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carolinebl's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Don’t be deceived by the dinosaur on the cover; this book is not about dinosaurs. You will find annoying, racist, imperialistic men (and ape-men), but hardly any dinosaurs. Along with the unlikeable white men, the most ‘positive’ characterisation of a person of colour was that of Zambo, who was portrayed like a loyal dog. I enjoyed the stylistic choice of letters to an editor, but this book just got slower… and slower… and slower, until around 3/4 way through. The politics may be ‘of its time’, but this novel was boring - which is unexpected for one supposedly about dinosaurs. I’d rather have read a novel about Gladys seeking glory of her own. Also, the title is way better than the characters own naming abilities - Maple-White Land??
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Murder, and Death
Minor: Colonisation and Sexism
rafacolog's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism, Slavery, Misogyny, and Death
arxchiell's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Blood, Classism, and Racism
Minor: Sexism, Slavery, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
startjpw23's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a thrilling read. There were a lot of tense moments. The explorers made a lot of interesting discoveries
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Death
Moderate: Racism
literaryrevisited's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Violence
Minor: Slavery
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was really intrigued by the idea of this - a dinosaur adventure novel from the 1910s - and while I quite enjoyed it, I had some reservations. There were some funny moments and I recognised Conan Doyle's comic timing from the Sherlock Holmes books. It's a fun adventure in parts but overall I felt there weren't enough dinosaurs and there was too much imperialism. It's very much of its time and the adventure the characters go on is steeped in colonial attitudes which I found impossible to overlook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
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