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robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
I think what's most remarkable is how much of this book can still be full of (fictional?) wonders for the average modern reader, the bottom of the ocean has not become less remote a prospect for most to explore despite 150 years of scientific and technological progress. That being said, if you like detailed descriptions of ocean life, on repeat, with scientific calculations and recountings of history, you'll have a better chance of enjoying this book than if you go in looking for an adventure story. The ratio leans heavily towards observations and discussion, rather than action - which doesn't stop Verne from jam-packing the last eighth with some memorable episodes. I appreciate that mystery remains regarding the figure of Captain Nemo, though his convenient metamorphosis from amiable tyrant happy to discuss ship, navigation and ocean to anguished obsessive bent on vengeance felt a bit abrupt.
Following the science was also tricky because after this many decades, without setting myself a research project, where is the line drawn between what is fictional and what has simply been disproven in the interim? I just felt disengaged from so much of that content because I couldn't float along clearly on 'suspended disbelief' or 'nifty facts discovered'.
Did make me sad to see the narrator recount the many species in the sea, the clarity of the water. What a difference a century and half of humanity has made (even if I don't subscribe to Nemo's misanthropy).
The promise of knowledge versus the chance at freedom is not a dichotomy I've seen presented so thoroughly as a character dilemma before, so convincingly, it added admirable tension to the narrative.
Ned and Conseil are occassionally amusing interlocutors, but Conseil is too often servile as an identity and Ned is too often a wet blanket or point of friction stereotype to make for fully fleshed out characters.
One last thing, because I'd like to believe I'm not the only one who had this wrong based on the title:
Leagues is primarily a distance measurement, they mostly used yards for depth, so it's not 20,000 leagues straight down, it's that they were underwater, traveling around various oceans at various depths for 20,000 leagues distance. You're welcome. 💁🏼♂️
⚠️Outdated and offensive terms for Black and Indigenous peoples used, a lot of discussion of all the animals which can be and are caught and eaten, (some butchery involved); assessing various ocean life for purely commercial value, lot of 'this guy 'discovered' this place', as well as explorer history; tries to mash together Biblical creationism/ Bible history with actual science/history on occasion- never a comfortable mix
Following the science was also tricky because after this many decades, without setting myself a research project, where is the line drawn between what is fictional and what has simply been disproven in the interim? I just felt disengaged from so much of that content because I couldn't float along clearly on 'suspended disbelief' or 'nifty facts discovered'.
Did make me sad to see the narrator recount the many species in the sea, the clarity of the water. What a difference a century and half of humanity has made (even if I don't subscribe to Nemo's misanthropy).
The promise of knowledge versus the chance at freedom is not a dichotomy I've seen presented so thoroughly as a character dilemma before, so convincingly, it added admirable tension to the narrative.
Ned and Conseil are occassionally amusing interlocutors, but Conseil is too often servile as an identity and Ned is too often a wet blanket or point of friction stereotype to make for fully fleshed out characters.
One last thing, because I'd like to believe I'm not the only one who had this wrong based on the title:
Leagues is primarily a distance measurement, they mostly used yards for depth, so it's not 20,000 leagues straight down, it's that they were underwater, traveling around various oceans at various depths for 20,000 leagues distance. You're welcome. 💁🏼♂️
⚠️Outdated and offensive terms for Black and Indigenous peoples used, a lot of discussion of all the animals which can be and are caught and eaten, (some butchery involved); assessing various ocean life for purely commercial value, lot of 'this guy 'discovered' this place', as well as explorer history; tries to mash together Biblical creationism/ Bible history with actual science/history on occasion- never a comfortable mix
megantje123's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
megantje123's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
martyrcore's review against another edition
3.0
the funniest moments are when jules verne mentions some fact and the modern translator in the notes is like: “that is, actually, not true”
also i cannot believe soviet kids were reading this for fun. when i told my mom i was reading this she went “awww, you want to feel like a child again?“ and i just had to be like “mom. westerners think this is a boring and hard-to-get-through novel”
also i cannot believe soviet kids were reading this for fun. when i told my mom i was reading this she went “awww, you want to feel like a child again?“ and i just had to be like “mom. westerners think this is a boring and hard-to-get-through novel”
katelynpopulus's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
laanaperez's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
lisakerd's review against another edition
2.0
Reads more like a biology reference book than a novel. I feel like in writing this, Jules Verne thought, “Well surely anyone reading my book is endeavoring to become a marine biologist. I’d better make the narrator a professor so he can list ad nauseam all the underwater plants and animals.” Although the story is actually quite interesting, (and becoming more misanthropic the older I get, I understand the appeal of Captain Nemo’s oceanic refuge), large chunks feel plagiarized directly from an encyclopedia. No thanks.
villagebi's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5