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ilegnealle's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard to combine one rating for both books - I would give The Call of the Wild 4.5 stars and White Fang 3.5.
I'd read both books in German but finally got around to the original version.
Now, I knew I would love both books. Surprisingly, this time I liked The Call of the Wild better than White Fang, whereas upon my first reads in German I prefered the latter. I think this cones down to a couple essential points.
Both novels essentially tell the same story, just in reverse order. But Wite Fang is significantly longer, and it actually turned quite repetitive in the middle part. Shortening it would have done it alot of good, I think.
And, and I'm sorry to say that I didn't really catch this when I read the books a couple of years ago, in White Fang, London's racism really shows. There's the trope of the drunk Native American and a whole lot of talk about White Fang recognizing white people as "superior gods". This was really uncomfortable to read and definitely subtracted points.
Both books are impressive in that they create a unique way of describing the way a dog/wolf thinks and interacts with his surroundings - whether it's actually accurate or just an imagination, it sure is enchanting. The style of writing really draws you in and gives you vivid imaginations of the time of the Gold Rush in Klondike.
In short, The Call of the Wild could have been longer and White Fang should have been shorter. It's important to pay attention to the author's racism l, and for that I'm unsure if I will touch the books again.
If you do choose to read them, though, be warned that there is a lot of animal abuse and dog fighting, especially in White Fang, which at times can be hard to stomach.
I'd read both books in German but finally got around to the original version.
Now, I knew I would love both books. Surprisingly, this time I liked The Call of the Wild better than White Fang, whereas upon my first reads in German I prefered the latter. I think this cones down to a couple essential points.
Both novels essentially tell the same story, just in reverse order. But Wite Fang is significantly longer, and it actually turned quite repetitive in the middle part. Shortening it would have done it alot of good, I think.
And, and I'm sorry to say that I didn't really catch this when I read the books a couple of years ago, in White Fang, London's racism really shows. There's the trope of the drunk Native American and a whole lot of talk about White Fang recognizing white people as "superior gods". This was really uncomfortable to read and definitely subtracted points.
Both books are impressive in that they create a unique way of describing the way a dog/wolf thinks and interacts with his surroundings - whether it's actually accurate or just an imagination, it sure is enchanting. The style of writing really draws you in and gives you vivid imaginations of the time of the Gold Rush in Klondike.
In short, The Call of the Wild could have been longer and White Fang should have been shorter. It's important to pay attention to the author's racism l, and for that I'm unsure if I will touch the books again.
If you do choose to read them, though, be warned that there is a lot of animal abuse and dog fighting, especially in White Fang, which at times can be hard to stomach.
blakeisgreene's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
masapretzel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
White Fang 4.5/5, Call of the Wild 4/5, Total 4.25/5
Wow!! What a great story of wilderness and love.
Wow!! What a great story of wilderness and love.
bombadil_8's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
shinesalot's review against another edition
3.0
Brutally violent. Stark contrast between the beauty of nature and its harshness. Intense - plot and landscape.
ashkitty93's review against another edition
4.0
I've had quite a few books wind up on the might-have-cried shelf lately. Clearly I'm a sap.
I've loved Call of the Wild since I was a kid (yes, for those of you who can't believe such a violent book is considered a "kids book"). It's probably my favorite book from childhood alongside Little House in the Big Woods; I can practically quote whole passages from both of these, and rereading them both this year felt like something I've rarely experienced. It's like how reading Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone is like coming home. Like that, but stronger. I had a little pocket-sized edition (which I've had no luck in tracking down again thanks to so many editions of CotW) that I read all the time and I adored it. Reading it again, now, has been a wonderful experience.
White Fang is one I've never read before, and while I still prefer Call of the Wild, White Fang is an excellent story in its own right, whether it's read as a compare/contrast with CotW or not. The book as a whole gets four stars because while I didn't find myself as invested in White Fang's story, it was still well-told and I enjoyed myself. Makes me wonder if he wound up near Judge Miller's old place in the Santa Clara valley.
I've loved Call of the Wild since I was a kid (yes, for those of you who can't believe such a violent book is considered a "kids book"). It's probably my favorite book from childhood alongside Little House in the Big Woods; I can practically quote whole passages from both of these, and rereading them both this year felt like something I've rarely experienced. It's like how reading Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone is like coming home. Like that, but stronger. I had a little pocket-sized edition (which I've had no luck in tracking down again thanks to so many editions of CotW) that I read all the time and I adored it. Reading it again, now, has been a wonderful experience.
White Fang is one I've never read before, and while I still prefer Call of the Wild, White Fang is an excellent story in its own right, whether it's read as a compare/contrast with CotW or not. The book as a whole gets four stars because while I didn't find myself as invested in White Fang's story, it was still well-told and I enjoyed myself. Makes me wonder if he wound up near Judge Miller's old place in the Santa Clara valley.
hwintermute's review against another edition
4.0
I never had the pleasure of reading these stories as a kid, but am glad that I took the time as an adult. Very well written & interesting to think about the stories as they unfold from the wolf/dog's perspectives. I enjoyed both stories, although White Fang ranks a little higher for me since it was longer & more detailed in it's telling. The two stories are very similar in how they are told yet opposite in how they begin & end for the dogs. London's writing is easy to read & invokes an empathy for the canine narrators in their quests to adapt to the life changes that their human counterparts enforce upon them.
