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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
books #8 & 9 of 2021: Tarzan of the Apes and The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs (pub. 1912, 1913) so, granted, there’s a quite healthy amount of: racism, sexism, classism, culturism, even speciesism, but...if you can look past all that (these were written over 100 years ago) - and reading the bible several times prepared me to do just that, then you are in for seriously edge of your seat, funny and fun, skilled storytelling. I really needed some adventure and man, did I get it. I guess I’ve finally found my kind of genre fiction, a bit reminiscent of the bad action films I quietly adore (though the writing in these is actually quite good - more books that make me convinced I don’t need to write). 4/5. and now for something completely different....
slow-paced
Well, I think we all know that this book definitely did not age well.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I feel like I've been waiting for a book like this my entire life, and here it was all this time, published long before I was even born.
Is the light cast upon race and gender in this novel wrong and inappropriate? Most definitely. However, I read this book ignoring these things, not out of ignorance as the word would imply, but with an acceptance of the flaws, and deciding instead to fall in love with the adventure and the horrible violence of Tarzan's growing up in the jungle. I didn't read this looking for a realistic survival study on apes and men either.
I was not expecting the gritty and gruesome nature of the story, as my only experience of Tarzan prior to reading this novel is with the Disney animated movie version. There is no child-friendly telling of Tarzan winning the love of the great ape Kerchak and Jane teaching him how to read, or Tarzan gallivanting around with his ape buddy Terk and the elephant Tantor. This adventure is much more primal than that, and so fucking beautiful I couldn't finish it without crying. Others will find this much more flawed than I have, I'm sure, but it's been a long time since I've loved reading and this book has brought me out of that slump.
Sidenote: Margot Robbie and Alexander Skarsdård will be starring in next year's Tarzan adaptation, based off of one of the sequels in this book series. That's my dream cast for any movie so I'm super excited, and hoping that they keep to the darker nature of the novels.
Is the light cast upon race and gender in this novel wrong and inappropriate? Most definitely. However, I read this book ignoring these things, not out of ignorance as the word would imply, but with an acceptance of the flaws, and deciding instead to fall in love with the adventure and the horrible violence of Tarzan's growing up in the jungle. I didn't read this looking for a realistic survival study on apes and men either.
I was not expecting the gritty and gruesome nature of the story, as my only experience of Tarzan prior to reading this novel is with the Disney animated movie version. There is no child-friendly telling of Tarzan winning the love of the great ape Kerchak and Jane teaching him how to read, or Tarzan gallivanting around with his ape buddy Terk
Spoiler
Terkoz is actually an antagonist hereSidenote: Margot Robbie and Alexander Skarsdård will be starring in next year's Tarzan adaptation, based off of one of the sequels in this book series. That's my dream cast for any movie so I'm super excited, and hoping that they keep to the darker nature of the novels.
Most if not all of what I know about Tarzan comes from the Disney adaptation; the Phil Collins soundtrack runs through my head whenever I think of that movie. So I picked this up out of curiousity to compare the two, and for a quick read.
Well, it went by fast. And there are quite a few obvious differences, as is usually the case when Disney adapts any story. Kala is close to what I remember, but I think I was being too optimistic when I expected the same for Kerchak and his relationships with the rest of the tribe. Damn it, Disney. Oof, there are a number of cringe-worthy moments in this original which given the time period makes a lot more sense but still makes the reader quite uncomfortable. It's too blatant to ignore, even with context.
That said, Edgar Rice Burroughs is a fine storyteller with how he spins it all. This book had such a strong start from the doomed fates of Lord and Lady Greystoke to the childhood of Tarzan that I couldn't put it down, even though I knew what was going to happen. I mean, we all do. There's quite a bit of violence to keep you on your toes, plenty of adventure and survival, more violence, and a bit of necessary romance. Oh, and this desire for knowledge, which as unbelievable as it was that Tarzan taught himself to read English before learning to speak it, which I enjoyed reading about. Apparently I can't get enough of reading about people reading.
I have a hard time choosing between Tarzan reading or the mystical descriptions of his chiseled features and strength and manliness from the point of view of the others as my favourite bits in the book. It's an infallible mix for entertainment.
