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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Four stars for both The Call of the Wild and White Fang. The Call of the Wild was a re-read for me; I first read the story for my 7th grade English class. I loved how the two stories complemented/mirrored one another. These are the best books I've read that are written from the perspective of a dog.
And yes, I was inspired to re-read The Call of the Wild thanks to the new film with Harrison Ford. Good job Goodreads ads, you worked.
And yes, I was inspired to re-read The Call of the Wild thanks to the new film with Harrison Ford. Good job Goodreads ads, you worked.
I'm convinced that publishers who decide to put endnotes in text personally hate me. This would be a higher rated book, but the format knocked a full star or maybe 1.5 stars off.
Being my first foray in reading Jack London, I have to say I was impressed with both The Call of the Wild and White Fang. One can really see that Jack London had a passion for nature as well as animals, and his abilities to observe and interpret those things are evident in his writing.
The thing that struck me most about reading The Call of the Wild and White Fang in one collection was how much the stories parallel each other. The Call of the Wild begins with Buck, a "soft Southland dog," who is stolen and sold as a sled dog to some men on their way to the Klondike gold rush. Buck is shocked by this new, harsh life in the cold North, but through his struggles his instincts harken back to his ancestors, and he learns what it means to survive in such a world. While I enjoyed The Call of the Wild, I will admit I did not like it as much as White Fang. The Call of the Wild to me was pretty bleak and depressing, and almost repetitive.The majority of the story involves Buck being handed off from one owner to another, and each new owner beats the living daylights out of him. That is, until he meets John Thornton who reminds him what it's like to have a "love relationship" with man. But then... John Thornton is killed by a raiding party of Indians. Buck loses all remnants of his "Southland" nature, and becomes like a true wolf, taking his revenge on the Indians. (And I am thoroughly reminded of how the film Jeremiah Johnson ends.... "The Indians have killed everyone I love, I shall kill them in revenge and become a legend." Anyone? Anyone?) Anyways. There is really little relief from the bleakness that pervades the story.
White Fang, on the other hand, goes much in the opposite direction. While The Call of the Wild begins on a happy note and ends on a sad one, White Fang starts out somewhat bleak and ends happy. However, you do not get the same unending bleakness that you experience while reading the bulk of The Call of the Wild. Interspersed with the instances of mankind's abuse to White Fang are incredible descriptions of the beauty and harshness of the North, as well as interesting insights on the instinct, nature and reasoning of a dog. White Fang begins with a couple of dog-mushers who are delivering the body of a wealthy man back to civilization. However, they encounter trouble with a starving pack of wolves,who slowly and cleverly begin picking off their sled dogs... and the men themselves . We soon discover that one of the wolves is White Fang's mother – a half-wolf, half-dog mix-breed. The story goes on to describe White Fang's birth and discovery of the world, as well as the various people he is owned by. His early life is not easy, and his nature is slowly consumed by hate and a vicious will to live. It is not until he meets his final owner, that he, like Buck, learns what it is to have a love-relationship with a man. His hate turns to extreme loyalty through whatever may happen. But, unlike Buck, White Fang departs from his wild wolf-nature in exchange for the love and happiness he experiences with his owner.
That is what makes reading these two stories back to back so interesting – the parallels. The way Buck's story begins is the way White Fang's ends. And I am a sucker for happy endings, thus probably one of the major reasons why I preferred White Fang. The other things I really liked about reading Jack London was the way he interpreted how a dog might think or perceive the world. It's believable – it seems like the way a dog actually would think, if they indeed think with such complexity. The fact that he doesn't anthropomorphize them makes it much more believable and interesting for me. Overall, I would individually give The Call of the Wild 3 stars, and White Fang 4. I would recommend it to dog and animal lovers, or anyone looking for a good nature adventure story.
The thing that struck me most about reading The Call of the Wild and White Fang in one collection was how much the stories parallel each other. The Call of the Wild begins with Buck, a "soft Southland dog," who is stolen and sold as a sled dog to some men on their way to the Klondike gold rush. Buck is shocked by this new, harsh life in the cold North, but through his struggles his instincts harken back to his ancestors, and he learns what it means to survive in such a world. While I enjoyed The Call of the Wild, I will admit I did not like it as much as White Fang. The Call of the Wild to me was pretty bleak and depressing, and almost repetitive.
White Fang, on the other hand, goes much in the opposite direction. While The Call of the Wild begins on a happy note and ends on a sad one, White Fang starts out somewhat bleak and ends happy. However, you do not get the same unending bleakness that you experience while reading the bulk of The Call of the Wild. Interspersed with the instances of mankind's abuse to White Fang are incredible descriptions of the beauty and harshness of the North, as well as interesting insights on the instinct, nature and reasoning of a dog. White Fang begins with a couple of dog-mushers who are delivering the body of a wealthy man back to civilization. However, they encounter trouble with a starving pack of wolves,
That is what makes reading these two stories back to back so interesting – the parallels. The way Buck's story begins is the way White Fang's ends. And I am a sucker for happy endings, thus probably one of the major reasons why I preferred White Fang. The other things I really liked about reading Jack London was the way he interpreted how a dog might think or perceive the world. It's believable – it seems like the way a dog actually would think, if they indeed think with such complexity. The fact that he doesn't anthropomorphize them makes it much more believable and interesting for me. Overall, I would individually give The Call of the Wild 3 stars, and White Fang 4. I would recommend it to dog and animal lovers, or anyone looking for a good nature adventure story.