edition
3.0
I quite enjoyed the first half of this over-the-top, laughably macabre tale (I would expect no less from Edgar Allan Poe). The pinnacle must have been the bit where the four survivors of a half-sunk storm-damaged ship draw lots for who gets to be killed and eaten, follow through with their morbid plan...and then a day or so later realize they had an ax the whole time, and can cut through the deck to reach the flooded storerooms below. Psych! This was only slightly better than the part where the one guy dresses as the ghost of his dead shipmate and literally frightens a nemesis to death.
This one has all the good seafaring tropes of storms, mutiny, buried alive (in a ship's hold), penguins, sea cucumbers, and an antarctic cataract flowing, I suppose, to the center of a hollow earth. It also has some of the not-good seafaring tropes--mainly those lengthy journal entries of repetitive uneventful days at sea, and some very dated depictions of native islanders.
Did i love some of this? Hell yes. Did I get bogged down in the middle with the repetitive journaling? yes. Did I get to the final line and go "WTF did I just read?" Of course! This is Poe, and this book is his elaborate ruse to fool editors into thinking he can write more than just short stories. And guess what, he can! Sort of. And yet...I think I still prefer "The Cask of Amontillado".
This one has all the good seafaring tropes of storms, mutiny, buried alive (in a ship's hold), penguins, sea cucumbers, and an antarctic cataract flowing, I suppose, to the center of a hollow earth. It also has some of the not-good seafaring tropes--mainly those lengthy journal entries of repetitive uneventful days at sea, and some very dated depictions of native islanders.
Did i love some of this? Hell yes. Did I get bogged down in the middle with the repetitive journaling? yes. Did I get to the final line and go "WTF did I just read?" Of course! This is Poe, and this book is his elaborate ruse to fool editors into thinking he can write more than just short stories. And guess what, he can! Sort of. And yet...I think I still prefer "The Cask of Amontillado".
rissasreading's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like I would've enjoyed this more if I knew more about boats and nautical terminology as this follows a sea based journal. I enjoyed how bloody and brutal this story was. I did find it to be rather dull and slow after one major turning point in his journal/the story. I'm glad I pushed through though because the ending was something else. I don't have too much to say about this though except go read it!
TWs for: cannibalism, dog death, murder, racism, colonial attitudes
TWs for: cannibalism, dog death, murder, racism, colonial attitudes
sirhe's review against another edition
4.0
This book is an action packed voyage. It focuses on crucial topics of the early 19th century, and gives a good sense of the American concious at the time. It is a slow read, and reads like a guidebook. The Penguin edition gives insight into Poe's sources, but I would have preferred more general footnotes that provide clarity on some of Poe's imagery or symbolism.
ozielbispo's review against another edition
4.0
Este é a única novela de Edgar Allan Poe , publicada em 1838, famoso por seus contos macabros. Este livro conta a História de Gordon Pym que embarca escondido no porão de um navio Baleeiro chamado Grampus , ajudado por seu amigo Augustus( o livro é narrado em primeira pessoa pelo próprio Gordon) . Lá passará grandes perigos , até que o navio é tomado por corsários e ele descoberto. Depois o navio passa por um naufrágio onde poucos sobrevivem e eles ficam vagando pelo mar em um pequeno barco ,onde precisam comer até carne humana para sobreviverem, até serem salvos pela tripulação do Jane Guy , onde juntamente com Dirk Peters , um marinheiro muito habilidoso , continuam suas aventuras pelos mares do sul onde vão se deparar com novos animais , ursos polares gigantes,, novas paisagens e povos selvagens sanguinários.
A primeira parte do livro tem bastante ação mas a segunda é um tanto monótona devido às descrições minuciosas usando linguagens marítimas, o livro se torna delicioso novamente no final com a chegada a uma terra de selvagens com costumes e comportamentos estranhos.
Uma coisa que pude perceber nesse livro é o tema recorrente do horror de se sentir enterrado vivo, que aparece sempre nos contos de Poe e que nesse livro não poderia faltar. Um livro muito bom, com algumas partes enfadonhas mas que em uma média geral torna se um grande clássico da literatura mundial.
A primeira parte do livro tem bastante ação mas a segunda é um tanto monótona devido às descrições minuciosas usando linguagens marítimas, o livro se torna delicioso novamente no final com a chegada a uma terra de selvagens com costumes e comportamentos estranhos.
Uma coisa que pude perceber nesse livro é o tema recorrente do horror de se sentir enterrado vivo, que aparece sempre nos contos de Poe e que nesse livro não poderia faltar. Um livro muito bom, com algumas partes enfadonhas mas que em uma média geral torna se um grande clássico da literatura mundial.
tsenteme's review against another edition
5.0
Συγκλονιστικός Poe.
Στην ιστορία της λογοτεχνίας λίγοι κατέχουν τόσο καλά την τέχνη της γραφής.
Και δεν είναι μόνο η γραφή, είναι οι τεχνικές που χρησιμοποιεί, η σημειολογία κτλ, τα οποία περιγράφονται πολύ καλύτερα στα παραρτήματα του βιβλίου.
Από τα κλασικά βιβλία που αντιλαμβάνεσαι την σπουδαιότητα αυτών. Έπος!!!
Στην ιστορία της λογοτεχνίας λίγοι κατέχουν τόσο καλά την τέχνη της γραφής.
Και δεν είναι μόνο η γραφή, είναι οι τεχνικές που χρησιμοποιεί, η σημειολογία κτλ, τα οποία περιγράφονται πολύ καλύτερα στα παραρτήματα του βιβλίου.
Από τα κλασικά βιβλία που αντιλαμβάνεσαι την σπουδαιότητα αυτών. Έπος!!!
cpruskee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism and Racism
Moderate: Violence and Murder
jerrica's review against another edition
4.0
A very scary novella for Halloween! Even for Poe this goes some pretty dark places, and I can see how Lovecraft pulled from it in several places. The scariest part is definitely the middle!
kaitrosenfeld's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0