The Call of the Wild

Rating:
Summary: An excellent read with mixed messages
Review: All over the world children are familiar with the name of this book, most of them have read it actually. I bought it for my son but back home found that he had already read it borrowing from his school library. Interestingly he was still very glad to possess it. That speaks for the appeal of the story and the narrative. Buck is a dog who learns hard lessons of life in the most honorable way and even the adult reader has no difficulty to identify with his struggles with proper dose of emotion the author intended. Buck acquires all the commendable qualities so necessary in an earthly life and retains all the instincts that bind living beings to each other. But then he does something that may have an unwarranted effect on the child's mind. He responds to the call of the wild and reverts back to what a 'dog' meant before human being became involved with this species. Is that a fair comment on civilization? May not this story,in the subconscious, encourage another POL POT, I could not stop wondering! Jack London did not live long enough to know its answer and thus we have to inculcate such values in young minds so that no wrong message is cooked in it. But, still, reading this story is highly recommended for all children.

Rating:
Summary: Call of the Wild
Review: "Call of the Wild" is a novel written by Jack London, the "most widely" read author in the world at the turn of the twentieth century. London lived a "wild life", traveled the continent of North America, and committed suicide at the age of forty. London's story about Buck, a family pet stolen and sold to be a sled dog, is a realistic tale of the Alaska Gold Rush. Buck's new life is a hard one as he learns to adapt to the cruelty of people, animals, and the weather. Buck learns from his experiences that some people and animals are good and kind, and others are cruel and deadly.

London, also, learns from his experiences in the Northwest, and the experiences make his novel seem to be true of that time and that place. London's life was not an easy one, and the life he created for Buck was not an easy one.

When I read "Call of the Wild", I was impressed by the way Buck survives the cruel treatment and the harsh land of Alaska. The realism in the story suggest the way life really is. Some people, like Hal, are cruel and show no mercy. Other people, like John Thornton, are kind as he saves Buck's life. I wish that Jack London could have had a friend like John Thornton in his life.

Rating:
Summary: Buck; Or the Forgetfulnes of Living
Review: "There is an ecstacy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstacy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness of living, comes to the artist, caught up and out of himself in a sheet of flame; it comes to the soldier, war-mad on a stricken field and refusing quarter; and it came to Buck, leading the pack, sounding the old wolf-cry, straining after the food that was alive and that fled swiftly before him through the moonlight. He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time. He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint and sinew and that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars and over the face of dead matter that did not move."

That paragraph is my "review." The Call of the Wild is that paragraph. London's sweeping primordial prose on the experience of Buck, the alpha-alpha dog amidst harshest Alaska, gave me pause, to ponder the animal I am too. In such a short read I gather anyone can touch that "complete forgetfulness of living" and run with the wolves "into the womb of Time."

A no nonsense classic.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing book
Review: A truly great story.

I'm not sure why other reviewers here keep referring to this as being a children's book. It's not. Just because your grade school teacher said so doesn't mean that it is. Neither the writing style nor the content are particularly suitable for children.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest stories ever written!
Review: Call of the Wild is up there with Tolkiens Hobbit/LOTR for me. I have read and then re-read it several times over the years since I was a kid and its greatly entertaining on one level and inspirational on another.

COTW is great on many levels. First as a heartwrenching dog/wilderness/adventure story it can't be beat.

On another this is one of the most primal, pagan, back to nature, might is right stories ever written.

Rating:
Summary: For the Adventerous
Review: Call of the Wild written by Jack London, is by far one of the most influential books I have ever read. It filled me with a sense of life, and power from the reading of the outdoors and the rugged life. The realistic story narrates the life of a dog, Buck, in first person (or should I say first dog,) who was stolen from his suburban home to go up to the Yukon to be a sled dog during the gold rush, he learns the rules of rugged life and survival, and the opposing ways of the wild towards the traditional house pet setting. In a way, Buck (the main character) can be viewed as a human being because the situations he is brought into, and the lessons he learns. He starts to realize there is much more to life then being a simple domestic pet, there are people out there who are very nice, and yet very evil, and he has to adapt to both. I believe that main point to this story is that in the real world, you must be the fittest of the fittest, and prove your strength, or be eliminated.
This story really touches on how different people (and dogs,) can be. People are always in competition to be boss, like Spitz (one of the dogs in the story.) Buck was used to living at his home in California with other dogs, like a pug and a Mexican hairless, not vicious Huskies. He was spoiled as a simple house-pet and didn't have to learn anything on his own, until he was kidnapped. This was a smack in the face, and he had to start learning about life, and how harsh it can be. The man in the red sweater is brought up throughout the book, he is the first man to basically show Buck that he isn't anything but another worthless working dog, and this started his brutal life of killing, or getting killed.
The lesson I believe London is trying to teach u in this book is to live life to the fullest, don't let obstacles get in your way, and be ready to suffer, because the rewards are extravagant. You will have to win some, and lose some, which Buck does with the other dogs, but lives on. I would rate this book a four out of five. At some points it will go into a lot of detail, and you kind of get lost, but other than that, I believe it is a great book for kids in middle school and up.

Rating:
Summary: Buck realizes his potential
Review: Gold was found in Alaska, the rush to obtain it required a strong constitution and many dogs to do the work that horses usually did in the states. The environment bread harsh attitudes. Also in the testing of ones mettle one finds their true potential.
Buck (a dog that is half St Bernard and half Shepherd) goes through many lives, trials, and tribulations finally realizing his potential. On the way he learns many concepts from surprise, to deceit, and cunning; he also learns loyalty, devotion, and love. As he is growing he feels the call of the wild.
This book is well written. There is not a wasted word or thought and the story while building on its self has purpose and direction. The descriptions may be a tad graphic for the squeamish and a tad sentimental for the romantic. You see the world through Buck's eyes and understand it through his perspective until you also feel the call of the wild.


Rating:
Summary: Simply Great Writing
Review: Many of the reviewers focus on the wonderful story of Buck and his life as a sled dog with the imaginative plot and story. Those aspects are all great.

But I think that misses one the point of the book. What is (also) great is the writing of Jack London. In fact it is fabulous. I have never read a book where the sentences and paragraphs and descriptions just flowed together with such spellbinding effectiveness. The pages seem turn turn automatically as you are drawn into the story.

No wonder Jack London became so famous in his day and was an inspiration to Hemingway and many other writers who followed. I was simply amazed to read the book. The story is so well done and the writing so crisp and smooth. It is just an inspiration to read - and it is a fascinating story - but the writing is both smooth as silk and very compelling.

Rating:
Summary: Call of wild
Review: This is really one of the finest books on the market. The Call of the Wild is about Buck, a German Sheperd, who is dagnapped from his home when word comes of a Goldrush up in the Canadian wilderness. From then on, Buck experiences adventure, companionship, and tragic, tragic losses. This all, however, is character-building to Buck, and he becomes one of the best sled-dogs ever, except for the fact that this is fiction.

That is the overall premise of this book. In case you didn't know, this book was written in the early 1900's by the world-reknowned author, Jack London. Jack London wrote many other books based around canine-human interaction, but none were as masterfully done as this one. The whole adventure that Buck has in this book is both tragic and woderful at the same time.

One of the things that makes this book so wonderful is the way that it is written. The description, the emotion, all of the writing is done is such a great fahion to the point that that this book is amazing on a grand scale. In short, the writing is really good.

Another great thing about this book is that it deals mostly with what is going on in Buck's head, and dialogue is kept to a minimum. This book is just so great in ss many ways, that I am entitled to give it a five out of five stars.