Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Island of Doctor Moreau

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

51 reviews

lanid's review against another edition

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dark mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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margaux_s's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

i don't know how to rate this book. the story was good and the advocacy for animal rights was pleasant to see especially for a book from the late 1800s, but i can't get past the racism.

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bookforestsprite's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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khan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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babyfacedoldsoul's review against another edition

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Dnf due to the racism and animal cruelty

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draven_deathcrush's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I've always wanted to read something from this author, and I think this might be the only one I read. While it was a quick read, and it was very cinematic, so it was good for getting out of my reading slump, I usually prefer more flowery writing with good quotes. I also wasn't a fan of a lot of the language used in this book, especially the language towards the creatures. Besides that, it was an interesting concept, and it was a quick read. It made me think about the kangaroo dudes from Tank Girl.

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saturn_rage's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I like the ideas swirling around this book much more than the book itself. Not a fan of the racism interlaced through all of it, or the gendered dynamics present (there are no women but Moreau is building one, love that it ends him). In this end, this is a classic, I get why it’s a classic, but onwards we move. I’ve never before seen any of the film adaptations, nor did I know many of the plot points. Anyhow, make a Muppets version of this, but invert the rule and have Pendrick, Montgomery, and Moreau be the only humans.

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lorraine19's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I wasn't overly thrilled with this story - it wasn't awful, but kinda boring to me.

If you're not a fan of HG Wells then you may be turned off by the writing style because this is definitely in his usual, somewhat dry, style. It also covers a dark aspect of humanity, like most of his work, so don't expect a happy read. As someone who has read some Wells stories before, I found War of the Worlds (which I recommend to anyone reading Wells for the first time) much more entertaining. It just kinda felt like this one was trying too hard to be deep but didn't really go anywhere or state anything that hasn't been said a hundred times before.

That being said, this may be more appealing to those with a strong interest in biology or philosophy that examines what it means to be human vs animal.

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darumachan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Unsettling meditation on the relationships between humanity, nature, and science

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gasoline_allie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

Better and MUCH creepier than I expected. There are so many trigger warnings that apply and are worth looking into before reading, but I'm glad I went in mostly blind. The concept of exploration and experimentation without ethics remains relevant, as does the question of what it means to be human and how we relate to the natural world. I thought the different ways Prendick and Montgomery interacted with Moreau's creations and Moreau himself was subtly done and interesting.

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