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3.54 AVERAGE

adventurous 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

It was ok, sort of a take it or leave it kind of novel. Not as good as other children's classics I've read.

I finally read this after what feels like years (I didn't complete it the first time when I was younger. Maybe I forgot to?)
Trust me, I had no clue this was a collection of short stories, and not a novel.

i enjoyed the jungle book story, however the short stories were quite boring! I did enjoy how the short stories were from the perspectives of different animals so it felt quite cartoon-like
adventurous inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-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: Complicated

this book was good! if I’m being fully honest, i bought this book because of the stunning and captivating cover in this edition. i mistakenly believed i was familiar with with book because i had, like many others, watched the famous disney adaptation of the jungle book as a kid. turns out this book is a collection of short stories and only the first four of them are centered around mowgli and all the other characters we see in the film. so this read wasn’t what i expected and it surprised me!

i liked all of the stories except the very last one, which i didn’t get the point of at all. it was just a bit confusing. my favourite ones were the ones featuring mowgli. the original story is way more complex and way more dark. another stories i loved were the white seal, which was about a young seal that travels thousands of miles to save his counterparts from being killed for their skin, and rikki-tiki-tavi, about a mongoose who rescues a family from cobras. 

all the characters are animals but mowgli, but they are just are interesting and have a lot of character. almost all of the tales take place in india and the author’s descriptions of the jungle are very detailed and carefully crafted. i also enjoyed the small poems at the beginning of the short stories.

rudyard Kipling’s style of writing is charming and the narrative is timeless. i believe these stories will be enjoyed by many others.

No tengo memorias de la película El Libro de la Selva, así que llegué en la total ignorancia a leer este libro.

Me ha gustado mucho, casi todas las historias fueron muy entretenidas y clever. Creo que hubo dos que no me encantaron, pero en general me he divertido un montón y ha sido una lectura super interesante, el autor como que ve las cosas desde perspectivas no usuales, lo cual fue bastante enriquecedor.

Mañana veré la película en Netflix a ver cuánto se parece. Me imagino que dada la naturaleza del libro probablemente no se parezca demasiado, ya veremos.
adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-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: Complicated

<u>Review in English below</u>

Pienso que esta es la reseña más personal que escribiré jamás. Comencemos.

<b>Nota:</b> Al terminar de escribir esta <i>reseña</i> me di cuenta que hablaba de muchas cosas excepto del libro en sí (muy superficialmente); lo escribo aquí por si alguien decide leerme no se sienta estafado luego.

Empecé a leer <b>El libro de la selva</b> el 09 de mayo y lo he terminado este 13 de julio. La razón de por qué me tomó tanto tiempo es quizá de lo más difícil de explicar para mí, pero de alguna manera me gustaría dejarlo aquí plasmado, ya que siempre me he consideró una persona optimista, y soy de quienes piensan que después de la tormenta, siempre sale el sol. Y en este caso mi sol, el mío y el de mi familia, salió para darnos fortaleza y esperanza. 

Llevaba un par de semanas con pocas interrupciones leyendo este libro con mi madre, cuando pocos días después de su cumpleaños, el 22 de mayo, cayó enferma. Al principio pensamos que sería algo que pasaría en un par de días, así también lo creyó el doctor, y además porque vimos que había un poco de mejoría. Sin embargo, menos de una semana después mi mamá volvió a ponerse mal, a tal punto de que el dolor se había vuelto insoportable para ella. La segunda visita al doctor fue para hacer un diagnóstico más específico, realizar estudios médicos requeridos, e incluso el médico pensó que podría requerirse de cirugía. Claramente la situación se había complicado, y aunque mi madre no empeoraba, tampoco mostraba mejoría alguna. Al llegar con el segundo médico, un tratamiento más amplio y con un par de medicamentos más, el agobio y la incertidumbre era lo que más estaba presente en mi hogar. No había manera de hacer que este sentimiento pasara rápido, al ver a mi mamá en cama todo el día, y ver que la recuperación parecía llegar pero de manera lenta y pausada. 

Sin duda no solía pensar en mis lecturas durante todo este tiempo, aunque es verdad que fueron mis lecturas de finales de mayo y todo junio las que me dieron la fortaleza que necesitaba y las que despejaron mi mente en los momentos difíciles. Jamás perdí la esperanza, y jamás pensé en que algo peor podría pasar. Por fortuna, después de dos semanas de enfermedad, mi mamá volvió a comer y a tener apetito, y a partir de entonces la situación empezó a ser optimista. Cuando se visitó al médico después de la segunda consulta, los resultados que se esperaban con tanta angustia dieron negativo, y por ende, la cirugía no sería necesaria finalmente. Tres semanas más de recuperación, junio se estaba yendo, y mi mamá finalmente tuvo la energía de levantarse y reincorporarse a su vida poco a poco. Ahora mismo ella se encuentra mejor, aún siguiendo las recomendaciones del médico y en espera de una siguiente visita tras haberse recuperado de esta enfermedad. De algún modo el hecho de que hayamos terminado de leer <b>El libro de la selva</b> es la prueba de que (especialmente ella) hemos como familia atravesado y superado juntos esta situación adversa, que al final del día son experiencias que de algún modo te hacen más fuerte, y te enseñan a valorar aún más las pequeñas cosas de la vida. 

Hablando de <b>El libro de la selva</b>, una colección de siete cuentos (al menos en esta edición) que muestran la vida en la selva —o en el mar en el caso de un título en particular— a través de sus personajes y de las experiencias que viven dentro de ella, así como ciertas lecciones y reflexiones para la vida, ha sido una experiencia inigualable. No les miento si les digo que todos los cuentos me han parecido fascinantes, unos más que otros claramente, pero ninguno me ha dejado con un mal sabor de boca. Incluso recuerdo haber visto —quizá leído en algunas reseñas previamente— que usualmente los últimos dos, <u>Toomai el de los elefantes</u> y <u>Los servidores de su majestad</u>, no suelen gustar igual, pero en mi caso pienso que están realmente a la altura de los otros. 
Mis favoritos no dejan de ser <u>La foca blanca</u>, <u>Los hermanos de Mowgli</u> y <u>Rikki-Tikki-Tavi</u>, teniendo cada uno un protagonista del que te interesa lo que le pueda pasar, así como historias que te mantienen atrapado de principio a fin. 
Asimismo, no puedo dejar de lado la narrativa de Kipling, una prosa ágil de leer, casi poética —resaltando las canciones que uno se encuentra al final de cada cuento—, y tan acertada con el contenido de cada historia, descripciones adecuadas y finales que te dejan con una buena impresión o un gran mensaje; en especial recuerdo el final del cuento <u>¡Tigre! ¡Tigre!</u>, que me trajo recuerdos de mi infancia de cuando tendría unos 5 o 6 años y veía la película Disney basada en las primeras tres historias, que pertenecen a la vida de Mowgli en la jungla junto a Bagheera y Baloo. 

En general, uno podría pensar que este libro ha sido un <u>5 estrellas</u> para mí dado el camino que recorrimos desde que lo empezamos hasta que lo terminamos, y es probable que sea cierto; sin importar el libro que hubiera comenzado a leer con mi madre, el resultado a estas alturas habría sido un <u>5 estrellas</u>. Por otra parte, y yo intento verlo de esta manera, uno califica una experiencia lectora basado en el viaje y en lo que representa el contenido para uno mismo así como su importancia; en lo que representa todo lo que se vivió desde que se inició la lectura hasta que terminó. ¿Cuántos libros no han impactado en nosotros a través de sus historias, felices o tristes, positivas o adversas, y a través de lo que nosotros vivimos al leerlos, tanto en el interior como en el exterior? Y justo eso, lo que representa la experiencia en sí misma, es lo que más valoro cuando escribo mis reseñas y doy mi veredicto final. 
Por lo tanto, <b>El libro de la selva</b> pasa a ser uno de los libros más importantes de mi vida, porque de algún modo me enseñó —quizá más el hecho de estarlo leyendo en dicho momento que solo el contenido en sí— que ante la adversidad, siempre hay un mañana con mayor esperanza para todos.

<i><b>Atravesamos la llanura enorme, los veinte pares que somos, hasta que nos desenganchan; y pastamos, mientras sobre la planicie se oyen las voces de los cañones grandes, que hablan con alguna ciudad de paredes de barro que se va cayendo a trozos, y se llena todo de polvo, como si volviera mucho ganado de los pastos.</b></i>
<b>-</b> Los servidores de su majestad

<b>----</b>
<b>----</b>

I think this is the most personal review I will ever type. Let's start.

<b>Disclaimer:</b> Once I finish typing this <i>review</i> I realized that I have talked about everything but the book itself (perhaps very slightly) – I point this out here just in case anyone decides to read my thoughts regardless, please do not feel as if I didn’t say anything beforehand.

I started reading <b>The Jungle Book</b> on May 9 and I finished it on July 13. The reason why it took me so much time to finish it is perhaps the hardest thing to explain for me, but somehow I would like to share it here, as I have always considered myself an optimistic person, and I am one of those people who thinks the sun always comes out after the storm. And in this case 'the sun' actually came out to give us strength and hope to my family and me.