grandpayogan's review against another edition
4.0
The Call of the Wild:
- [ ] “With the aurora borealis flaming coldly overhead, or the stars leaping in the frost dance, and the land numb and frozen under its pall of snow, this song of the huskies might have been the defiance of life, only if was pitched in minor key, with long-drawn wailing and half-sobs, and was more the pleading of life, the articulate travail of existence.” (p. 48)
- [ ] “They were simply so many bags of bones in which sparks of life fluttered faintly” (p. 71-72)
I don’t understand why these dumbass people thought they could care four 14 dogs in Alaska with barely any food??? Mercedes is dumb and she should walk or be left behind because those poor dogs should not have to pull her!!! They are abused and it hurts my heart to read and visualize it. I’m glad the whole team died and Buck was smart enough to realize he was better off being beaten than dead. I hate that the dogs had to die in the ice with the people though, so much dog death and abuse.
I assumed Buck would end up joining the pack of wolves, as the title refers to. Did London really have to demonize Native Americans in order to kill Bucks last “tie” to civilization? I think not. I did not need to imagine a dog with and arrow straight through it. I did not enjoy Londons racist antics at all. I almost wanted to stop reading but realized the story was almost over. Hoping White Fang will be better.
White Fang:
- [ ] “At midday the sky to the south warmed to rose color, and marked where the bulge of the earth intervened between the meridian sun and the northern world”. (p. 114)
- [ ] why does there have to be so much death!? most of the deaths are dogs and I hate it
- [ ] “..,one morning, the air was rent with the report of a rifle close at hand, and a bullet smashed against a tree trunk several inches from One Eye’s head…“ (p. 143)
- [ ] I’m so tired of the descriptions of death and abuse. the baby chicks in white fangs mouth, the beating of him after his mother is taken away from him is so vivid and long. I don’t understand how this is a young adult book???
- [ ] “in the solvency eating his very soul. He was a man and a monstrosity, as fearful a thing of fear as ever gibbered in the visions of a maddened brain”. (p. 354)
I definitely appreciated the afterword, which explained Londons background and his thinking for both of these stories…I just feel like so much could have been cut out of each of them. I enjoyed White Fang much more than The Call of the Wild. I understand that death and abuse can be a part of anyone’s story, but it was hard for me to get through so much animal abuse and death.
Each of these stories are meant to be opposite of the other, while containing similarities throughout. I enjoyed that the changes that came within each of these dogs wasn’t necessarily quick. This is a great metaphor for life and how your surroundings shape who you are. I assumed White Fang was going to die after he attacked the intruder, so I was very relieved when he didn’t.
- [ ] “With the aurora borealis flaming coldly overhead, or the stars leaping in the frost dance, and the land numb and frozen under its pall of snow, this song of the huskies might have been the defiance of life, only if was pitched in minor key, with long-drawn wailing and half-sobs, and was more the pleading of life, the articulate travail of existence.” (p. 48)
- [ ] “They were simply so many bags of bones in which sparks of life fluttered faintly” (p. 71-72)
I don’t understand why these dumbass people thought they could care four 14 dogs in Alaska with barely any food??? Mercedes is dumb and she should walk or be left behind because those poor dogs should not have to pull her!!! They are abused and it hurts my heart to read and visualize it. I’m glad the whole team died and Buck was smart enough to realize he was better off being beaten than dead. I hate that the dogs had to die in the ice with the people though, so much dog death and abuse.
I assumed Buck would end up joining the pack of wolves, as the title refers to. Did London really have to demonize Native Americans in order to kill Bucks last “tie” to civilization? I think not. I did not need to imagine a dog with and arrow straight through it. I did not enjoy Londons racist antics at all. I almost wanted to stop reading but realized the story was almost over. Hoping White Fang will be better.
White Fang:
- [ ] “At midday the sky to the south warmed to rose color, and marked where the bulge of the earth intervened between the meridian sun and the northern world”. (p. 114)
- [ ] why does there have to be so much death!? most of the deaths are dogs and I hate it
- [ ] “..,one morning, the air was rent with the report of a rifle close at hand, and a bullet smashed against a tree trunk several inches from One Eye’s head…“ (p. 143)
- [ ] I’m so tired of the descriptions of death and abuse. the baby chicks in white fangs mouth, the beating of him after his mother is taken away from him is so vivid and long. I don’t understand how this is a young adult book???
- [ ] “in the solvency eating his very soul. He was a man and a monstrosity, as fearful a thing of fear as ever gibbered in the visions of a maddened brain”. (p. 354)
I definitely appreciated the afterword, which explained Londons background and his thinking for both of these stories…I just feel like so much could have been cut out of each of them. I enjoyed White Fang much more than The Call of the Wild. I understand that death and abuse can be a part of anyone’s story, but it was hard for me to get through so much animal abuse and death.
Each of these stories are meant to be opposite of the other, while containing similarities throughout. I enjoyed that the changes that came within each of these dogs wasn’t necessarily quick. This is a great metaphor for life and how your surroundings shape who you are. I assumed White Fang was going to die after he attacked the intruder, so I was very relieved when he didn’t.
miquemarie83's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful cloth-bound copy of The Call of the Wild and White Fang. I received a copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaways. I love it! It is even nicer than it looks online, and the paper even feels nice and "fancy". These are two of favorite stories, and I love that they are included in one volume.