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A review by emma_thorne
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This was a decent enough read. Part two was certainly better than part one, which took me a while to get through on account of the extremely long paragraphs that just listed and classified different marine creatures. (I ended up just skipping these paragraphs in part two).
We follow Professor Aronnax as he joins Captain Nemo in a submarine that tours the waters of the world. The imagery was splendid and there were numerous situations where I felt rather tense and on the edge of my seat. Everything was described exceptionally well and it was easy enough to follow. Consiel was definitely the best character, and I stand by that. I think my love of biology and ecology helped me to get through the book, otherwise I would’ve struggled.
The book could’ve been shorter. The final climax could have been reached much sooner but I did enjoy the tension leading up to it. Nemo was a mysterious character and I enjoyed finding out more about him as the protagonist did. One thing I didn’t like about the book was the descriptions of the native characters on the different islands they visited. It was just uncomfortable to read; I know this book was written years ago but I still didn’t enjoy it. A lot of the book felt like they were aimlessly swimming along and there wasn’t much going on, and there was so much animal slaughter that I just felt ill. The characters were so obsessed with killing animals and I, again, began to skip these parts.
Overall, the plot and premise were really interesting and the characters were fun enough to follow. The imagery and writing style was great, but I probably wouldn’t read this book again as it hasn’t left me feeling any particular way, nor have I connected with any of the characters.
We follow Professor Aronnax as he joins Captain Nemo in a submarine that tours the waters of the world. The imagery was splendid and there were numerous situations where I felt rather tense and on the edge of my seat. Everything was described exceptionally well and it was easy enough to follow. Consiel was definitely the best character, and I stand by that. I think my love of biology and ecology helped me to get through the book, otherwise I would’ve struggled.
The book could’ve been shorter. The final climax could have been reached much sooner but I did enjoy the tension leading up to it. Nemo was a mysterious character and I enjoyed finding out more about him as the protagonist did. One thing I didn’t like about the book was the descriptions of the native characters on the different islands they visited. It was just uncomfortable to read; I know this book was written years ago but I still didn’t enjoy it. A lot of the book felt like they were aimlessly swimming along and there wasn’t much going on, and there was so much animal slaughter that I just felt ill. The characters were so obsessed with killing animals and I, again, began to skip these parts.
Overall, the plot and premise were really interesting and the characters were fun enough to follow. The imagery and writing style was great, but I probably wouldn’t read this book again as it hasn’t left me feeling any particular way, nor have I connected with any of the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death