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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
I wish I had done more research about translators before starting (I just picked up a copy I had on hand). Mine was translated by Philip Schuyler Allen.
I would like to give this book three and a half stars. The various locations visited around the world are fantastic -- I spent a lot of time looking up their history, which was fascinating. I could have done without the seemingly endless taxonomy and inventory of sea creatures.
I would love to read some literary analysis of the parallels to the Odyssey, as well as character development/foils. And of course what drove Nemo to choose his life away from civilization.
I would like to give this book three and a half stars. The various locations visited around the world are fantastic -- I spent a lot of time looking up their history, which was fascinating. I could have done without the seemingly endless taxonomy and inventory of sea creatures.
I would love to read some literary analysis of the parallels to the Odyssey, as well as character development/foils. And of course what drove Nemo to choose his life away from civilization.
As this is a classic I had a bit of a tough time really getting into it. It was a little dense and at times went into long scientific/marine biology passages. If you are into marine biology or a bit of a science buff then this book might be more enjoyable for you than it was for me. Overall, it was an interesting story with compelling characters. Who knew that Captain Nemo means Captain Nobody?!?!
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea alternates between positively boring and absolutely fascinating.
First the boring. Aronnax is a biologist and Conseil is gifted at classification and they are both entranced with all the fish and sea creatures they see. So, we get lists and lists of shells and fish, genus and species. If I had been reading the book in print, I maybe could have skimmed them, but on audio, I listened to each and every one. I get it: the enormous variety, the beauty, but it just got too tedious. On the other had, I loved seeing Atlantis, shipwrecks, underwater volcanoes. There were definitely thrilling bits too, the fight with the herd of squid, the trip to the south pole.
Aronnax and Conseil don't really have much personality. Aronnax is a scientist and would almost be content about the submarine for ever. Consiel is his too faithful servant, always calm, always putting Aronnax first. Conseil himself says he thinks what his Master thinks and goes where his master goes. Ned Land is louder, but not very complex. He wants to hunt, and eat meat, and escape. Nemo is the only truly interesting character, only because we know little about him. We know he has removed himself from civilization and would presumably be putting himself in great danger should he reemerge on land. He's one of the big villains, and I'll grant you he does blow up one boat and keeps our three prisoner, but overall he just doesn't seem like a bad guy. He's seems to be a champion of oppressed people, he cares about his crew.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is interesting, and the oceans are amazing, but it sometimes gets caught up in detail.
First the boring. Aronnax is a biologist and Conseil is gifted at classification and they are both entranced with all the fish and sea creatures they see. So, we get lists and lists of shells and fish, genus and species. If I had been reading the book in print, I maybe could have skimmed them, but on audio, I listened to each and every one. I get it: the enormous variety, the beauty, but it just got too tedious. On the other had, I loved seeing Atlantis, shipwrecks, underwater volcanoes. There were definitely thrilling bits too, the fight with the herd of squid, the trip to the south pole.
Aronnax and Conseil don't really have much personality. Aronnax is a scientist and would almost be content about the submarine for ever. Consiel is his too faithful servant, always calm, always putting Aronnax first. Conseil himself says he thinks what his Master thinks and goes where his master goes. Ned Land is louder, but not very complex. He wants to hunt, and eat meat, and escape. Nemo is the only truly interesting character, only because we know little about him. We know he has removed himself from civilization and would presumably be putting himself in great danger should he reemerge on land. He's one of the big villains, and I'll grant you he does blow up one boat and keeps our three prisoner, but overall he just doesn't seem like a bad guy. He's seems to be a champion of oppressed people, he cares about his crew.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is interesting, and the oceans are amazing, but it sometimes gets caught up in detail.
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Me hubiera gustado enamorarme de Verne con uno de sus libros más famosos, pero ha sido imposible. El esfuerzo que significa aguantar las toneladas de datos superfluos y detalles excesivos no me permitió meterme del todo en la historia. Y lo peor es que la historia es interesante y tiene momentazos, pero se diluyen en las decenas de páginas dedicas a nombres de peces y de plantas marinas, a latitudes y nombres de capitanes de barcos. Una pena, de verdad, aunque creo que el fallo es histórico: ahora no se necesita ese nivel de especificidad porque conocemos más el mundo. Y por supuesto, el saber que se publicó como fascículos explica también el exceso de detalles: una historia contada en dos años, por partes, necesita un cierto "contexto" cada vez, mientras que al leerse el conjunto puede resultar pesado.
This wasn't as exciting as it could have been. You have a submarine that's ahead of its time, and the possibility for amazing underwater adventures, and the story really lacks a lot of drama or excitement.
I think the main problem here is that we were never allowed to really get to know Captain Nemo. Yes, the story hinges on him being a mystery, but we could have gotten to know him better as the story progressed. The fact that we're sort of just left hanging with him makes the story deflate quite a bit for me.
I didn't mind the scientific stuff, though I don't know how much of it is actually real or has been debunked, but there were times when it felt quite dry, as if it was just there to draw attention to Verne's cleverness or something.
The characters were quite fun to spend time with, especially Conseil and Ned. Their friendship was rather entertaining.
Over all, though, this book was quite a let down.
I think the main problem here is that we were never allowed to really get to know Captain Nemo. Yes, the story hinges on him being a mystery, but we could have gotten to know him better as the story progressed. The fact that we're sort of just left hanging with him makes the story deflate quite a bit for me.
I didn't mind the scientific stuff, though I don't know how much of it is actually real or has been debunked, but there were times when it felt quite dry, as if it was just there to draw attention to Verne's cleverness or something.
The characters were quite fun to spend time with, especially Conseil and Ned. Their friendship was rather entertaining.
Over all, though, this book was quite a let down.
First Great Classic with my soon to be 6 year old. He loved it! Just the right amount of illustrations to keep him engaged and a terrific break from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books.
I don’t understand the allure of this book. I made it 14 chapters in both reading and listening on Audible and it’s dull.