bibliobethreads's review against another edition
I found this 100 yr old book to be very readable. Jack londons curiosity about the east end poor makes you look at poverty in a new light. Although he does get a bit preachy at the end.
greek_book_wanderer's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I had never read any books written by Jack London before. I only knew that that he was the author of White Fang but I didn't attempt to read any of his works. The People of the Abyss is the first book I read by him and it will certainly not be the last. Even though I thought that it would be a novel, I was surprised to see that it was memoir and I was quickly intrigued by it, especially when I saw that it depicted the lifestyle of poor people in London during the turn of 20th century. It's remarkable to note that this book influenced George Orwell to write Down and Out in Paris and London and The Road to Wigan Pier.
In 1902, Jack London disguised himself as a stranded American sailor and set out to discover how the East End London poor lived. He depicted the life style of the poor people of London, the architecture of the places they lived in and their treatment from the goverment. The book presents the circumstances these people had to live in and despite the year it was written, it remain relevant today.
London's writing style is simple and witty and sometimes I could distinguish a humorous tone in the narration. Like a journalist, he describes his first-hand experiences and witnesses in great detail, while presenting his personal criticism and comments. He doesn't try to sugar-coat the truth and he is very honest with his description of people's lives. Throughout the book, I couldn't help but feel angry at the way the lower class was treated and I could hardly believe that the book's events were not made up by London himself. In order to understand how difficult the life of the poor was, I'll tell you that not only they lived without the bare necessities, but they also commited suicide because of poverty and their fear of the workhouses.
The book contains a lot of disturbing information that made me shiver while I was reading. Each chapter began with quotes from famous people of the times and it was very interesting to read them. London includes extracts from documents which centered around the living conditions of London's working class, alongside statistics data and official statements, which give a bigger picture of the situation. He provides full insight into the hardships of the lower class and the everyday life of the early 1900s. It was so hard for me to imagine what was life back then and the more I learned and read, the more upset I got.
London's portrayal of life in the slums of London is very raw. He highlights the reasons why the "paupers" of London had to live under these difficult conditions and he doesn't forget to mention the exploitation from the higher class. It was so painful to see the unfair and cruel treatment of the poor citizens of London and it was even more painful to see that it was almost impossible for them to get the upper hand in their lives. Because of the "abyss", people had their souls sucked out of them and as a result, they lived a depressing and unmeaningul life full of miseries. London depicted them in a very realistic and intriguing way and he raises awareness of the working and homeless classes.
The People of the Abyss was a very informative book and despite its depressing tone and disturbing information, I found it to be very interesting. I would definitely recommend it to people who want to gain more information about life in early 1900s London and I believe that more readers should give it a try, just to see that despite the years that have passed, there are still many people who continue to live in the "Abyss" of our times.
In 1902, Jack London disguised himself as a stranded American sailor and set out to discover how the East End London poor lived. He depicted the life style of the poor people of London, the architecture of the places they lived in and their treatment from the goverment. The book presents the circumstances these people had to live in and despite the year it was written, it remain relevant today.
London's writing style is simple and witty and sometimes I could distinguish a humorous tone in the narration. Like a journalist, he describes his first-hand experiences and witnesses in great detail, while presenting his personal criticism and comments. He doesn't try to sugar-coat the truth and he is very honest with his description of people's lives. Throughout the book, I couldn't help but feel angry at the way the lower class was treated and I could hardly believe that the book's events were not made up by London himself. In order to understand how difficult the life of the poor was, I'll tell you that not only they lived without the bare necessities, but they also commited suicide because of poverty and their fear of the workhouses.
The book contains a lot of disturbing information that made me shiver while I was reading. Each chapter began with quotes from famous people of the times and it was very interesting to read them. London includes extracts from documents which centered around the living conditions of London's working class, alongside statistics data and official statements, which give a bigger picture of the situation. He provides full insight into the hardships of the lower class and the everyday life of the early 1900s. It was so hard for me to imagine what was life back then and the more I learned and read, the more upset I got.
London's portrayal of life in the slums of London is very raw. He highlights the reasons why the "paupers" of London had to live under these difficult conditions and he doesn't forget to mention the exploitation from the higher class. It was so painful to see the unfair and cruel treatment of the poor citizens of London and it was even more painful to see that it was almost impossible for them to get the upper hand in their lives. Because of the "abyss", people had their souls sucked out of them and as a result, they lived a depressing and unmeaningul life full of miseries. London depicted them in a very realistic and intriguing way and he raises awareness of the working and homeless classes.
The People of the Abyss was a very informative book and despite its depressing tone and disturbing information, I found it to be very interesting. I would definitely recommend it to people who want to gain more information about life in early 1900s London and I believe that more readers should give it a try, just to see that despite the years that have passed, there are still many people who continue to live in the "Abyss" of our times.
teijamitchell's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
emsinc's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
kathrinpassig's review against another edition
4.0
Lebensbedingungen in den ärmeren Teilen Londons um 1900, man bekommt sehr gründlich erklärt, warum die Situation ausweglos ist und arme Leute nicht "einfach nur" irgendwas anders machen können. Im letzten Viertel wurde es ein bisschen redundant.
paradis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
giantarms's review against another edition
4.0
No, but really. If five men can produce enough bread for a thousand, exactly why do people starve?
I can't talk about this book. It's too raw.
I can't talk about this book. It's too raw.