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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Y’know, I just don’t think I’m an Edgar Rice Burroughs fan. I found ‘John Carter of Mars’ intolerable. I find ‘Tarzan of the Apes’ just ok.
Perhaps ‘Tarzan’ didn’t work for me because of the time I’ve spent in Africa. I’m just not able to imagine the “Dark Continent” as a mysterious land of savage adventure; to me, sub-Saharan Africa is just another place.
Still, one cannot claim a familiarity with the pulp adventure genre without reading Burroughs. Eat your vegetables.
Oh, a note on the narrator: Ben Kingsley’s narration is clear and emotive, without being overwhelming. I was able to listen to this at 2.5x speed without missing a syllable. I think this fellow has a future in the entertainment industry!
Perhaps ‘Tarzan’ didn’t work for me because of the time I’ve spent in Africa. I’m just not able to imagine the “Dark Continent” as a mysterious land of savage adventure; to me, sub-Saharan Africa is just another place.
Still, one cannot claim a familiarity with the pulp adventure genre without reading Burroughs. Eat your vegetables.
Oh, a note on the narrator: Ben Kingsley’s narration is clear and emotive, without being overwhelming. I was able to listen to this at 2.5x speed without missing a syllable. I think this fellow has a future in the entertainment industry!
3.5 stars. Very entertaining! I'm so happy to know the story of Tarzan since it's a story I've always known vaguely about. I would have given it 4 stars if the ending hadn't been so abrupt. I know the author was queuing up for another book but the ending was incredibly sudden.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Audiobook
I was expecting this to be more of an adventure yarn like “A Princess of Mars”, but this is largely adventure-free. Instead it’s a mishmash of painfully outdated Edwardian-era theories of heredity and eugenics type stuff, plus a convoluted love triangle and a bunch of other bizarre side tangents.
This was akin to reading “Frankenstein” and being shocked by how different the literary version is from the pop culture version. Tarzan barely interacts with Jane? Tarzan’s real name is John?? He taught himself to read but didn’t learnt to speak until a French guy taught him basic French??? A really weird and super racist time.
I was expecting this to be more of an adventure yarn like “A Princess of Mars”, but this is largely adventure-free. Instead it’s a mishmash of painfully outdated Edwardian-era theories of heredity and eugenics type stuff, plus a convoluted love triangle and a bunch of other bizarre side tangents.
This was akin to reading “Frankenstein” and being shocked by how different the literary version is from the pop culture version. Tarzan barely interacts with Jane? Tarzan’s real name is John?? He taught himself to read but didn’t learnt to speak until a French guy taught him basic French??? A really weird and super racist time.
Best to ignore the racist undertones but it's a ripping yarn other than that.
I liked this book very much; it is exactly the sort of fun, light, quick adventure plot that takes the stresses of real life away. It was very cute but also simple-mindedly cruel. The origin of Tarzan and the beginnings of his decisions towards the future is really interesting. Somehow, he's amazing at life--agile, logical and strategic, strong, and attractive--and by the end, you just can't help but like the guy... a lot. The Disney movie misses a lot, unsurprisingly, and what's missed is what makes the book worth reading. The writing style is nice but not distracting, complex, or long-winded. Reading this helped me explore the understanding of empire from the time this book was written.
The story that started it all... Tarzan of the Apes is the origin of one of the most recognizable characters in modern fiction. Burroughs spins quite the pulpy yarn, however the ideas on race that are baked into the entire concept are troubling to this modern reader. I was disappointed but not surprised by the casual racism in this book. Tarzan also explores the theme of nature vs. nurture but leans too hard into an almost justification for the aristocracy. Some interesting parts but overall the story's philosophical underpinnings made it hard to enjoy.
Lordie, that was a good read. Even though I knew the basic story from the old movies, I was engaged with this story from start to finish. Of course, the ending was a very "wtf!? why!!!? nooo!! I need the next book!" kind of moment. That's the one bad (*cough* still good) thing I have to say.