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natashalg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Death
eagleshouse'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? Yes
2.75
HOWEVER - this book has taken me 6 entire months to finish, oftentimes leaving me in a reading slump. Whilst the story is great, and the prose is of its time yet easy to read and understand, half of the book was literally just the main character rambling about every single sea creature he could see. I understand it's because it's his character describing what he would have written down for scientific purposes, but genuinely, this book would be less than half the size and much easier and enjoyable to read without it, or perhaps just cutting down on the descriptions.
TLDR: the story is incredible and left me wanting to read the next book in the series, but unless you're happy to read entire 20 page chapters just analysing random fish, then I would perhaps steer clear!
Graphic: Confinement
Minor: Racism and Colonisation
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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
tiredcreature'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? It's complicated
3.0
Nevertheless interesting if one is curious about 19th century marine biology (if nothing else, then to compare and contrast what was already known and what wasn't), and the history of science fiction. Annotated edition recommended
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Confinement
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Period-typical racismlily1304'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: Animal death, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
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: Animal death, Xenophobia, and Classism
taylorlanxon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, and Blood
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, Racism, Medical content, and Murder
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: Confinement, Racism, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child 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: Gore, Blood, and Grief