My mother and I were reading this book together every other day for a couple of weeks, when a few days after her birthday, on May 22, she fell ill. At first we thought it would be something that she would overcome in a couple of days, so did the doctor, mainly because we saw she was getting a little better during the next days. However, about a week after she got sick, my mother started getting worse, to the point that the pain had become unbearable for her. The second visit to the doctor was to make a more specific diagnosis, to run medical tests, and even the doctor thought a surgery might be required. Clearly the situation got complicated, and although my mother did not get even worse after this visit, she did not get better either. When we arrived at the second clinic, and after getting a new treatment with much more medicine for her, an overwhelming feeling and uncertainty were constantly present at home. Moreover, it was difficult to see my mother in bed all day, even though she seemed to be getting better but very slowly and gradually. In short, there was no way to get through this tough time right away.

I certainly did not think of my readings during all this time, although it is true that my previous readings—from the end of May to almost the end of June—were actually those things that gave me the strength I needed and that made me think clearly during the most difficult times. I never lost hope, and I never thought that something worse could have happened. Fortunately, two weeks after getting sick, my mom got appetite back and started eating more frequently, and from that moment on the scenario began to be more optimistic. When we went back to the doctor after the second appointment, the results that we were expecting with so much anguish turned out to be negative, and therefore, the surgery would not be necessary. Three more weeks for recovery, it was almost the end of June, and my mother finally had the energy to get up and rejoin her activities little by little. Right now she is much better, still following her doctor's instructions and waiting for a next doctor's visit after having finished her treatment and having recovered from this illness. In some way the fact that we have finished reading <b>The Jungle Book</b> is proof that we as a family—especially she—have lived and overcome this difficult situation together, and that, at the end of the day, this series of experiences somehow makes you be stronger, and teach you how to embrace the beautiful, little things in life even more.

Speaking of <b>The Jungle Book</b>, it is a volume of seven stories (at least in this Spanish edition) that depicts how it is life in the jungle—or in the sea, as we have one tale whose story takes place there—through its characters and the experiences that they live together within it, and also certain thoughts or reflections on life that make those adventures feel alive – in short, reading this collection of tales has been a unique experience to say the least. I am not lying if I say I have found all these stories fascinating, clearly some of them more interesting than the rest, however, none of them has left a bad taste in my mouth. I even remember—probably I read this in some reviews before—some stories such as <u>Toomai of the Elephants</u> and <u>Her Majesty's Servants</u> are among the least favorites for some readers; as for me, I found them actually really good written and at the same level of the other ones. 
My favorite tales were definitely <u>The White Seal</u>, <u>Mowgli's Brothers</u> and <u>Rikki-Tikki-Tavi</u>, each of them have a memorable protagonist who you can feel empathy for, as well as stories that make you keep reading from cover to cover in just one sitting. Also, Kipling's narrative is another great aspect of the book, since we find an easy style of writing, that is almost poetic and symbolic—I'd like to point out that there are beautifully written 'songs' at the end of each tale—and so meaningful for the content of each story, accurate descriptions, and endings that leave you a good, meaningful message; especially I remember the ending of <u>Tiger! Tiger!</u>, that also made some childhood memories come to my mind, for instance, when I used to watch the Disney movie adaptation way back when I was probably 5 or 6, a movie slightly based upon the first three tales, which portray Mowgli's life in the jungle along with Bagheera and Baloo.

It's likely that someone thinks this book has been a <u>5-star</u> reading for me because of the overall experience we had since we started reading it until we finished it, and it might be true; regardless of the book that I had picked up with my mother, the result at this point would have been the same (a <u>5-star</u> reading indeed). Additionally, and trying to see this in a different way, when you type your reviews and you eventually rate a book, your final rating might be based on 'the journey' you lived reading that story, the importance of the story and what it meant to you, and what made you feel from beginning to end. How many books have impacted on you in that way, where a story, that might be happy or sad, optimistic or pessimistic, is thoroughly connected with your life and especially with what you are living at the moment? And it is only that, what the reading experience itself means to me, what I care about the most when I type my reviews and give my final verdict on it. Therefore, <b>The Jungle Book</b> has become one of the most important books of my life, because in some way it taught me that—mostly because of the fact that I read the book at such circumstances, regardless of the content itself—there is always hope for everyone despite adversity.

<i><b>We go across the level plain, twenty yoke of us, till we are unyoked again, and we graze while the big guns talk across the plain to some town with mud walls, and pieces of the wall fall out, and the dust goes up as though many cattle were coming home.</b></i> 
<b>-</b> Her Majesty's Servants
adventurous dark hopeful mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

The Jungle Book is a compilation of short stories. My rating is based upon scoring my favorite short story a five and my least favorite a two and a half. The film adaptations fall flat compared to the beautiful descriptive writing of Rudyard Kipling.

hopeful lighthearted

Just adorable.