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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
sad
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:
N/A
I did not expect to get emotional while reading this book! But I did even though it moves quickly I was shocked at how well the author managed to make you care about the characters. He really captured what happens to humans when met with survival.
dark
inspiring
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Sad and somewhat depressing, this classic just didn’t sit well with me. I can, however, appreciate the clean and composed writing style, especially considering it was written from the viewpoint of an animal.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm so sorry! I know people love this book but I really can't grasp why. I remember really liking White Fang, but I've forgotten how depressing The Call of the Wild is. It isn't particularly exciting or emotional, but there was a lot of animal death, abuse, and violence. I was trying to read it this go-around because I recently found out Jack London was a socialist who lived in Oakland, but there wasn't much in the way of hidden profound political musings, except maybe that in the pursuit of capitalism (Gold Rush), people become desperate and cruel and that making dogs (and people) labor leads to cruelty, or a return to the natural world is calling. What wasn't super socialist was that there was a pecking order and Buck enjoyed the privilege of high status most of the time. There was also a less than generous depiction of Native Americans.
This is a beautifully written story. I found myself hanging on and emotionally connecting with Buck. The expert writting, however, makes the animal abuse scenes difficult to endure. This book is going high on my list of favorites.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I understand why this is in the canon of American literature, but also why it’s a problematic choice for required reading. At times graphic and savage, it was a quick but emotional read. I could’ve done without the extended analogies and metaphors that pulled the reader from the plot at inopportune times, but I’m overall glad that I finally read this one.
The racism (SUPER stereotypical portrayals of native Americans as intruding savages) and strong sexism (the only female character is a whiny hindrance who contributes to her own death and the deaths of her husband, brother, and several dogs) REALLY put me off of an otherwise compelling book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes