The Call of the Wild in Reading with Style

Jul 10, 2017 Claire rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die

Written from the point of view of Buck, MC and a dog, this classic is still an excellent and enjoyable read.
In the story, Buck tells about his consequent owners, the way they treat him and how he adapts to changing conditions. He has to face the bitter cold of the high North, is used as a sleigh dog, has to work very hard and is often abused by his owners.

The novel is an ode to friendship. It tells us about freedom and courage. It really deserves to be read even more than 100 years after it was ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Jun 21, 2021 Ev rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I knew there was a reason I decided to delay reading The Call Of The Wild when I was younger. There is an enormous probability that this reluctance has shielded me from years of mental trauma that would have ignited the instant I came across needlessly grotesque and cruelly vivid imagery of torture, torment, and brutal inhumanity inflicted upon animals, particularly domesticated dogs.

Throughout this vomit-inducing story, Jack London discusses the savagery between man and beast, yet the author hi I knew there was a reason I decided to delay reading The Call Of The Wild when I was younger. There is an enormous probability that this reluctance has shielded me from years of mental trauma that would have ignited the instant I came across needlessly grotesque and cruelly vivid imagery of torture, torment, and brutal inhumanity inflicted upon animals, particularly domesticated dogs.

Throughout this vomit-inducing story, Jack London discusses the savagery between man and beast, yet the author himself exhibits a savage pleasure in detailing every wound and kill imaginable yet unthinkable, from the agony of the whip and club to verbal demoralization of a dog’s existence to yelp-wielding thrashings and blood-spattered bodies to gut-gouging fierceness of fang and inculcated monstrosity of lethal urges against fellow canines.

As an animal enthusiast, I was tempted to abandon further digestion of the bile London figuratively managed to expectorate and get published. I would have surrendered to such a temptation had it not been for my principle of commitment once I begin a book, no matter how distasteful, though in this case, the horrendous portrayal of depravity against innocent creatures would have justified a separation between myself and this malignancy that critics label a “classic”.

As a reader, I understand most of the time authors write to entertain, inform, or simply depict an issue upon which they feel the need for discourse. While London’s intention was purportedly to emphasize man’s dominance over creatures for profit and in turn forcing them to surrender their civilized nature for the beastly instinct, it does not necessitate every excruciating detail about the mistreatment of dogs and their subsequent violent transformation into beasts of the wild.

In regards to the months he spent observing events in the Yukon, surely there must have been less graphic material London could have used to convey the tragic nature of the issue at hand. Such depiction of horror makes even Stephen King’s work look tame.

However, I will admit there is one positive aspect in reading this tale.

The torture is over! ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 26, 2019 Lavender rated it really liked it

Shelves: audible

I read this book many years ago as a child; it was a children's edition with lots of pictures. I decided to reread it now to see if I would get anything else out of it. I am glad I did this as I think the impression left on me was different than previously. I think the children's version has less brutality or maybe I just didn't understand it then. ...more

Like · see review

Jul 05, 2014 Peter Perhac rated it it was ok

It was ok. Luckily not too long. I have listened to an audio recording of this book and took me a few pleasant half-hours to get through it. I could not say it was bad, or that it lacked depth, but, somehow, it did not really resonate with me.

Like · see review