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pained_creations's review against another edition
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed the beginning story of an immigrant family barely clawing out an existence in Chicago. It was insight. Lots of details of the corruption and abuse in the stockyards in the early 1900's.
The last few chapters were basically a socialist manifesto, and were hard to slough through. More of a political essay than a fiction story.
The last few chapters were basically a socialist manifesto, and were hard to slough through. More of a political essay than a fiction story.
ec_newman's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not a vegetarian despite reading this book, but I would understand why others would choose to do so after the mess of turn of the century meat packing factories. And I am not convinced that today, our food is much better. The plight of the Lithuanian family is horrifying, disaster and misfortune attack them and each one worse than the previous, so much so that it's hard to muster up sympathy half-way through the book because you're desensitized. The last few chapters are incredibly preachy about Socialism, in fact one of the speeches I thought if I could replace Socialism with God and a few other church words, it would pretty much be a sermon. I felt like the book lost its way in the end as it's not about the character of Jurgis anymore, but about the ideology, which makes sense when reading about Sinclair's life.
But for the story in me, I wanted more for Jurgis and the ending to his story. It's a great book, of course. Changed so much about America and I can't argue with its impact. I like the fact that it challenges everything said about America being a 'land of opportunity' and the parallel between the animals physically slaughters and the souls of the working men and women slaughtered. Truly, worth reading and probably worth reading more than once.
But for the story in me, I wanted more for Jurgis and the ending to his story. It's a great book, of course. Changed so much about America and I can't argue with its impact. I like the fact that it challenges everything said about America being a 'land of opportunity' and the parallel between the animals physically slaughters and the souls of the working men and women slaughtered. Truly, worth reading and probably worth reading more than once.
uhhyeahsure's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Thank god it’s not 1900, but also graaa socialism
mikewardevrybdy's review against another edition
5.0
About 30 pages in I thought to myself “Upton Sinclair must’ve been a huge socialist.” I think the last 30 pages of this book answers that pretty clearly
rapunzelholly's review against another edition
sad
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
4.0
The prose is quite dry; however, it highlights extremely important issues of the time that still plague us today.
catbrigand's review against another edition
4.0
This is where I write an objective review. Did I like The Jungle? It's hard to say. It's not a great work of literature that revolutionized the way people use the English language-but it never was intended to be. The Jungle is great at what Sinclair wanted it to be. It is so saturated with human suffering and misery that you find yourself scoffing at other immigrant stories like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The Nolans know nothing compared to Jurgis and his family. In fact, short of having family experience or being a historical scholar, there is so much misery to befall one family as to beggar belief. But that's precisely the point (and the main character's salvation via some 50 pages of socialist agitprop). By somehow managing to pour all the horrors and tragedies of the aggregate immigrant experience into one family that wouldn't be able to catch a break if it were presented to them on a silver platter by Phillip Armour himself, Sinclair fosters an indelible sense of sadness and responsibility--and yes, rage--in readers. A common complaint I hear with political or protest fiction is that it's not literature, and that's probably fair to say. But Sinclair sought to inspire a feeling (and probably a socialist revolution) in his readers, and for many, he succeeded.
Oh, and he sufficiently horrified people that America now has real laws to prevent us from eating adulterated milk and tuberculated beef, for which I am EVER so grateful, if I can stomach the thought of meat products any time soon.
Oh, and he sufficiently horrified people that America now has real laws to prevent us from eating adulterated milk and tuberculated beef, for which I am EVER so grateful, if I can stomach the thought of meat products any time soon.
zimmermanpaige13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
biolexicon's review against another edition
1.0
I can't imagine a more heavy-handed book. This is journalism and history polished off and sold as literature.
vortimer's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't expecting a light read, but this is the bleakest, most depressing novel I've ever read. The protagonist undergoes a hellish journey as he and his family arrive in the Chicago Stockyards from Lithuania, filled with optimistic dreams, and suffer the worst fates imaginable.
The last section kills the flow of the story dead, as it transforms into a clarion call for socialism, as a cure for these ills, which adds an ironic twist when viewed from a century on.
The last section kills the flow of the story dead, as it transforms into a clarion call for socialism, as a cure for these ills, which adds an ironic twist when viewed from a century on.