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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
An escape by a hot air balloon, a crash landing on an island, and a bunch of hard-working, resourceful guys, and it was a good thing there was an engineer who seemed to know how to do everything. I thought it was fun, exciting, and a little predictable yet mysterious at the same time. I love that we get to learn things along the way as we get lost in the adventure of the story. The dog, Top, and Jupe, the Orang are also great characters! The reveal at the end was amazing!
I am so glad to find another Jules Verne book that I love since I was so disappointed by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which is actually the second book in the Capitaine Nemo series. I will need to find the first book, in Search of the Castaways.
I am so glad to find another Jules Verne book that I love since I was so disappointed by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which is actually the second book in the Capitaine Nemo series. I will need to find the first book, in Search of the Castaways.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In the midst of the US Civil War, five prisoners escape by commandeering a hot air balloon, in hopes that the wind will guide them to freedom. Many days later, the aeronauts crash-land on a remote Pacific Island with no food or supplies and must scramble for survival.
In contrast with some "classic" works which tend to the dry, The Mysterious Island was delightfully entertaining and readable, including even its introduction. My recommendation, however, would be to first suspend one's disbelief. Though an adventure/survival novel, it is also in many ways fantastical, gleefully and continuously wavering across the line between the meticulously realistic and the laughably implausible. The detailed descriptions of how they built their habitat and provided for their needs was reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe, which I also read earlier this year. The castaways are resourceful and conveniently skilled — indeed, among the first technologies developed from scratch by Harding, the engineer, was essentially dynamite. (Really?!) They are at times wise and conservation-minded, and at others seem to just enjoy slaughtering the native fauna with abandon. Credit to Verne himself for being surprisingly knowledgeable about worldwide ecologies, though I had to chuckle when a dugong was referred to as "a dangerous animal." It was also fun to read about current theories in late-1800s cosmology. Not so fun was the casual racism cropping up suddenly from time to time and the way Neb, an adult Black man, was portrayed as childlike, which was cringeworthy to say the least. Among the curious and least believable aspects of the novel were the manner in which all obstacles were easily overcome, interpersonal relationships among the castaways were perfectly harmonious, and not for a moment do any of the men miss female companionship or even mention women at all. Finally, with an eye toward future editions, with so much focus on the geography of the island, as a reader I would have appreciated a map. Recommended!
In contrast with some "classic" works which tend to the dry, The Mysterious Island was delightfully entertaining and readable, including even its introduction. My recommendation, however, would be to first suspend one's disbelief. Though an adventure/survival novel, it is also in many ways fantastical, gleefully and continuously wavering across the line between the meticulously realistic and the laughably implausible. The detailed descriptions of how they built their habitat and provided for their needs was reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe, which I also read earlier this year. The castaways are resourceful and conveniently skilled — indeed, among the first technologies developed from scratch by Harding, the engineer, was essentially dynamite. (Really?!) They are at times wise and conservation-minded, and at others seem to just enjoy slaughtering the native fauna with abandon. Credit to Verne himself for being surprisingly knowledgeable about worldwide ecologies, though I had to chuckle when a dugong was referred to as "a dangerous animal." It was also fun to read about current theories in late-1800s cosmology. Not so fun was the casual racism cropping up suddenly from time to time and the way Neb, an adult Black man, was portrayed as childlike, which was cringeworthy to say the least. Among the curious and least believable aspects of the novel were the manner in which all obstacles were easily overcome, interpersonal relationships among the castaways were perfectly harmonious, and not for a moment do any of the men miss female companionship or even mention women at all. Finally, with an eye toward future editions, with so much focus on the geography of the island, as a reader I would have appreciated a map. Recommended!
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a sucker for a shipwrecked on a deserted island novel and this is a great one!