ameliasbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
3.5
nikolastoti's review against another edition
This man has both written of an adventure around the world and an adventure around the world upside down. This is a true adventure centered around exploration and the feeling of discovering what is already in our world. An incredible story that obviously suffers from the typical problem of classic authors flexing whole wikipedia articles whenever they can. Very enjoyable
sophiewoz's review against another edition
it was compelling for sure but it was too slow paced
biddibee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
de_silentio's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
leeroyjenkins's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
Ugh..
This required saintly patience to finish. I really enjoyed Journey to the Center of the Earth. So, I was looking forward to reading this. But 20000 Leagues was a whole different kettle of fish. Lots and lots of fish. One might say enormous quantities of fish. Fish.
Verne dives deep to describe and catalog every single fish, cetacean, crustacean, gastropod, cephalopod, coral, jellyfish, marsupial, furry mammal and bird the reader encounters. He also uses exposition heavily to describe various historical events, science, the height of every single coastal feature known to man, along with it's coordinates from a variety of meridians (he was not content standardizing on Greenwich), the expeditions which discovered which discoveries and who led said expeditions, who their contemporaries were, and when they were born, and where they were schooled, and, well, you get the idea.
Yes. This book is wordy to a fault. One gets the impression the author was being paid by the word. Instead of stirring emotion and a sense of wonder in the reader through adept storytelling, Verne buries (or perhaps drowns) us in exquisitely detailed and cumbersome descriptions of absolutely everything encountered on the journey. If you're looking for adventure, yeah, it's in there and it's good. But you've got to grab a shovel and dig through a mountain of fish to get to it.
Seriously, if Verne had known when to stop with the fish descriptions this book could have been a couple hundred pages shorter.
In all, I did like it. But, man was it a tough journey. It ended up being a chore to finish. The effort required was not justified by the literary payout in my opinion.
This required saintly patience to finish. I really enjoyed Journey to the Center of the Earth. So, I was looking forward to reading this. But 20000 Leagues was a whole different kettle of fish. Lots and lots of fish. One might say enormous quantities of fish. Fish.
Verne dives deep to describe and catalog every single fish, cetacean, crustacean, gastropod, cephalopod, coral, jellyfish, marsupial, furry mammal and bird the reader encounters. He also uses exposition heavily to describe various historical events, science, the height of every single coastal feature known to man, along with it's coordinates from a variety of meridians (he was not content standardizing on Greenwich), the expeditions which discovered which discoveries and who led said expeditions, who their contemporaries were, and when they were born, and where they were schooled, and, well, you get the idea.
Yes. This book is wordy to a fault. One gets the impression the author was being paid by the word. Instead of stirring emotion and a sense of wonder in the reader through adept storytelling, Verne buries (or perhaps drowns) us in exquisitely detailed and cumbersome descriptions of absolutely everything encountered on the journey. If you're looking for adventure, yeah, it's in there and it's good. But you've got to grab a shovel and dig through a mountain of fish to get to it.
Seriously, if Verne had known when to stop with the fish descriptions this book could have been a couple hundred pages shorter.
In all, I did like it. But, man was it a tough journey. It ended up being a chore to finish. The effort required was not justified by the literary payout in my opinion.
caecilius's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shiradest's review against another edition
4.0
Lost my review! Excellent story of human pain, but horrid story of revenge.
I've never heard about the idea of Captain Nemo and his potential 600 passengers all being refugees from the world, as if the Nautilus were some giant underwater monastery.
Please see reading updates for more.
I've never heard about the idea of Captain Nemo and his potential 600 passengers all being refugees from the world, as if the Nautilus were some giant underwater monastery.
Please see reading updates for more.
nishkaxm's review against another edition
5.0
master of descriptive writing has done it again. reading verne’s novels is like meditating with your eyes open. couldn’t recommend enough.
mariafleissig's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0