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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
This was a four star book when I read it in high school. Rereading it I've found my tastes have changed. I loved rereading Around the World in Eighty Days. It was fast paced and had great believable dialogue. For me, 20K Leagues was like sloshing through volumes of National Geographic on the same topic. The story was good, but the descriptions went on forever. But then, my patience has grown thin with age. LOL
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It’s the type of book most enjoyed by science nerds, which is to say I had a good time with it.
You have to make allowances for the time period in which it was written otherwise you’re bound for disappointment. It was an enjoyable adventure narrated by someone who was truly passionate about the sea. I didn’t particularly connect any of the characters but I did appreciate the social commentary and the science talk.
You have to make allowances for the time period in which it was written otherwise you’re bound for disappointment. It was an enjoyable adventure narrated by someone who was truly passionate about the sea. I didn’t particularly connect any of the characters but I did appreciate the social commentary and the science talk.
Verne should stop taking scientists on adventures. At the very least, he should make friends with more impassioned and animated scientists, ones who can spread their excitement for their fields to the layperson. Because Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, for being a book set underwater, sure is dry.
The narrator, Dr. Aronnax, approaches his time on the Nautilus as the naturalist that he is: observing, classifying, describing, and recording, disturbing as little as he can. This narrative approach turns the reader into a passive observer as well, leading to the same restless, anxious, and trapped feelings that Dr. Aronnax’s friend, Ned Land, harbours.
Thematically, this effect on the reader is spot on. I can feel the atmospheres of pressure bearing down on the submarine, the tight confines of its metal interior, and the cold sea depths passing me by. I can understand Ned’s frustration and Dr. Aronnax’s fascination and sympathize with both sides of their conflicting perspectives. In this way, Verne effectively locks up his readers in the Nautilus alongside his characters.
I only wish that I weren’t locked up with Aronnax. Everything he observes he sees through his naturalist lens, meaning that all the aquatic life and landforms the Nautilus brings into view, Aronnax describes with scientific jargon. A large portion of the narrative and dialogue is plain taxonomic listings.
Verne doesn’t help the narrative along with much action or development, either. The pacing is very start-and-stop, with a few events or points of note that are exciting and absorbing interspersed between a whole lot of taxonomic nothing. In addition, his characters grow little over the course of their journey, making those stretches of inaction even more dull and difficult to read.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas is like a trip to the aquarium. But forget the dazzling colours and patterns, resplendent shapes and sizes, and hypnotic motions of aquatic life. Because while the plaques and descriptions beside the exhibits and tanks are informative and interesting, the tanks themselves are empty.
The narrator, Dr. Aronnax, approaches his time on the Nautilus as the naturalist that he is: observing, classifying, describing, and recording, disturbing as little as he can. This narrative approach turns the reader into a passive observer as well, leading to the same restless, anxious, and trapped feelings that Dr. Aronnax’s friend, Ned Land, harbours.
Thematically, this effect on the reader is spot on. I can feel the atmospheres of pressure bearing down on the submarine, the tight confines of its metal interior, and the cold sea depths passing me by. I can understand Ned’s frustration and Dr. Aronnax’s fascination and sympathize with both sides of their conflicting perspectives. In this way, Verne effectively locks up his readers in the Nautilus alongside his characters.
I only wish that I weren’t locked up with Aronnax. Everything he observes he sees through his naturalist lens, meaning that all the aquatic life and landforms the Nautilus brings into view, Aronnax describes with scientific jargon. A large portion of the narrative and dialogue is plain taxonomic listings.
Verne doesn’t help the narrative along with much action or development, either. The pacing is very start-and-stop, with a few events or points of note that are exciting and absorbing interspersed between a whole lot of taxonomic nothing. In addition, his characters grow little over the course of their journey, making those stretches of inaction even more dull and difficult to read.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas is like a trip to the aquarium. But forget the dazzling colours and patterns, resplendent shapes and sizes, and hypnotic motions of aquatic life. Because while the plaques and descriptions beside the exhibits and tanks are informative and interesting, the tanks themselves are empty.
I've never read this story before, but I fear this was a huge truncation of the exploration of morality and humanity that can be found in the original text. I did really enjoy it though and if anything it makes me want to read the original.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A thrilling classic! It was very exciting and interesting. The depiction of sperm whales was far from accurate, but, oh well, it was written in 1870.
Captain Nemo was such a fascinating character! His motivations and background are a complete mystery and you only piece together fragments along with the main character. His love for the sea is truly unparalleled. Mr Aronnax (mc) and him share a really unique bond through this feeling. It is really interesting.
(Also Captain Nemo and Mr. Aronnax definitely had a bit of queer tension ;> )
I also just loved all the parts where Jules Verne described all the different marine creatures!
Captain Nemo was such a fascinating character! His motivations and background are a complete mystery and you only piece together fragments along with the main character. His love for the sea is truly unparalleled. Mr Aronnax (mc) and him share a really unique bond through this feeling. It is really interesting.
(Also Captain Nemo and Mr. Aronnax definitely had a bit of queer tension ;> )
I also just loved all the parts where Jules Verne described all the different marine creatures!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
I have owned this book since I was a kid, which is rather surprising considering how scientific this book is. I think I even tried to read it when I was a kid. I believe I found it somewhere, and being the little bookworm that I was, I have kept it for all these years. It is beat up and worn and has "Steff Kirk" written on the inside.
So with all that said, I finally decided to read it for real because the topic of my Unorthodox Book Club next month is "ADVENTURE" and really, what is more adventurous than this book? I mean, just look at the cover! If you know me, you know that I am fascinated by octopuses, which are just a small part of the novel toward the end but a very significant part.
Overall the novel is very scientific and that part was a little difficult to grasp. Lots of numbers, seafaring navigational terms, and ... math. Yeah, lots of math. And tons and tons of marine biology. But if you set all that aside (or just um, skim it, like I did) you can really get into the story. I'm sure there is tons of background on this novel that I am missing out on, which, I will definitely be researching, but overall it is a fascinating tale. Who is Captain Nemo? Why is he so hellbent on keeping the three characters "captive?" Why does he attack ships? The great adventures that he goes on under the sea and the things that are discovered, fictional as they may be, are certainly fascinating, and I think Jules Verne does a great job at telling the tale.
So with all that said, I finally decided to read it for real because the topic of my Unorthodox Book Club next month is "ADVENTURE" and really, what is more adventurous than this book? I mean, just look at the cover! If you know me, you know that I am fascinated by octopuses, which are just a small part of the novel toward the end but a very significant part.
Overall the novel is very scientific and that part was a little difficult to grasp. Lots of numbers, seafaring navigational terms, and ... math. Yeah, lots of math. And tons and tons of marine biology. But if you set all that aside (or just um, skim it, like I did) you can really get into the story. I'm sure there is tons of background on this novel that I am missing out on, which, I will definitely be researching, but overall it is a fascinating tale. Who is Captain Nemo? Why is he so hellbent on keeping the three characters "captive?" Why does he attack ships? The great adventures that he goes on under the sea and the things that are discovered, fictional as they may be, are certainly fascinating, and I think Jules Verne does a great job at telling the tale.
adventurous
mysterious
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
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No