artiereadsalot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
We follow Professor Aronnax as he joins Captain Nemo in a submarine that tours the waters of the world. The imagery was splendid and there were numerous situations where I felt rather tense and on the edge of my seat. Everything was described exceptionally well and it was easy enough to follow. Consiel was definitely the best character, and I stand by that. I think my love of biology and ecology helped me to get through the book, otherwise I would’ve struggled.
The book could’ve been shorter. The final climax could have been reached much sooner but I did enjoy the tension leading up to it. Nemo was a mysterious character and I enjoyed finding out more about him as the protagonist did. One thing I didn’t like about the book was the descriptions of the native characters on the different islands they visited. It was just uncomfortable to read; I know this book was written years ago but I still didn’t enjoy it. A lot of the book felt like they were aimlessly swimming along and there wasn’t much going on, and there was so much animal slaughter that I just felt ill. The characters were so obsessed with killing animals and I, again, began to skip these parts.
Overall, the plot and premise were really interesting and the characters were fun enough to follow. The imagery and writing style was great, but I probably wouldn’t read this book again as it hasn’t left me feeling any particular way, nor have I connected with any of the characters.
Moderate: Animal death
crowcrow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Fun read though, if you can ignore how much he loves to flex his biology and geography knowledge.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Animal death
Jules Verne flexing his science knowledge.meganpbennett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, Confinement, Animal death, Gore, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
sheila_the_glasser's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal death
lily1304's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
- figuring out what secrets Captain Nemo is keeping, or his apparently tragic backstory
- talking to literally any of the crew, or even learning their names
- planning an escape (another character does that for him)
- considering the ethical implications of the Nautilus and Nemo's labor
The main character IS interested in:
- describing every plant and animal he sees, describing how someone killed it, and then describing how it tastes
Also, it annoyed me to realize that "20,000 leagues" refers to the distance they traveled underwater, *not* how far underwater they are - and that's dumb
Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Confinement
Moderate: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Colonisation, and Cannibalism
Scene of near-suffocation due to lack of oxygen in the airatalea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Xenophobia, Classism, and Animal death
taylorlanxon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Confinement
prufrockpreptooth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Bref, il y a tout de même des bons points, les premiers et derniers chapitres sont prenants, et sûrement qu'une version abrégée aurait été plus adaptée au type de lectures que j'apprécie
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Medical content, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
melancholymegs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Trudging through the mass amounts of scientific terminology as well as maths was not worth the pay off. The vaguely hinted at end reward would have been more impactful had more description and build up been provided; instead you get a bunch of anticlimactic explanations dumped into the last 20-30 minutes of the book.
I definitely can see why this book is enjoyed by many people. It does present the interest of sea travel, specifically submarine travel, during the 19th century, as well as giving insight into the scientific idiosyncrasies of various forms of sea life. However this book simply was not enjoyable to me🙃
Graphic: Kidnapping, Racism, and Confinement
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child death, Animal death, and Grief
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Confinement
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Grief, and Gore