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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Surprisingly enjoyable! I hadn't appreciated that the Jungle Book is made up of multiple stories that follow different animals. Particularly enjoyed Kotick the White Seal and his quest for land uninhabited by destructive mankind, and Rikki the Mongoose who protects his newly acquired family from the evil serpents.
The Jungle Book is an interesting collection of short stories loosely linked by a jungle theme. The most famous, and best stories in the collection revolve around Mowgli the small boy adopted by wolves and raised by the animals of the jungle. These surprisingly dark tales and focus on the themes cruelty of man and the dangers of the wild and are well worth a read.
Outside of the stories of Mowgli there are several poems, which are fine but no really my thing. There are also a few other stories that are an odd mix that don't really stick in the memory once you've read them.
Outside of the stories of Mowgli there are several poems, which are fine but no really my thing. There are also a few other stories that are an odd mix that don't really stick in the memory once you've read them.
Honestly…a little overrated. Like it was a fine book but I thought it could have been better. One of the rare occasions imo where the movie turned out better than the book.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As with so many literary classics, it doesn’t hold up so well.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It is cute. I won’t rate it because I think of it as a historical document rather than a novel.
There is a focus on otherness and how that makes one special.
There is a focus on otherness and how that makes one special.
Less a single book and more a collection of short stories and related poetry. Kipling clearly had a deep love of India, at least as much as a through-and-through colonial could have. For instance, he doesn't seem to mind taking parts of the culture and making up his own lore and poems rather than showing any interest in the real thing. Cultural appropriation doesn't seem to cover it. It's more like cultural fanfiction. There's also a few instances of racism here and there, but honestly, for the time and place, it's nothing too egregious.
Like Jack London, Kipling also appears to have had a deep love for wild places and creatures. However, unlike London, Kipling doesn't seem to understand them all that well. Or, at least, he doesn't seem to care about demonstrating his understanding. I guess it's wilderness fanfiction. Animals talk with very human attitudes and it's all a bit more Charlotte's Web than anything. I can see why Disney decided it was ripe for adaptation.
I think I actually most enjoyed the last story, in which all the different domesticated (or at least tamed) beasts of burden discussed their roles in a war and what frightened them and why they obeyed humans. It was less Charlotte's Web and more Animal Farm, and it actually made me think and even laugh a little in places. It was also the least like the other stories in the collection, so maybe it's more a case of me damning the rest of the book rather than praising this section.
Like Jack London, Kipling also appears to have had a deep love for wild places and creatures. However, unlike London, Kipling doesn't seem to understand them all that well. Or, at least, he doesn't seem to care about demonstrating his understanding. I guess it's wilderness fanfiction. Animals talk with very human attitudes and it's all a bit more Charlotte's Web than anything. I can see why Disney decided it was ripe for adaptation.
I think I actually most enjoyed the last story, in which all the different domesticated (or at least tamed) beasts of burden discussed their roles in a war and what frightened them and why they obeyed humans. It was less Charlotte's Web and more Animal Farm, and it actually made me think and even laugh a little in places. It was also the least like the other stories in the collection, so maybe it's more a case of me damning the rest of the book rather than praising this section.