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A review by jackiebus
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
3.0
I realize I’m likely poisoned against this book for this very reason, but I adored the Disney animated feature while growing up and was surprised how different it was from the source material. Burroughs take feels a little too contrived—two mutinies where the merciful mutineers spare the passengers and give them a generous supply of resources from their own stores? In the same exact spot?
I loved the character Jane in the movie and wanted to be a science girl like her; studying gorillas was so much more of a compelling reason for her and her father to be in the jungle. In the book, Jane is just sort of silly and annoying, really only good for being a damsel in distress. She doesn’t get to bond with Tarzan over learning to read and speak; instead he teaches himself to read because he’s just that amazing, and learns to speak from a French rando who’s there for some reason.
I actually think the Disney movie did a lot to give depth to this story working with Burroughs’ base elements, but in the end this is a classic pulp fiction novel where the characters aren’t very dynamic but the excitement is in the crazy, violent encounters that can be counted on at least once a chapter.
I loved the character Jane in the movie and wanted to be a science girl like her; studying gorillas was so much more of a compelling reason for her and her father to be in the jungle. In the book, Jane is just sort of silly and annoying, really only good for being a damsel in distress. She doesn’t get to bond with Tarzan over learning to read and speak; instead he teaches himself to read because he’s just that amazing, and learns to speak from a French rando who’s there for some reason.
I actually think the Disney movie did a lot to give depth to this story working with Burroughs’ base elements, but in the end this is a classic pulp fiction novel where the characters aren’t very dynamic but the excitement is in the crazy, violent encounters that can be counted on at least once a chapter.