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rapunzelholly's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The prose is quite dry; however, it highlights extremely important issues of the time that still plague us today.
catbrigand's review against another edition
4.0
This is where I write an objective review. Did I like The Jungle? It's hard to say. It's not a great work of literature that revolutionized the way people use the English language-but it never was intended to be. The Jungle is great at what Sinclair wanted it to be. It is so saturated with human suffering and misery that you find yourself scoffing at other immigrant stories like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The Nolans know nothing compared to Jurgis and his family. In fact, short of having family experience or being a historical scholar, there is so much misery to befall one family as to beggar belief. But that's precisely the point (and the main character's salvation via some 50 pages of socialist agitprop). By somehow managing to pour all the horrors and tragedies of the aggregate immigrant experience into one family that wouldn't be able to catch a break if it were presented to them on a silver platter by Phillip Armour himself, Sinclair fosters an indelible sense of sadness and responsibility--and yes, rage--in readers. A common complaint I hear with political or protest fiction is that it's not literature, and that's probably fair to say. But Sinclair sought to inspire a feeling (and probably a socialist revolution) in his readers, and for many, he succeeded.
Oh, and he sufficiently horrified people that America now has real laws to prevent us from eating adulterated milk and tuberculated beef, for which I am EVER so grateful, if I can stomach the thought of meat products any time soon.
Oh, and he sufficiently horrified people that America now has real laws to prevent us from eating adulterated milk and tuberculated beef, for which I am EVER so grateful, if I can stomach the thought of meat products any time soon.
zimmermanpaige13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
biolexicon's review against another edition
1.0
I can't imagine a more heavy-handed book. This is journalism and history polished off and sold as literature.
vortimer's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't expecting a light read, but this is the bleakest, most depressing novel I've ever read. The protagonist undergoes a hellish journey as he and his family arrive in the Chicago Stockyards from Lithuania, filled with optimistic dreams, and suffer the worst fates imaginable.
The last section kills the flow of the story dead, as it transforms into a clarion call for socialism, as a cure for these ills, which adds an ironic twist when viewed from a century on.
The last section kills the flow of the story dead, as it transforms into a clarion call for socialism, as a cure for these ills, which adds an ironic twist when viewed from a century on.
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this classic protest novel about the Chicago meatpacking industry at the turn of the 20th century. It tells of treatment of workers and meat in the stockyards and processing plants. The book lead to actual agricultural and labor reforms and the creation of the FDA in America.
If you enjoyed more current works such as Fast Food Nation, The Omnivore's Dilemna, or My Year of Meats, I recommend that you take a look at The Jungle.
If you enjoyed more current works such as Fast Food Nation, The Omnivore's Dilemna, or My Year of Meats, I recommend that you take a look at The Jungle.
youkirmv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
wizardfuzz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5