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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this story! I expected it to be a bit antiquated, which it certainly was, but the writing was excellent and compelling. The theme of man vs. beast is excellently approached. I didn't care for the ending that much, but the first 75% of this book was amazing. I will certainly consider reading more in this series, and look forward to checking out John Carter sometime, as well!
i know, you wouldn't have imagined me saying this -given the fact of me lashing the author in one of his other novels- but this is marvelous. i loved the savageness expressed by the author, an angle in Tarzan you'll never know nor experience through the mere watching of a Disney movie or any similar poorly viewed replica of the real deal here. i do not despise the movies at all. but now that I've read this novel i can honestly say that there's not even a remote resembles. but then again, that is the deal with most books. i just loved how I Felt when i felt it, while reading the story. you get all "OOOOH" and "aaah" or "awwwh". which is more than i can say for the visual stimulate (aka the movies) that never stirred a shred of feelings. now, thats a great book!
3.5*
He querido leer esto desde que empecé a tener ya como hobbit la lectura. Cuando lo tuve en mis manos tenía que estar dispuesta y concentrarme, acomodarme para leer por horas porque es muy adictivo.
Eso sí, no justifica que es el libro con el insta-love más lamentable que alguna vez he leído.
Por lo demás está excelente, se ven las aventuras, la pasión, el odio, el cariño que le tienes a los personajes (por más que todos no sean humanos).
Tarzán no es como todos, pero vive como ninguno.
No digo que este libro es la divina papaya, pero agárrate que de aquí no sales en unos días.
He querido leer esto desde que empecé a tener ya como hobbit la lectura. Cuando lo tuve en mis manos tenía que estar dispuesta y concentrarme, acomodarme para leer por horas porque es muy adictivo.
Eso sí, no justifica que es el libro con el insta-love más lamentable que alguna vez he leído.
Por lo demás está excelente, se ven las aventuras, la pasión, el odio, el cariño que le tienes a los personajes (por más que todos no sean humanos).
Tarzán no es como todos, pero vive como ninguno.
No digo que este libro es la divina papaya, pero agárrate que de aquí no sales en unos días.
Look, I know it's bad form to judge these pulpy adventures by present-day standards, but at least I'm expecting to have fun, which I didn't. What I was left with is a plot that's about four sentences away from a eugenics manifesto and a love story that I would rather see in the hands of Ruby Dixon.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-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
adventurous
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A reread of an old favorite which I apparently last read when I didn't realize how racist it was. A shame.
I loved pretty much every word of this book. That is, until the ending. I found the ending totally disappointing. However, I loved the action, the love story, and found it a light, enjoyable, fun read. Nothing too deep or meaningful, but a fun read nonetheless. If I cared to look deeply into the politics and prejudices into this book, there's all kinds of ridiculous things in there, but I choose instead to simply enjoy the read.
I remember fiddling these books at the library when I was a child, but the thickness of them probably stopped me from ever borrowing them. Instead I just stuck to girly books, like Nancy Drew. The tv series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures on the other hand was one of my favourites. Ok, I'll admit, I watched it mostly because of John Lara :D And oh boy, the films with Johnny Weismuller, my great love! So, like with a lot of other people, the story of Tarzan was familiar even though I never actually read the book.
Now that I'm an adult, I take note on different things than what I would have as a kid. I was able to enjoy the story for what it was and be swept away by the epic adventures, but Burroughs was definitely a child of his era in regards to attitudes. The African tribes are described as being cruel, even monstrous cannibalist savages, whereas Esmeralda, the servant of white people, was mostly a childlike, hysterical and stupid nervous wreck. These basically overrule Burroughs's idea of fraternity between humans, or did it just concern white men? Alice and Jane were mostly just weak and useless (Jane a bit stronger, though), who apparently weren't able to 'think reasonably like men'. It was also unfathomable, that Tarzan's aristocratic instincts were supposedly hereditary, 'a natural result from generations of fine upbringing'. Seriously? Even though he'd been brought up by an ape after being orphaned as a baby? Thankfully Mr. Philander and professor Porter offered a little welcomed comic relief to the story.
Ok, so you could probably draw a conclusion from all this that I didn't like the book, but it's quite the opposite. The story was a great dose of pulp entertainment, even though the end felt a bit rushed and glued on. Because of my personal lack of interest towards wrestling with animals, I was happy for the arrival of Jane and the contrast it brought, but as a whole this was a great adventure novel of which I will definitely read the next installments at some point.
Now that I'm an adult, I take note on different things than what I would have as a kid. I was able to enjoy the story for what it was and be swept away by the epic adventures, but Burroughs was definitely a child of his era in regards to attitudes. The African tribes are described as being cruel, even monstrous cannibalist savages, whereas Esmeralda, the servant of white people, was mostly a childlike, hysterical and stupid nervous wreck. These basically overrule Burroughs's idea of fraternity between humans, or did it just concern white men? Alice and Jane were mostly just weak and useless (Jane a bit stronger, though), who apparently weren't able to 'think reasonably like men'. It was also unfathomable, that Tarzan's aristocratic instincts were supposedly hereditary, 'a natural result from generations of fine upbringing'. Seriously? Even though he'd been brought up by an ape after being orphaned as a baby? Thankfully Mr. Philander and professor Porter offered a little welcomed comic relief to the story.
Ok, so you could probably draw a conclusion from all this that I didn't like the book, but it's quite the opposite. The story was a great dose of pulp entertainment, even though the end felt a bit rushed and glued on. Because of my personal lack of interest towards wrestling with animals, I was happy for the arrival of Jane and the contrast it brought, but as a whole this was a great adventure novel of which I will definitely read the next installments at some point.
It was the hall-mark of [Tarzan's] aristocratic birth, the natural outcropping of many generations of fine breeding, and hereditary instinct of graciousness which a lifetime of uncouth and savage training and environment could not eradicate.
And of course, The Negress sobbed hysterically and after her custom, she fainted.
Just as in The Blue Lagoon, even though Tarzan is raised outside civilized society, he still shows civility - because it's in his blood, apparently. And just as in Five Weeks in a Balloon, all the Black people are imbeciles.
It's still a fun story if read in the context of the 1880s, but I'd like to see a wild child story that has been written with a more modern psychological and sociological foundation.
And of course, The Negress sobbed hysterically and after her custom, she fainted.
Just as in The Blue Lagoon, even though Tarzan is raised outside civilized society, he still shows civility - because it's in his blood, apparently. And just as in Five Weeks in a Balloon, all the Black people are imbeciles.
It's still a fun story if read in the context of the 1880s, but I'd like to see a wild child story that has been written with a more modern psychological and sociological foundation.