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A review by eagleshouse
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The story itself is great - the premise is incredibly interesting, the characters are complex, and the mystery that continues throughout the entire book left me wanting more.
HOWEVER - this book has taken me 6 entire months to finish, oftentimes leaving me in a reading slump. Whilst the story is great, and the prose is of its time yet easy to read and understand, half of the book was literally just the main character rambling about every single sea creature he could see. I understand it's because it's his character describing what he would have written down for scientific purposes, but genuinely, this book would be less than half the size and much easier and enjoyable to read without it, or perhaps just cutting down on the descriptions.
TLDR: the story is incredible and left me wanting to read the next book in the series, but unless you're happy to read entire 20 page chapters just analysing random fish, then I would perhaps steer clear!
HOWEVER - this book has taken me 6 entire months to finish, oftentimes leaving me in a reading slump. Whilst the story is great, and the prose is of its time yet easy to read and understand, half of the book was literally just the main character rambling about every single sea creature he could see. I understand it's because it's his character describing what he would have written down for scientific purposes, but genuinely, this book would be less than half the size and much easier and enjoyable to read without it, or perhaps just cutting down on the descriptions.
TLDR: the story is incredible and left me wanting to read the next book in the series, but unless you're happy to read entire 20 page chapters just analysing random fish, then I would perhaps steer clear!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Minor: Colonisation and Racism