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Summary: A poignant, moving story of nature and survival
Review: I have to admit that I have not really given Jack London his proper due up to now. Perhaps it is because I don't by my nature like outdoor adventure type stories, or perhaps it is because I associate White Fang and "To Build a Fire" with my youth. The fact is that Jack London is a tremendously talented writer. His understanding of the basics of life matches his great knowledge of the snow-enshrouded world of the upper latitudes. The Call of the Wild, despite its relative brevity and the fact that it is (at least on its surface) a dog's story, contains as much truth and reality of man's own struggles as that which can be sifted from the life's work of many another respected author. The story London tells is starkly real; as such, it is not pretty, and it is not elevating. As an animal lover, I found parts of this story heartbreaking: Buck's removal from the civilized Southland in which he reigned supreme among his animal kindred to the brutal cold and even more brutal machinations of hard, weathered men who literally beat him and whipped him full of lashes is supremely sad and bothersome. Even sadder are the stories of the dogs that fill the sled's traces around him. Poor good-spirited Curly never has a chance, while Dave's story is made the more unbearable by his brave, undying spirit. Even the harsh taskmaster Spitz has to be pitied, despite his harsh nature, for the reader knows full well that this harsh nature was forced upon him by man and his thirst for gold. Buck's travails are long and hard, but the nobility of his spirit makes of him a hero--this despite the fact that his primitive animal instincts and urges continually come to dominate him, pushing away the memory and reality of his younger, softer days among civilized man. Buck not only conquers all--the weather, the harshness of the men who harness his powers in turn, the other dogs and wolves he comes into contact with--he thrives. This isn't a story to read when you are depressed. London's writing is beautiful, poignant, and powerful, but it is also somber, sometimes morose, infinitely real, and at times gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.
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Summary: The Call of the Wild
Review: In my opinion, The Call of the Wild is a good book to read if you are wanting something quick to read. If you are interested in dogs than this is the book for you. It is loaded with lots of detail, but within the course of the book not a whole lot is covered. At the begginng of the book it is very slow, but near the end it starts getting good. It is definitely not hard reading. Anywhere from a fifth to sixth grader would be able to read this book. I probably wouldn't suggest it, but after reading I can say that it is a decent book.
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Summary: Call of the Wild...
Review: Classic tale of the Alaskan Gold Rush, and of Buck, the heroic dog who is torn between two worlds--the wild, and man's. Great adventure story!
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Summary: One of the greatest adventure stories of all time
Review: "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London, is a short novel that tells the story of a dog named Buck. Half St. Bernard and half "Scotch shepherd dog," Buck is a huge, powerful dog who lives an idyllic existence on a magnificent estate "in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley." But the gold rush of 1897 has created a demand for working dogs. Early in the book's first chapter, Buck is betrayed, stolen, and sold into service in the frozen wilderness of the far north. The story follows his adventures and his relationships with both humans and other canines as he travels across this harsh new world.The copyright page of the Dover edition notes that "Call" was published in book form back in 1903. It is a bold, rousing adventure story. Buck is a magnificent hero who evoked both my sympathy and my admiration as I followed his odyssey. He's a likeable but noble beast: truly one of American literature's great characters. London has filled Buck's world with a fascinating and diverse group of supporting characters (both man and beast). London's prose style is a pleasure to read: solid and muscular, yet with a subtly poetic, even mythic, flavor. "Call" could be read as a straightforward adventure story, or perhaps as a parable of the human condition. Either way, London draws an intriguing contrast between the polite ways of society and the harsh "law of club and fang." This is a story full of adventure, violence, love, loss, and discovery. Both heartbreaking and uplifting, "The Call of the Wild" is, in my view, a true classic. Recommended as companion texts: Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" (another great adventure tale) and Phyllis Reynold Naylor's "Shiloh" (another profoundly moving dog story).
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Summary: The Call of the Wild
Review: The Call of the Wild is a very interesting book. It tells the story of a dog who was stolen and then forced to become a sled dog durring the Alasken gold rush. Through hard times, Buck (the dog) learns the Law of Club and Fang (only the strong survive). Buck becomes this "Super dog" who can handle just about anything. Now, he does have one weakness, his love for his owner. When the owner dies, Buck goes off to become a leader of a wolf pack. He then changes the breed of wolves forever. Over all I liked the book. It is told in a fun and interesting way. You learn what the dogs are thinking and how they feel about the peole they interact with. If it were up to me, I would have made Buck a little more down to Earth. Less "Supter dog" and more "Calrk Kent dog."
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Summary: Call Of The Wild - Jack London
Review: This is an excellent book for people of all ages to enjoy, Jack London goes into exceptional detail about the insticts and behavioural changes in his dog, Buck. The story is set in the Alaskan winter and is about Buck's constant struggle to survive. It is a highly readable book and I recommend it.
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Summary: Sleigh Dog
Review: The Call of the Wild As a sleigh dog, Buck in "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London, had encountered many humans. Some have treated him with love and some have treated him with hate. The people who hated him just wanted to get where they were going. They were just going to sell him to someone when they're done with him.