Well, it went by fast. And there are quite a few obvious differences, as is usually the case when Disney adapts any story. Kala is close to what I remember, but I think I was being too optimistic when I expected the same for Kerchak and his relationships with the rest of the tribe. Damn it, Disney. Oof, there are a number of cringe-worthy moments in this original which given the time period makes a lot more sense but still makes the reader quite uncomfortable. It's too blatant to ignore, even with context.
That said, Edgar Rice Burroughs is a fine storyteller with how he spins it all. This book had such a strong start from the doomed fates of Lord and Lady Greystoke to the childhood of Tarzan that I couldn't put it down, even though I knew what was going to happen. I mean, we all do. There's quite a bit of violence to keep you on your toes, plenty of adventure and survival, more violence, and a bit of necessary romance. Oh, and this desire for knowledge, which as unbelievable as it was that Tarzan taught himself to read English before learning to speak it, which I enjoyed reading about. Apparently I can't get enough of reading about people reading.
I have a hard time choosing between Tarzan reading or the mystical descriptions of his chiseled features and strength and manliness from the point of view of the others as my favourite bits in the book. It's an infallible mix for entertainment.
The ending is such a cliff hanger!
I really liked the book. It was not what I expected based on watching the movies growing up. I will definitely read the entire series to see what happens next!
I really liked the book. It was not what I expected based on watching the movies growing up. I will definitely read the entire series to see what happens next!
Me ha gustado muchísimo.
No se parece casi nada a la película de Disney, cogieron los conceptos clave del libro y elaboraron su propia historia y su propio final.
Me gusta mucho la figura de Tarzán en el libro, es un hombre creado entre bestias que ha sabido coger lo mejor de ambas especies. Es muy fuerte, ágil y valiente, capaz de matar a cualquier animal que le amenace con pocas herramientas. Y, a la vez, es inteligente y estratega. Es capaz de aprender a escribir y leer él solo y puede aprender a hablar un idioma bastante rápido. Pero, sobre todo, me gusta lo que representa. Al final demuestra ser todo un caballero, que salva a personas de forma completamente altruista, las cuida y les entrega todo lo que necesiten sin esperar nada a cambio. Y ese gran gesto del final... me ha partido un poco el corazón, pero al final solo refuerza la humanidad y la bondad que hay en este hombre, capaz de anteponer la felicidad de cualquiera a la suya. Me parece un personaje muy bueno y me quedo con eso.
Los demás personajes, Jane incluida, son secundarios. Este libro habla de las aventuras de Tarzán, su vida, sus hazañas, sus enamoramientos y desengaños, y los demás personajes tienen algo de peso en la historia y en la vida de Tarzán, pero no los llegamos a conocer tanto como a él.
Me ha fascinado esta historia y se la recomiendo a todo el mundo (niños no, igual se quedan un poquito traumatizados con algunas escenas...)
No se parece casi nada a la película de Disney, cogieron los conceptos clave del libro y elaboraron su propia historia y su propio final.
Me gusta mucho la figura de Tarzán en el libro, es un hombre creado entre bestias que ha sabido coger lo mejor de ambas especies. Es muy fuerte, ágil y valiente, capaz de matar a cualquier animal que le amenace con pocas herramientas. Y, a la vez, es inteligente y estratega. Es capaz de aprender a escribir y leer él solo y puede aprender a hablar un idioma bastante rápido. Pero, sobre todo, me gusta lo que representa. Al final demuestra ser todo un caballero, que salva a personas de forma completamente altruista, las cuida y les entrega todo lo que necesiten sin esperar nada a cambio. Y ese gran gesto del final... me ha partido un poco el corazón, pero al final solo refuerza la humanidad y la bondad que hay en este hombre, capaz de anteponer la felicidad de cualquiera a la suya. Me parece un personaje muy bueno y me quedo con eso.
Los demás personajes, Jane incluida, son secundarios. Este libro habla de las aventuras de Tarzán, su vida, sus hazañas, sus enamoramientos y desengaños, y los demás personajes tienen algo de peso en la historia y en la vida de Tarzán, pero no los llegamos a conocer tanto como a él.
Me ha fascinado esta historia y se la recomiendo a todo el mundo (niños no, igual se quedan un poquito traumatizados con algunas escenas...)
Making my way through the first 8 Tarzan books. The first was great! Very exciting.
You'll need plenty of suspension of disbelief, but it's a surprisingly well written and entertaining little book.