decaying's review against another edition
The plot point was getting too repetitive that it sort of dragged. I understood it heavily emphasized on "it's a tough world out here and only the strongest can survive" but just how many times do you need to repeat that?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Blood, and Animal cruelty
heatherdakota's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A great story of survival, determination, and the wild heart that beats within all of us.
The character of the protagonist, Buck is so well developed. Jack London truly takes you on a roller coaster of Buck's life.
Super-quick read so don't miss out on this classic.
The character of the protagonist, Buck is so well developed. Jack London truly takes you on a roller coaster of Buck's life.
Super-quick read so don't miss out on this classic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Animal death and Violence
ben_barnacle_4life's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautifully written. Made me want to run off into a forest somewhere. (In a good way.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Violence
Minor: Gore and Death
namastayyy's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
kool_lampshades's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.5
How can such a short book seem to drag on this much?
I got pretty much zero enjoyment out of reading this. It's a long series of vividly portrayed arbitrary animal cruelty as a dog is passed from owner to owner, experiencing and witnessing a new brand of cruelty each time until
I also found it incredibly boring. Whenever I wasn't feeling incredibly uncomfortable with the violence, I was bored and kept tuning out. It didn't hold my interest at all. The only bit in this book I enjoyed was the bet over Buck breaking the sled. Why that bit? Well, it's suspenseful, and the only thing on the line is money, when all throughout the rest of the book it's been animal welfare on the line.
I dont even like dogs very much, so there wasn't much there for me to begin with.
In my humble opinion, this book was dreadful.
I got pretty much zero enjoyment out of reading this. It's a long series of vividly portrayed arbitrary animal cruelty as a dog is passed from owner to owner, experiencing and witnessing a new brand of cruelty each time until
Spoiler
at last he's taken in by a decent man.I also found it incredibly boring. Whenever I wasn't feeling incredibly uncomfortable with the violence, I was bored and kept tuning out. It didn't hold my interest at all. The only bit in this book I enjoyed was the bet over Buck breaking the sled. Why that bit? Well, it's suspenseful, and the only thing on the line is money, when all throughout the rest of the book it's been animal welfare on the line.
I dont even like dogs very much, so there wasn't much there for me to begin with.
In my humble opinion, this book was dreadful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence
madamdun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence
Minor: Racism
meje's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Animal death
scruffie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I'm beginning to feel that London revels in cruelty and has much respect for the "survival of the fittest". Don't get me wrong, Buck is a great dog, but it seems to me that London pays a lot of attention to ancestry, genes, and race (and, most importantly, discriminates on it). Now that I've read both White Fang and The Call of the Wild I don't think I'll be reading any more of his books; he really tips my racism sensor and I've been annoyed enough by this.
For what it's worth, I liked the ending.
For what it's worth, I liked the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Gore and Blood
Minor: Misogyny, Grief, and Racial slurs
claymeblue's review against another edition
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
leandrathetbrzero's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
For the first four years of his life, Buck has lived comfortably alongside the Judge as the king of his own domain in the Southland. At the end of each day he curls up at the Judge’s feet by the fireplace. This blissful life is taken from him one night when Buck is stolen, sold, and moved up north to become a sled dog. He is introduced early to what he dubs “the law of club and fang” after being brutally beaten by the man in the red sweater. In the following years, Buck is sold multiple times, battles with other dogs to live another day, and the wild part of him – inherited from his long dead ancestors – is reawakened. This story is a brutal, heart-wrenching story of a dog who is too often equated to an object or commodity, and rarely as a fellow living creature. The Call of the Wild brought me to tears, and it does not surprise me that this book is a classic today.
Buck is such a compelling character to follow. The narration is third-person (or third-dog, in this case) limited, so the reader becomes well-acquainted with Buck’s thoughts and understanding of the world around him. I loved how London adapts his writing of imagery or society to fit the dog’s comprehension of it. For instance, California is called the Southland, Canada and Alaska are the Northland, and the brutal life of dog and master that Buck is introduced to becomes know as the law of club and fang, meaning that any man with a club must be obeyed. It pulls the reader further out of the prim and proper life of civilization, and it pushes us into the wilderness where the rules are far different. My heart ached for Buck as he slowly began to forget his old life, the one of comfort and trust, but I was grateful when he finally found John Thornton, the only master he truly loved.
While I am glad I read this book, I would say it is not for those highly sensitive to violence and mistreatment of animals, or anyone squeamish when reading about wounds or blood. I was very surprised by the many visceral scenes of violence. Many dogs perish in these pages, as do a few humans and other wildlife, but the dogs’ deaths were especially hard-hitting. The death match between Buck and rival Spitz was almost too much for me to read, and I cried at the death of Dave, a fellow sled dog of Buck since the beginning. I was quite upset during the scene where Buck’s brief time with the inexperienced family moving up north ended because I thought a few more dogs could have been saved, even though this led him to his life with John Thornton. As well done as The Call of the Wild is, I would not reread it willingly just because of the never-ending violence within its pages. An impactful book to read once!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Gore and Blood