Buck is an ordinary dog who lives in a wealthy family. One day that is all turned around. Buck was sold to a man and Buck was taught a lesson with a bat to his head. Buck saw many dogs he knew that had been sold to people who needed sleigh dogs. Finally Buck was sold as a sleigh dog. He fit in with all the others. Buck could not be lead dog. He wanted to, but there was another dog to take that position.
This is a very slow paced book, yet it held my interest. I like how the book put Buck in a bunch of different settings. I like how the author changed Buck from tame to wild to wilder.
If you like to read comedy and romance, I would definitely not recommend this book for you. If you would like a nice wilderness adventure this is definitely the book you're looking for. If you like dogs you would like this book. Even if you just hate those beasts you would like seeing them getting beat up.
Buck started out and grew up in a rich family were he was loved and had to do absolutely nothing he didn't want to. Then he experienced life in a kennel. After that he figures out what the life of a sleigh dog is like. And after that he hears the call of the wild and has an urge to join it.
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Summary: an interesting scribble
Review: Jack London was a wonderful sort of writer. He was master of nothing, not of tone, nor of language, pacing, character or plot. But he was honest, he was familiar with the world surrounding the actions of his cartoonish creations and he knew enough tricks to paste them into some genuinely exciting and vivid experiences. The character of Buck is actually quite strong. Who cares that its a dog--all criticism of the personification are pointless and all assumption of a dog's inability to function as such are superfluous in the telling of the story. Too much has also been made of perceived philosophies, from Darwin and Nietzsche through the Communist doctrine of some and the fascistic impulses of others. Sure, perhaps if one were to try hard enough to justify some linked meaning it could surely be derived, but the actions are in the moment and the ideas deal more with survival than with any encrypted motive for desiring to do so. The story is what it is, harsh and frequently silly, enhanced by an enthusiasm of description and a consistant interest in the telling. A pleasent book to read before bed when feeling bored and perhaps sullenly apathetic. Three and a half stars rounded up because its violence is not tamed by the passing of a century since publication.
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Summary: The Call of the Wild
Review: The Call of the Wild, written by author Jack London, is an animal adventure novel about a dog named Buck. Buck was born to luxury, but when gold was found in Alaska, he was kidnapped to be used as a sledge dog. He traveled thousands of miles, and since he was with an owner that didn't know how to take care of him, he nearly died. In this extraordinary novel, Jack London shows how an ordinary dog adapts to a tough and dangerous life. London's characters show how some people were very brutal and had no love for the dogs, but that there were some people that saw the dogs as beings instead of slaves. He sets a mood that keeps the readers interested and makes them want to read more. In this way, he makes them feel that Buck is not just an ordinary dog, but a smart, loving and heroic one. In my opinion, this book is very moving overall and well written. It starts out a little slowly so not many surprises pop up until the middle when buck gets into a fight. I would highly recommend reading this book. It left a great impression on me, as I hope it does for all other readers.
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Summary: Back to the primitive
Review: "The Call of the Wild" is a sort of canine "Robinson Crusoe," where the main character finds himself marooned in a strange, harsh land far from his home and becomes increasingly savage as he adapts to his new environment. But whereas Crusoe's goal was to return to a state of civilization he found familiar and comfortable, Buck, the hero of Jack London's novella, simply drifts further and further into the primitivism that is his natural canine calling. The story takes place during the Alaska-Yukon gold rush of the end of the nineteenth century, where large, strong dogs are in demand to run the sleds between Skagway on the Pacific coast and Dawson inland, a trip hundreds of miles long through bitterly cold weather and treacherous terrain. Buck, the 140-pound offspring of a St. Bernard and a Scotch sheep dog, is living in a nice home in the sunny Santa Clara valley of California when he is kidnapped by a gardener with gambling debts and sold up the Pacific until he is bought by two French Canadian couriers who immediately indoctrinate him into being part of a sled dog team. This is a rude awakening for Buck, who must learn the strenuous routines of hauling the sled and running with the pack, all the while adjusting to the new climate and feeding patterns. Soon a rivalry develops between him and the lead dog, Spitz, but as he gains strength and ferocity, he manages to fight and defeat Spitz and take his position as the lead dog. London keeps Buck and the other dogs "in character" with this one important exception: he allows them to have human feelings of pride and achievement. Buck passes from master to master as the route is traversed back and forth and different sleds come and go; but finally he finds his best master in a man named John Thornton, who nurses him back to health after a particularly cruel and inept driver nearly kills him with over-exertion. Buck becomes Thornton's most prized possession and accompanies his party to a remote mine to search for gold, where he helps the men with hauling and hunting. This expedition turns out badly for the men, though, when they are attacked by Indians; Buck, hearing the "call of the wild," completes his transformation into a wolflike warrior and seeks revenge. The story of Buck's progression from a creature of comfort to a beast of burden to a leader of wolves has the mythic quality of a folk legend, a nocturnal warning of the thin line that separates dog and wolf. "The Call of the Wild" remains possibly the world's most famous canine yarn because we sense that its message is true to nature -- that all animals, including humans, gravitate toward the savage when removed from civilization and forced to rely on strength, agility, and cunning to survive.
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