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bellbird22's review against another edition
2.0
Needing a specific kind of book for a reading challenge recently, I settled on this one as my pick for the month. I was excited; I’ve been interested in Jack London’s books for a long time, but this was the first time I ever actually picked any of them up.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t really to my taste. I was disappointed by how much evolution was brought into the story, and some of the scenes didn’t feel particularly realistic, which was sad. There was also quite a bit of violence in these pages, plus what felt like glorification of the “primordial longings” the main character experienced.
There were things to enjoy in the story; I found the history side fascinating (aside from the despicable abuse and violence!), and since I haven’t read much about the Klondike Gold Rush, I appreciated that part. It was a well-written story, and I think I would have enjoyed the writing style had not other things bugged me. Overall, it wasn’t a horrible book, but it’s not one I’m planning to keep on my shelf or recommend to others.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t really to my taste. I was disappointed by how much evolution was brought into the story, and some of the scenes didn’t feel particularly realistic, which was sad. There was also quite a bit of violence in these pages, plus what felt like glorification of the “primordial longings” the main character experienced.
There were things to enjoy in the story; I found the history side fascinating (aside from the despicable abuse and violence!), and since I haven’t read much about the Klondike Gold Rush, I appreciated that part. It was a well-written story, and I think I would have enjoyed the writing style had not other things bugged me. Overall, it wasn’t a horrible book, but it’s not one I’m planning to keep on my shelf or recommend to others.
hannahrose1982's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hjswinford's review against another edition
5.0
2021 re-read: It has likely been 20 years since I read this book. From the moment I opened to the first page, I felt like I was swept back up into my favorite dreams of my childhood: Alaskan wilderness, survival, and the bond between dog and man. Buck is such a great protagonist. He is simple and very canine in his narration, but it is never dull or juvenile. As an adult, I appreciated the tone of the story in a way I hadn't. It's so simple and pure. I just feel so warm and fuzzy now. I'm going to go snuggle my puppies.
One of my favorites from my childhood.
One of my favorites from my childhood.
mhammers's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
fishan89's review against another edition
5.0
A heartfelt story with some intriguing plots. Couldn't put this book down. The audiobook is brilliant as well.
yesrachishere's review against another edition
4.0
The Call of the Wild is about a St. Bernard mixed with Shepherd named Buck. He grows as a puppy into a good life in California but is then kidnapped and shipped to Klondike because they need dogs to pull sleds. Buck is treated really terribly and beaten. Buck is sold to two mail carriers, Francois and Perrault and is used as their sled dog to pull the mail. Buck has to learn to fight for himself because the other dogs will take his food if he does not eat it fast enough or stand up for himself. He butts heads with the pack's leader, Spitz, and they continue to butt heads. Buck and his team are then sold to gold hunters, Charles, Hal and Mercedes. The three of them are not experienced with sled dogs and they don't know what they are doing. They have too much weight on the sled and they continue to beat the dogs for not pulling them. When they finally arrive at John Thornton's camp, he warns them not to go over the ice. But they want to continue on their journey. Buck will not move. Hal beats him severely and Thornton stops him. Thornton becomes Buck's new master and Buck loves his new owner. But he is conflicted with the call he is hearing, drawing him to the wild and his love for Thornton.
I went into this book completely blind. I had never read this book or seen the movie. I knew it was about a dog and that was all I knew. I actually really enjoyed this classic. I'm a huge fan of the movies Snow Dogs and Eight Below. Something about sled dogs is fascinating to me. So I'm not sure why I never would have read this before. There is quite a bit of bloody parts in the book though, which I don't really enjoy. It was also sad in some parts. One character that I particularly had a strong dislike for was Hal and Mercedes. Hal was just always whipping the dogs because they were tired and hungry and he wouldn't let them rest or feed them. And Mercedes... oh gosh! She was so whiny and all she wanted to do was ride in the sled because she was too tired to walk. So when Hal and Charles took her out of the sled she just sat there and whined and bickered. Ugh! I hated that so much. Thornton is obviously the great character in this book. I hate to see dogs abused and it brought so much joy to see how happy Buck was when Thornton treated him so nicely. After reading this, I just wanted to cuddle with my dog. I can't imagine anything like what happened in this book happening to her and that's why it just breaks my heart, knowing there are dogs that are treated terribly. Anyway, I loved this classic and I recommend it to everyone. It's really short and just such a great read!
I went into this book completely blind. I had never read this book or seen the movie. I knew it was about a dog and that was all I knew. I actually really enjoyed this classic. I'm a huge fan of the movies Snow Dogs and Eight Below. Something about sled dogs is fascinating to me. So I'm not sure why I never would have read this before. There is quite a bit of bloody parts in the book though, which I don't really enjoy. It was also sad in some parts. One character that I particularly had a strong dislike for was Hal and Mercedes. Hal was just always whipping the dogs because they were tired and hungry and he wouldn't let them rest or feed them. And Mercedes... oh gosh! She was so whiny and all she wanted to do was ride in the sled because she was too tired to walk. So when Hal and Charles took her out of the sled she just sat there and whined and bickered. Ugh! I hated that so much. Thornton is obviously the great character in this book. I hate to see dogs abused and it brought so much joy to see how happy Buck was when Thornton treated him so nicely. After reading this, I just wanted to cuddle with my dog. I can't imagine anything like what happened in this book happening to her and that's why it just breaks my heart, knowing there are dogs that are treated terribly. Anyway, I loved this classic and I recommend it to everyone. It's really short and just such a great read!