topbob's review against another edition
1.0
Ok I'll be real, I only read a third or so of this. I dropped it because it was slow and boring. I proceeded to read Moby Dick instead. So why did I read the "boring whale mansplaining whale book" over this supposedly exciting action classic? Well, let's figure it out.
Characters - I just didn't care about the characters. Hawkeye is just some white guy who is there for some reason. Anyone is free to correct me here, but I feel like this novel is more concerned with the material world.
Environmental descriptions - I liked them at first, but please make them stop. Its kind of like those "what it's like to have autism/ADHD or whatever" videos on YouTube where every single background noise is overbearingly loud. Cooper needs to know when to stop. Romanticism: "a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the *individual*." How is so little care put into the characters... aaaah!
Themes - Maybe im too stupid to see them, or maybe the themes were just hiding around the corner waiting to be discovered, but I didn't see them, or if I did, I didn't care.
I'll try and read this one again down the line. Im open to being wrong, I like being wrong, perhaps it was a loss of mental energy from school? Im not sure. But I have this bad boy sitting in my bookshelf, and im sure i'll revisit it when im feeling bored and foolish.
Characters - I just didn't care about the characters. Hawkeye is just some white guy who is there for some reason. Anyone is free to correct me here, but I feel like this novel is more concerned with the material world.
Environmental descriptions - I liked them at first, but please make them stop. Its kind of like those "what it's like to have autism/ADHD or whatever" videos on YouTube where every single background noise is overbearingly loud. Cooper needs to know when to stop. Romanticism: "a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the *individual*." How is so little care put into the characters... aaaah!
Themes - Maybe im too stupid to see them, or maybe the themes were just hiding around the corner waiting to be discovered, but I didn't see them, or if I did, I didn't care.
I'll try and read this one again down the line. Im open to being wrong, I like being wrong, perhaps it was a loss of mental energy from school? Im not sure. But I have this bad boy sitting in my bookshelf, and im sure i'll revisit it when im feeling bored and foolish.
jacobman0313's review against another edition
Very much a boys adventure novel, it is very pow pow exciting at times. The upper NY wilderness is vividly described in such a way that it must be inspired by a trip Cooper took there. Each naturalistic illustration seems like it was jotted down in a notebook while the author was enveloped in it. Characters are a bit one dimensional. Admiration is shown to the Indian characters, but is tempered to avoid outright worship by scenes like the bloody pond.
His editor really should have clamped down on the frequency of “lineaments”, “repose”, and “repast.”
His editor really should have clamped down on the frequency of “lineaments”, “repose”, and “repast.”
hereistheend's review against another edition
2.0
Read this for school.
It's fine. Its not amazing, it's not bad.
Very similar to Ivanhoe.... (also read that for school last year)
It's fine. Its not amazing, it's not bad.
Very similar to Ivanhoe.... (also read that for school last year)
roars's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
laceyjade22's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
luna545's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gaypoetree's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
I certainly understand why this book would have interested generations of Americans; it feels like the prototype to the now-classic cowboys VS Indians Western. It’s fascinating as an anthropological study: what does the white American of 1826 (when the novel was written) think about the America of 1757 (when the story is set), and how does that reflect on cultural ideas, expectations, and histories that remain to this day? Where does this weird nostalgia for the “frontier” come from, and what social values is it reflecting? How can a white settler acknowledge the vast cultural difference and fraught histories between various Native American peoples, and yet also lump them together into shared universal characteristics? All very interesting questions to consider in the context of this narrative.
That said, the racism is immense, the characters are flat, and I didn’t enjoy reading it. Would only recommend if you are otherwise studying the time period(s) or related cultural issues.
That said, the racism is immense, the characters are flat, and I didn’t enjoy reading it. Would only recommend if you are otherwise studying the time period(s) or related cultural issues.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Sexual harassment
dspitler's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kathrynwilliams's review against another edition
4.0
I read this with my mother-in-law. I was surprised at the amount of action in the story and how invested I was. I grew up loving the movie adaptation, especially the character of Uncas. The movie is very different in the way it portrays Hawkeye and all romantic relationships. I have never read the word "succor" as many times as I did in this book and Hawkeye's many monologues seemed melodramatic (his character was very theatrical overall). I really enjoyed reading the book and I still think Uncas is the best character.
*A lot of the views of women, people of mixed race, and Native American people did not sit well while I was reading it. A lot of the notes in my copy pointed out that Cooper esteemed the Native American people.
*A lot of the views of women, people of mixed race, and Native American people did not sit well while I was reading it. A lot of the notes in my copy pointed out that Cooper esteemed the Native American people.