Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
Se me hizo laaaaargo y pesado. Para ser un libro de aventuras, es lento y con poca acción. Hay más descripción del ambiente que de la acción y, así y todo, pareciera que siempre están en el mismo lugar.
En líneas generales, los personajes no transmiten nada; sus personalidades están delimitadas por un par de características y no salen de eso.
Y a esto, hay que sumarle una enorme cantidad de machismo y misoginia que supera lo esperable en un libro de estas características.
.
.
.
[SPOILER]
Los únicos 2 personajes, más o menos, queribles mueren.
En líneas generales, los personajes no transmiten nada; sus personalidades están delimitadas por un par de características y no salen de eso.
Y a esto, hay que sumarle una enorme cantidad de machismo y misoginia que supera lo esperable en un libro de estas características.
.
.
.
[SPOILER]
Los únicos 2 personajes, más o menos, queribles mueren.
adventurous
informative
tense
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
Packed with adventure! Set during the French and Indian War, the book also contains some pretty brutal scenes. I appreciated that one of the main characters was a strong female, especially for a book written in 1826. But the writing also reflects attitudes towards women and Native Americans that were prevalent at that time. Seen as a period piece, the storytelling is excellent, with a strong sense of time and place.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Rape
There were intriguing moments followed by overlong descriptions. Not my jam, overall.
I would look James Fuckimore Cooper in the face and tell him that I did not like this book very much no I did not
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Honestly, I didn't enjoy this. I didn't find it engaging, for all its action. The characters initially held promise, but weren't developed at all. I was initially excited about a strong female protagonist in Cora, but her characterization and role flattened as the book went on. I felt like Cooper sacrificed character development for horrific action sequences and scenic descriptions that fell flat for me. And I hated the ending!
There were problematic racial stereotypes galore, but I was bracing myself for far worse. There was a lot of “noble savage“ to the descriptions of the “good” Native characters, then basically all the Native characters/tribes allied with the French were portrayed as bad/scheming/backward, while their French allies were largely let off the hook. It was so interesting to see the book’s combination of “of-the-time” stereotypes with some more nuanced depictions of Native characters and culture than I'd have expected. I was pleasantly surprised by the respect shown for the traditions described near the end of the book.
In the end, I'm torn about this book's value as a classic. It deserves some credit for how it has shaped other writing over the years, and I think it has some value as a biased but illuminating portrayal of a specific time and place in history. But I don't think I'd recommend it unless you're super interested in this time period and also seeking out other sources to contextualize and balance the perspective here.
There were problematic racial stereotypes galore, but I was bracing myself for far worse. There was a lot of “noble savage“ to the descriptions of the “good” Native characters, then basically all the Native characters/tribes allied with the French were portrayed as bad/scheming/backward, while their French allies were largely let off the hook. It was so interesting to see the book’s combination of “of-the-time” stereotypes with some more nuanced depictions of Native characters and culture than I'd have expected. I was pleasantly surprised by the respect shown for the traditions described near the end of the book.
In the end, I'm torn about this book's value as a classic. It deserves some credit for how it has shaped other writing over the years, and I think it has some value as a biased but illuminating portrayal of a specific time and place in history. But I don't think I'd recommend it unless you're super interested in this time period and also seeking out other sources to contextualize and balance the perspective here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence
Moderate: Sexism
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Well. That was a book. Tbh, this book was a bit of a slog. The story, in and of itself, is fine. A little racist...Okay, a lot racist, but like, it's also a hella old book, so I'll give it a bit of a pass. However, the author is just way overly descriptive, and not in an interesting way? He just uses way too many words to say things. A good editor could cut out about half of the words in this book, and it would come out a lot better in the end.
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes