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Summary: The end was the best part
Review: i hated this book. that is all there is to it. it was awful. do not buy it.
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Summary: Exhilerating adventure story, for lovers of animals.
Review: I first read The Call of the Wild when I was 11, and it had a profound effect on me. I loved the story, the adventure, the romance of the wilderness, and the themes of hope and the struggle for survival in the wilds of Alaska.The book is mainly written for the young, but adults will find something refreshing, true to life, and escapist in the book. Set in the goldrush days of the late 1800s to early 1900s, it is the story of a stolen dog (Bucks') experiences in the Alaskan wilderness, and his struggle for survival and for dominance amongst the huskies and half-breeds of the sled dogs in the extremes of the northern wilderness. The story is harrowing, but ultimately delightful, encouraging young readers to imagine, to feel, and to be inspired to search for adventure and meaning. Another book by Jack London is White Fang, which is very similar, so those who like this book might consider reading this also. Recommended for those who like dogs and dog adventure stories, the Alaskan wilderness, the goldrush days, and those with a spirit of adventure-especially the young, but also the young in spirit.
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Summary: -
Review: Some things one must hold close to their hearts. This is one of them.
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Summary: My favorite edition is Daniel Dyer's "Annotated/Illustrated"
Review: If you just want a copy of _The Call of the Wild_, to give to a friend, say, take a look at Daniel Dyer's edition. (In Amazon, type in Dyer as "author" and "Call of the Wild" as title. Click on the paperback link, and ignore the part that says it hasn't been published). The elegant Library of America edition of "London: Novels and Stories" has three complete novels _The Call of the Wild_, _White Fang_, _The Sea-Wolf_, and a very well chosen selection of stories. It's great. Viking's _The Portable Jack London_, is cheap and excellent; it's edited by Earle Labor, has _The Call of the Wild_, and an excellent selection of short stories, nonfiction, and letters. If you want copies of _The Call of the Wild_ to give to LOTS of friends, the Dover Thrift Edition is just a buck. But if you want _just_ The Call of the Wild, Dyer's edition is nice enough to give as a gift, is clear and legible, and has just the right amount of pictures and annotations. Not a scholarly work, but every time you get to one of those places where you have a question--where was Dyea? What was the "Chinese lottery?" Could a dog really pull a thousand pound sled? there's Dyer with the answer. And if you're interested in Jack London, take a look at the alt.books.jack-london Internet discussion group--see "about me" for details.
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Summary: Exciting Book
Review: I read "The Call of the Wild" in my reading class in 8th grade. I really enjoyed it. At times the book was hard to read or understand and sometimes London's vocabulary escaped me. On whole, however, this is a great book that anyone who likes adventure stories should read.
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Summary: The Call of the Wild
Review: I thought that The Call of the Wild was one of Jack London's greatest masterpieces. The perpetual adventure and excitement of the plot makes the novel very interesting to read. The grit that Buck shows throughout his adventures, the, his unbelievable pertinacity, and his general behavior makes it impossible not to root for him. London's use of supporting characters provides the book with a sort of unity. Even some of the trifling characters such as Dave, Spitz, Francois, and Hal are essential to the novel. Because it is through these characters that Buck learns the vital lessons that he will need to survive in the wild. One character who introduced Buck to the wild was The Man in the Red Sweater. He was the one who showed Buck the importance of docile behavior, that belligerence towards man would do nothing but get him killed. After the man in the Red Sweater, Buck was sent to an uncouth enviornment. It was lucky for him that he went into it with Francois and Perrault, two very experienced dog sledders who helped Buck adapt to his environment. With this retrogression into a new place Buck had to become callous, he could no longer think of what was good for others, he could only think about himseld. To my surprise Buck did not loath these new conditions, he thrived in them. He became of stout nature and took the leadership away from his grave nemethis Spitz by killing him. After killing Spitz, Buck was at the summit. It was as though he could not be stopped. He became the most inexorable dog in the pack. He became so obdurate that even the humans couldn't control him sometimes. Through his amazing unruly and sly actions, he earned the awe and even covet, of all the dogs. Buck havwever would not be at the top forever. After Francois and Perrault had left. Buck and his team were assigned to the mail carrier department. The long runs tool a lot out of Buck and he became very lugubrious. He was turned over to Hal, Charles, and Mercedes, who knew nothing about dog sledding. Their trip would be very perplexed do to the ignorance of the three dog sledders. After a short while however, it was certain that Buck and his mates were doomed. The callow behavior of the dog sledders, and the jaded care of the dogs left only a remnant group remained. Ten dogs died during the voyage, and the rest died do to the floundered actions of one of the dog sledders. Only Buck survived, thanks only to the kind actions of Jon Thornton. Without any amenities left, Buck began to hanker fot the wild. But he could not leave Jon Thornton, he loved him too much. The man saved his life, and Buck had to pay him back. So he did. He romped through a contest to win Jon Thornton sixteen hundred dollars. With this money he could fulfill his lifelong dream, to go up north and search for the lost cabin and the lost gold mine. This task would require a lot of valor, but with Buck by his side Jon Thoronton felt that he could do anything. After a long search he finally found the cabin and the mine. With all his time now focused on getting gold, he had no time left for Buck. With all this free time Buck started running out into the wild more and more often. And there he stayed longer and longer each time. He was answering the call of the wild. Until one day he came back to find an ambuscade on the camp of Jon Thornton. Indians came into camp and killed him. Buck flew into such a rage that he destroyed more than half of the tribe. They had killed the only man who he truly loved, and he wanted revenge. But now Buck was free, he had no more links to civilization. He was finally free to answer the call of the wild. Overall this was one of the greatest books ever written. Jack London could not have done a better job with the characters, setting or the plot. I would reccomend to great masterpiece to anyone and everyone. This book is just that good.
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Summary: The call of the Wild
Review: I have just reciently read the Novel The Call of the Wild. I thought it was an interesting book. I havent read many books, but I liked this one pretty good. I enjoy reading books like this.I mostly enjoyed the part where the dogs were pulling the sleds
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Summary: Brad's review
Review: I thought that the book was good in the front, but I especially liked the end because of all the gruesome parts. It was most exciting towards the very end and I liked how they descibed the different colors on the wolves because of Buck. The part where Jack London mentions that there is a ghost dog was cool.It was one of the best books I have ever read. When you read some books, you think that they are boring and you could write better. I couldn't write a better book if I tried.
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Summary: Another Man vs. Nature (ok, Dog vs. Nature)
Review: The story of Buck and cut-throat survival seemed rather cliched. As the traditional American frontier has basically ended, these symbolic stories of adventure and hardship do help to serve as a representation of challenges, but there are such better works that achieve these goals. Even a novel like The Catcher in the Rye uses savvy to explain the ironies and false pretenses that life offers. Holden, like Buck, is faced with the choice of how to adapt in a losing situation. While you may now be wondering how The Call of the Wild and this Salinger novel can be paralleled, the point is that the theme is so universal and not restricted by the plot, that there are many other works that accomplish similar goals.
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Summary: A very good and involving book
Review: The two rivals circle the ring, probing for any point of weakness. The duel has lasted longer than either competitor had anticipated. Weakened by fatigue, the challenger feints high and goes for a crippling blow. No, this is not a boxing title match in Las Vegas. This is a life-and-death struggle of one domestic dog for survival in the cold, icy, barren regions of the Alaskan plains. This is a clash between the civilized and the primordial. This is the conflict between domestication and liberation. This is the Call of the Wild. Jack London centers his story on a dog by the name of Buck. Buck is a big, strong dog, his father being a St. Bernard and his mother being a Scottish shepherd dog. At one hundred and forty pounds, Buck was no mere house pet. Kept physically strong with a love of rigorous swimming and constant outdoor exercise, Buck was a lean, formidable dog. Undoubtedly, his great condition was part of the reason that the gardener's helper dog-napped and sold him to dog traders, who in turn sold him to Canadian government mail couriers. The gold rush in Alaska had created a huge demand for good dogs, which eventually led to the "disappearances" of many dogs on the West Coast. Buck was no exception. He was sold into a hostile environment, which was unforgiving and harsh. Although civilization domesticated him from birth, Buck soon begins almost involuntarily to rediscover himself, revealing a "primordial urge", a natural instinct, which London refers to as the Call of the Wild. This book is set in the Klondike, a region in Alaska that was literally stormed by thousands of men looking to get rich quick via the gold rush. Transportation was increasingly important, but horses were near useless in winter, prone to slip and fall on snow and ice. Dogs were by far the best means of transportation in Alaska at the time, somewhere near the end of the 19th century. As the demand for dogs grew, the prices for good dogs skyrocketed. This price hike inevitably created a black-market- style selling of dogs, and the gardener's helper Manuel did what many men did; they sold the dogs for a good price. A recurring theme in London's novel is the clash between natural instinct and domesticated obedience. Soon after the dog traders captured Buck, a man broke him with a club. Buck is thoroughly humiliated, but learned an all-important truth of the wild: The law of club and fang. Kill or be killed. Survival is above all. Buck resolved to himself to give way to men with clubs. In the beginning, Buck had problems with this new restriction, but learned that when his masters' hands hold whips or clubs, he must concede. However, that did not keep Buck from doing little deeds like stealing a chunk of bacon behind his masters' backs. However, as London says, "He did not steal for joy of it, but because of the clamor of his stomach . In short, the things he did were done because it was easier to do them than not to do them." In this way Buck learns the way of the wild but also acknowledges his inferiority to men with clubs or whips. Eventually in this novel, Buck throws away his old life completely and replaces it with his natural urge, the primordial version of himself, the Call of the Wild. Another underlying theme is the relationship between dog and master. In the beginning, Buck is acquainted with the Judge with a dignified friendship, his sons with hunting partnership, his grandsons with protective guardianship, the mail couriers Francois and Perrault with a mutual respect. Against the man with a club he despised but gave respect. However, when Buck met John Thornton, he loved his master for the first time ever. There wasn't anything Buck wouldn't do for his master. Twice Buck saved Thornton's life, and pulled a thousand pounds of weight for Thornton's sake. Even after Buck routinely left his master's camp to flirt with nature, Buck always came back to appreciate his kind master. However, even after Thornton was gone and Buck had released all memories of his former life, Buck never forgot the kind hands of his master, even after answering the Call of the Wild. Jack London truly brings Buck to life. Using a limited 3rd person view, the reader is told of Buck's thoughts and actions. Obviously, London gave several ideal human qualities to Buck, including a sharp wit, rational reasoning, quick thinking, and grounded common sense. However, he does not over-exaggerate the humanity in Buck, which would have given an almost cartoon-like feeling for a reader. Rather, being a good observer, London saw how dogs acted and worked backwards, trying to infer what the dogs think. The result is a masterful blend of human qualities and animal instinct that is entirely believable. It is obvious that Buck's experience was similar to many other dogs' experiences.
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