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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's twenty thousand leagues long
This book felt ahead of its time on social and environmental issue commentary. Personally, I really enjoyed listening to all descriptions of the oceanic flora and fauna. I listened to the audio book read by Aria Mia Loberti and it was very easy to get into with her young and excited voice.
I love the book, although true as they said on other review, that Mr. Verne’s imagination about a submarine couldn’t really be implemented should anyone want to make one. Today’s naval science would prove that such submarine as how Mr. Verne described Nautilus could not survive even its initial journey. But, one should always remember that this book was published in 1870 – an era when even building a mothership that F-16 can be launched from was still unthinkable. In that era, Mr. Verne went ahead of his time and had his imagination stretched so far to the creation of the famous Nautilus.
Aside from admiration toward Mr. Verne’s brilliant imagination and vision, I was excited reading about Captain Nemo, a character that would have been perfectly portrayed by George Clooney (don’t ask why). How he at first appeared as a mysterious reticent pacifist, yet had an ambivalence morality stance about killing as a sport and killing for the sake of killing. A very composed man, with strong will although moody at times. His past was not clearly told in this book, only a glimpse of his dark past which became his reason to sever any ties with civilized world and build a submarine instead.
One thing I found as a little bit over the top for his character is the fact that not only he was almost perfect – brilliant, good looking, poetic and savant, very cool and smooth, he also plays piano. As if that what makes a perfect gentleman. But then again, perhaps it was the obligatory depiction of someone nearly ‘superhuman’ at that time. A book needs a hero.
As to the other characters in this book, who I pictured would have been perfectly portrayed by much younger Anthony Hopkins as Professor Arronax, Kenneth from the 30 Rock as the dutiful and loyal Conceil, and Owen Wilson as the hotheaded harpooner, Mr. Ned Land, who although not as dashing of a character as Captain Nemo are essential in this book: They were the representative of how people’s reaction and reception in those time would have been had they encountered such magnificent submarine as Nautilus! Without them this book would only be about a man so angry of his past and country, decided to become a hermit in the deep of the ocean, in a cigar-like vessel. Everyone needs admirers and haters.
I share the other reviewers’ view about the political side and morality Mr. Verne trying to emphasize in this book: about Captain Nemo’s point of view on oppression and humankind, about human overfishing, about the idea of separation from established civilization, etc. Some are even still being fight for until this day. In this matter Captain Nemo was described not as the owner and the captain of a (then) futuristic vessel, but immortalized as today’s human right leaders, only a couple hundreds of years faster.
.. okay. I am planning to re-read this book to take a note of all the animals, zoophytes, and underwater plants Mr. Verne painstakingly listed. I must admit I hate the part where he did this, it was the only times during the reading I found as boring.
Aside from admiration toward Mr. Verne’s brilliant imagination and vision, I was excited reading about Captain Nemo, a character that would have been perfectly portrayed by George Clooney (don’t ask why). How he at first appeared as a mysterious reticent pacifist, yet had an ambivalence morality stance about killing as a sport and killing for the sake of killing. A very composed man, with strong will although moody at times. His past was not clearly told in this book, only a glimpse of his dark past which became his reason to sever any ties with civilized world and build a submarine instead.
One thing I found as a little bit over the top for his character is the fact that not only he was almost perfect – brilliant, good looking, poetic and savant, very cool and smooth, he also plays piano. As if that what makes a perfect gentleman. But then again, perhaps it was the obligatory depiction of someone nearly ‘superhuman’ at that time. A book needs a hero.
As to the other characters in this book, who I pictured would have been perfectly portrayed by much younger Anthony Hopkins as Professor Arronax, Kenneth from the 30 Rock as the dutiful and loyal Conceil, and Owen Wilson as the hotheaded harpooner, Mr. Ned Land, who although not as dashing of a character as Captain Nemo are essential in this book: They were the representative of how people’s reaction and reception in those time would have been had they encountered such magnificent submarine as Nautilus! Without them this book would only be about a man so angry of his past and country, decided to become a hermit in the deep of the ocean, in a cigar-like vessel. Everyone needs admirers and haters.
I share the other reviewers’ view about the political side and morality Mr. Verne trying to emphasize in this book: about Captain Nemo’s point of view on oppression and humankind, about human overfishing, about the idea of separation from established civilization, etc. Some are even still being fight for until this day. In this matter Captain Nemo was described not as the owner and the captain of a (then) futuristic vessel, but immortalized as today’s human right leaders, only a couple hundreds of years faster.
.. okay. I am planning to re-read this book to take a note of all the animals, zoophytes, and underwater plants Mr. Verne painstakingly listed. I must admit I hate the part where he did this, it was the only times during the reading I found as boring.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It is an epic tale with an engaging adventure.
The book comes across as a bit dated to me and it's hard to engage otherwise. When I read Sherlock Holmes stories I notice the same thing, technology and ideas that were cutting edge at the time just don't have the shock value in modern age. There is a lot of imagining of what living a sub would be like and I feel like a lot of it is plain wrong. Romantic and probably interesting for the time, but wrong and in this day and age noticeably so.
It was shortish, so I appreciate that. I feel like this could get a re-write given the robber barons of today. Jeff Bezos declares a burning hatred of humanity and retreats to the sea. Maybe I'll go write that book....
It was shortish, so I appreciate that. I feel like this could get a re-write given the robber barons of today. Jeff Bezos declares a burning hatred of humanity and retreats to the sea. Maybe I'll go write that book....
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
interesting to unpack the minor variance in philosophy between, m arronax, conciel, ned land, and captain nemo. the story represents western colonial mindsets of adventure and conquest and shows varying levels of fetishization and repulsion at global south cultures when it comes to this kind of smithsonian type of journey. nemo has no desire to affiliate himself with europe anymore and sympathizes with the global south but from a place of misanthropy and looking down on them, whereas m. arronax and conceil represent the french aristocracy and intelligentzia . ned land is just sort of a regular guy who never wanted any part of this, yet he represents the side of man that hunts the sea. Nemo indescriminately kills and destroys marine animals and humans as he pleases regardless of his seemingly sympathetic moral compass. they are all pretty despicable, and jules verne writes ned land and conciel to truly see M. arronnax as superior to them based on class alone, so sometimes their actions and dialogue seem incredibly out of character.
jules verne as a narrator is unaware of many facts about the sea which were discovered in the centuries since the book was published which leads to funny misunderstandings such as describing sunlight falling on the oceab floor or divers taking pickaxes to the ocean floor to dig a hole and many other silly moments. these are also surrounded by many cases of the “words could not describe what i saw” phenomenon, which would never be accepted in this modern day of publishing. i found it fascinating for all of these reasons but it also took me months to read because it is long winded and stupid.
one of those books i finished just so i could write a complete criticism of it i guess.
jules verne as a narrator is unaware of many facts about the sea which were discovered in the centuries since the book was published which leads to funny misunderstandings such as describing sunlight falling on the oceab floor or divers taking pickaxes to the ocean floor to dig a hole and many other silly moments. these are also surrounded by many cases of the “words could not describe what i saw” phenomenon, which would never be accepted in this modern day of publishing. i found it fascinating for all of these reasons but it also took me months to read because it is long winded and stupid.
one of those books i finished just so i could write a complete criticism of it i guess.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated