delimeatz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
it was simultaneously captivating and devastating, and definitely not what they told us about in school lmao
saturnsbug's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
screiley's review
4.0
This a a good story in its own right, but taking into consideration its historical context and the quick legislative changes that followed, it is truly remarkable. It is a shame, however, that readers both at the time and today focus so heavily on the industry problems and overlook the plight of immigrants in this country - which, I believe, is the more compelling of the stories told in the book.
zenithharpink's review against another edition
3.0
The content of this book breaks my heart. It's offensive that people could be treated this poorly by others, not even thinking about the meat prep, which everybody seems to latch onto.
Yes, the conditions for the meat prep is appalling and horrifying to think that people actually paid money to eat that food. But, the big picture is so much more heartbreaking! This book almost broke my faith in America, it was so hard to read at times-I nearly walked away a couple of times. There was a swindler around every corner.
I felt the prose a bit reminiscent of Charles Dickens-it flows very well and the diction is great. In my particular edition, I mostly didn't appreciate the footnotes that were made available, though. The reader has to remember that this is not story of Jurgis Rudkus though. Many complain about the disjointed story elements or unbelievable features of his life. He walks a fine line between a villain and a sympathetic (or at times, pathetic) character.
Truly, this is a piece of propaganda for socialism, but luckily, this can be ignored until the final chapters of the book. This book is a narrative, and doesn't devolve into socialist fits of fancy until the very end-that part was definitely hard to read, and I found myself glancing through the diabtribes of the party leaders, and instead of scanned for the continued story of Jurgis.
I recommend this book to any interested in reading a culture-changing book from the early 1900s, as well as those interested in reading a book firmly in the cannon. Additionally, this is a great book that shows how the urban poor lived at the turn of the nineteenth century. Read this book, but be prepared to be VERY uncomfortable.
Yes, the conditions for the meat prep is appalling and horrifying to think that people actually paid money to eat that food. But, the big picture is so much more heartbreaking! This book almost broke my faith in America, it was so hard to read at times-I nearly walked away a couple of times. There was a swindler around every corner.
I felt the prose a bit reminiscent of Charles Dickens-it flows very well and the diction is great. In my particular edition, I mostly didn't appreciate the footnotes that were made available, though. The reader has to remember that this is not story of Jurgis Rudkus though. Many complain about the disjointed story elements or unbelievable features of his life. He walks a fine line between a villain and a sympathetic (or at times, pathetic) character.
Truly, this is a piece of propaganda for socialism, but luckily, this can be ignored until the final chapters of the book. This book is a narrative, and doesn't devolve into socialist fits of fancy until the very end-that part was definitely hard to read, and I found myself glancing through the diabtribes of the party leaders, and instead of scanned for the continued story of Jurgis.
I recommend this book to any interested in reading a culture-changing book from the early 1900s, as well as those interested in reading a book firmly in the cannon. Additionally, this is a great book that shows how the urban poor lived at the turn of the nineteenth century. Read this book, but be prepared to be VERY uncomfortable.
jazzypizzaz's review
4.0
This is a book written with a specific goal in mind, of course, and the narrative/characters/etc all relentlessly support Sinclair's objective to reveal in grotesque detail the horrors of the meat-packing industry and in particular industrial capitalism's toll on poor workers.
If I judged this book solely on the accomplishment of this goal, it'd certainly get 5 stars. The main characters have every single thing bad happen to them that is possible, in all aspects of lower class life in Chicago, miraculously surviving one catastrophe to trudge through the next with great lament. If anyone argues for completely unrestrained capitalism, this is a great reminder of how terrible life can get for workers (and how terrible the end product will be!) without regulation. I have a strong stomach, so the lurid details of the meat itself didn't put me off my (modern-day, hopefully better quality) pork sausage, but I did have to stop reading during a time of budget crisis in my life because the immigrant family's downward spiral seemed too real.
That said, I didn't feel any need to finish the book past the halfway point. I feel like I absorbed enough of the experience of how terrible life was without trudging through the rest. How much worse could life get? It certainly didn't seem like it could possibly get better for them after that. I understand it was over-the-top BECAUSE life actually was that terrible, but that doesn't make it a gripping story.
UDATE: I finally read the last third of the book, and I am VERY glad I did! Certainly this book is the Atlas Shrugged for socialism-- in that it's a narrative devised to support a revolutionary political idea, the difference being that The Jungle is based in industrial age Chicago as it actually was, not an entirely fictional world-- and the fact that it's mostly known for the horrors of the production of meat (rather than treatment of workers) may in part result from people who have only read the first third. The last third of the book, however, is where the story-- and broader themes-- really pick up steam to become a tour de force. Every one of Jurgis' experiences works together leads him to the climax of the book, where he becomes a member of the Socialist Party, leaving the reader with such relief that he has found a way not to continue in the rat race drudgery of wage slavery that I'd be hard pressed to wonder how even the most ardent of capitalists could not consider socialism the most effective solution within the context of the story.
If I judged this book solely on the accomplishment of this goal, it'd certainly get 5 stars. The main characters have every single thing bad happen to them that is possible, in all aspects of lower class life in Chicago, miraculously surviving one catastrophe to trudge through the next with great lament. If anyone argues for completely unrestrained capitalism, this is a great reminder of how terrible life can get for workers (and how terrible the end product will be!) without regulation. I have a strong stomach, so the lurid details of the meat itself didn't put me off my (modern-day, hopefully better quality) pork sausage, but I did have to stop reading during a time of budget crisis in my life because the immigrant family's downward spiral seemed too real.
That said, I didn't feel any need to finish the book past the halfway point. I feel like I absorbed enough of the experience of how terrible life was without trudging through the rest. How much worse could life get? It certainly didn't seem like it could possibly get better for them after that. I understand it was over-the-top BECAUSE life actually was that terrible, but that doesn't make it a gripping story.
UDATE: I finally read the last third of the book, and I am VERY glad I did! Certainly this book is the Atlas Shrugged for socialism-- in that it's a narrative devised to support a revolutionary political idea, the difference being that The Jungle is based in industrial age Chicago as it actually was, not an entirely fictional world-- and the fact that it's mostly known for the horrors of the production of meat (rather than treatment of workers) may in part result from people who have only read the first third. The last third of the book, however, is where the story-- and broader themes-- really pick up steam to become a tour de force. Every one of Jurgis' experiences works together leads him to the climax of the book, where he becomes a member of the Socialist Party, leaving the reader with such relief that he has found a way not to continue in the rat race drudgery of wage slavery that I'd be hard pressed to wonder how even the most ardent of capitalists could not consider socialism the most effective solution within the context of the story.
n_reading's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.5