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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Some parts of the book were 5 stars, some 2. Averaging and rounding up because I am a fan of Jules Verne's writing style (minus the encyclopedic descriptions of marine life), his sheer creativity and inventiveness, and the alternating friendliness and tension he can cleverly convey between two characters.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
If you want to hear the ocean described in immense detail, and how a submarine works, by all means, dig in. So much time was spent describing small, minute details. But then when you actually got to the cool parts like the fight with the giant squid and them coming across Atlantis, it’s barely talked about.
Intriguing and well-written? Yes. Meaningful? No.
I just have learned that I can’t quite bear Verne’s assembly of adventurous characters and casting them off into episodic one-off ventures. Like I see the appeal and excitement one can feel over this seeming collection of short stories. But there’s no point, no real arc. It’s as though Verne thought “I was to write a book about the ocean. Let me make a list of every cool or interesting thing I know about the ocean and let me jam it into this book. The end.”
It reads to me more like a children’s cartoon show with each chapter a self-contained adventure that has its own mini-arc. But where the pieces really don’t add up to any important or enjoyable whole. But this is how Verne does it, and I’ll likely read his books to my kids one chapter each night. But for me, there’s not a whole lot of purpose to the literal meandering of both the characters and the author.
I just have learned that I can’t quite bear Verne’s assembly of adventurous characters and casting them off into episodic one-off ventures. Like I see the appeal and excitement one can feel over this seeming collection of short stories. But there’s no point, no real arc. It’s as though Verne thought “I was to write a book about the ocean. Let me make a list of every cool or interesting thing I know about the ocean and let me jam it into this book. The end.”
It reads to me more like a children’s cartoon show with each chapter a self-contained adventure that has its own mini-arc. But where the pieces really don’t add up to any important or enjoyable whole. But this is how Verne does it, and I’ll likely read his books to my kids one chapter each night. But for me, there’s not a whole lot of purpose to the literal meandering of both the characters and the author.