Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Overall a 3...the first arc of the book was a 4, the midsection was a slog and more like a 2, then once Buck met John Thornton it went back up to a 4 or 5.
Glad I finally read this book, and obviously the thoughts above are mine alone.
Glad I finally read this book, and obviously the thoughts above are mine alone.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Re-read (first read this when I was ~18). Seemed like an obvious choice considering my current life circumstances and definitely more emotional.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Seeking out the comforting creature fiction of my childhood as I stare down the barrel of exams next week, why not? I had forgotten how good this was. The perfect dog story: touching, grim, with a great historical setting and--what do you know--a bit socialist. The perfect story for a ghoulish, animal-loving child and adult both.
I downloaded the audiobook of this once lockdown had started properly - I was craving the chance to be outside and immersed in nature. This book certainly had the transporting effect I was hoping for.
Written in 1903 and set in the Yukon Gold Rush, The Call of the Wild is the story of Buck, a genteel housedog from the South who is kidnapped and taken north to Canada. Obviously, Buck is a Symbol. And this is a book full of Symbols with capital letters even without reading it in print. There is the Good Man, there is the Bad Rich Family, there is Nature and Death and the Struggle. Maybe if I read it at another time I would find that style simplistic, but in the midst of the pandemic I found the stories of Buck's triumphs and losses raw and real even if they never wandered into complexity, and I found myself craving the life of the Yukon where the threats are tangible and can be fought with hand and tooth and fire. Stark contrast to viruses and recessions.
Great book to escape into.
Written in 1903 and set in the Yukon Gold Rush, The Call of the Wild is the story of Buck, a genteel housedog from the South who is kidnapped and taken north to Canada. Obviously, Buck is a Symbol. And this is a book full of Symbols with capital letters even without reading it in print. There is the Good Man, there is the Bad Rich Family, there is Nature and Death and the Struggle. Maybe if I read it at another time I would find that style simplistic, but in the midst of the pandemic I found the stories of Buck's triumphs and losses raw and real even if they never wandered into complexity, and I found myself craving the life of the Yukon where the threats are tangible and can be fought with hand and tooth and fire. Stark contrast to viruses and recessions.
Great book to escape into.
Call of the Wild is a brief and brutal tale that is a classic of American fiction. Unlike the 2020 movie version, the novel is unflinching in its descriptions of a civilized dog turning into a wild beast, and it is in these brutally realistic scenes that the brilliance of Call of the Wild shines through.
Buck has few choices, he is a dog sold to work at a different place from his birth house. Though he chooses to lead a group of dogs, it is to work for his masters. Finally he went into the wild. The last straw was his beloved master's death. Did he make a conscious choice or have a free will? Suppose Buck is a human.