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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
I was probably better at working my way through classics as a child than I am now. It’s rather perplexing really. Although, I failed to enjoy them as much during my childhoods so I guess it’s both a win-win and a lose-lose situation.
As one of my childhood reads I did enjoy this one, but it is very far from being one of my favourite classics. It’s simply one for which I can say ‘oh yes, I picked it up’.
Still, it was a nice read and maybe if I had been older when reading it I would have enjoyed it more. I may very well give it another go to see what I think of it now that I’m older.
As one of my childhood reads I did enjoy this one, but it is very far from being one of my favourite classics. It’s simply one for which I can say ‘oh yes, I picked it up’.
Still, it was a nice read and maybe if I had been older when reading it I would have enjoyed it more. I may very well give it another go to see what I think of it now that I’m older.
Gulliver's Travels must have been a freeing book to write, lambasting as it does much of polite society. It has the feeling of having come out all of a piece.
At the time I read this, I felt like I was living caught between Lilliput and Brobdingnag. Although his journeys to those two places are the best known part of the book, I have always been drawn more to the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. The peaceful nature of the Houyhnhnms appeals to me. The Yahoos, on the other hand, have nothing to recommend them, other than that they stand in contrast to their more sentient neighbors.
The visit to Laputa, home of the crazy mad scientists is a really fun read. It reminds me of the people from Homeland Security who want to build a bio-terror lab up the street from my house. One of the things they plan on studying is insect-borne diseases, so they will have clouds of mosquitos infected with malaria and god-only-knows what else. In hot, humid Georgia. That is a plan worthy of a Jonathan Swift satire. I am only sorry his acid pen is not around to record it.
At the time I read this, I felt like I was living caught between Lilliput and Brobdingnag. Although his journeys to those two places are the best known part of the book, I have always been drawn more to the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. The peaceful nature of the Houyhnhnms appeals to me. The Yahoos, on the other hand, have nothing to recommend them, other than that they stand in contrast to their more sentient neighbors.
The visit to Laputa, home of the crazy mad scientists is a really fun read. It reminds me of the people from Homeland Security who want to build a bio-terror lab up the street from my house. One of the things they plan on studying is insect-borne diseases, so they will have clouds of mosquitos infected with malaria and god-only-knows what else. In hot, humid Georgia. That is a plan worthy of a Jonathan Swift satire. I am only sorry his acid pen is not around to record it.
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I really enjoyed Mr.Swift’s way of using this “childish and ridiculous” book to give his opinion on society and critique our world.
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Lemuel Gulliver can't say no to an adventure. Each adventure he goes on is wilder than the next. He encounters tiny people, giants, a land of academics with his favorite historical figures, and an island inhabited by horses that rule and are served by humans. It's a tale of adventures with meanings deeper than surface level.
4,5 stars! This was honestly one of those books that I could not put down once I started reading. The way Gulliver writes about his travels is so humorous and it keeps you coming back for more. I laughed throughout - even up to the very end. The way Swift uses satire is impeccable! It really makes one think about how we treat animals and everyone else around us, and makes us realise how we are, essentially, the Yahoos that Gulliver encounters. I found it highly interesting that the human form becomes so repulsive to Gulliver at the end, after having spent time with more "civilised" creatures, who, in the actual world, would be deemed as brutish. Overall, this is probably one of those childhood classics that offers you even more when you read it as you grow older, and makes you find meaning in the episodes you found amusing when you were younger. I highly recommend this!