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librarymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is every bit what I'd expect of an adventure novel from the 1880s. Surprisingly, the novel had far less overt hate for Africans and far less overt racism, as compared to a book like Doctor Doolittle, published in the 1920s. I'm not sure that I necessarily enjoyed it, but the form and mode of storytelling were interesting, and the travel sections were engaging. There is quite a lot of murder, excessive game hunting, killing for ivory, and consumption of meat in this book, as well as detailed description and discussion of corpses.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
njk125's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexism and Injury/Injury detail
taylarae's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
It was fine. As a historical device, It can give a lot of context into how those in Victorian-era England viewed Southern Africa and other colonies. But it is littered with very racist views and words, which is to be expected from it, but the constant use of the k-word did make it very difficult to read for me personally.
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail