A classic novel of adventure, drawn from London's own experiences as a Klondike adventurer, relating the story of a heroic dog, who, caught in the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush, ultimately faces a choice between living in man's world and returning to nature. Note.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By IRA Ross
Format:Paperback
Buck's father was a St. Bernard and his mother was a Scotch shepard. Buck was experiencing a leisurely existence in San Diego with a judge and his family when Buck was kidnapped and sold as a sled dog in Alaska. This was at the time of the 1898 gold rush. From the start Buck is different from the other dogs in the sled team: he is more intellegent, more resourceful, fiercer, far more cunning, and most of all braver. Buck, a natural leader, usurps the authority of the equally fierce lead sled dog. Buck, as well as the other dogs are worked to exhaustion by several incompetent humans; they undergo starvation and repetitive beatings until Buck is rescued by a kindly John Thornton, who nurtures Buck back to strength and health while providing the impetus for Buck's eventual claim to greatness.
_The Call Of The Wild_ is an extraordinary adventure story with Mr. London providing a magnificent description of the bleak and forbidding northern tundra. The scenes in which Buck and his canine rivals and antagonists nearly fight to the death are brutally riveting. Don't expect character development, though. The humans in the novella are mere supporting players to Buck who returns to the wild and achieves the promise of his ancestry.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"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).
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Call of the Wild" is not an easy book to read. Devoid of the cute tricks and talking beasts of many animal-centered books, it is a harsh look at a formerly-pampered dog's lessons on survival among a pack of his fellows.
Buck is an ordinary pet dog--until the day he is stolen and sent off to Alaska, in the middle of the goldrush around the turn of the century. Buck learns to cope with the rough lifestyle of a sled dog, competes for survival and status among the other dogs, and makes friends along the way.
London's skill is evident, in that he is able to convey Buck's feelings and actions in an understandable way, without dialogue. His treatment, especially right after he is abducted, often makes the reader want to reach through and whomp his attackers. At the same time, you adore John Thornton for loving Buck so much and being kind to him when no other human is.
With books such as "White Fang" and "Call of the Wild," one wonders if Thornton and characters like that were alter-egos for London, since his affection for canines is clear in his writing. I also wonder whether he studied the pack structure of dogs kept together for a long time. And like in real life, there's not a happy ending for all concerned--such as one dog who simply can't keep pulling the sled.
Buck changes over the course of the book. The same nobility and strength is still there, but it's tempered with wisdom and experience in wild matters as well as domestic ones.
Without overdoing the descriptions, London gives you an idea of the cold bleakness of Alaska when your feet are in the snow and you have to trudge twenty miles. The readers will also find themselves agreeing completely with the brief descriptions of the characters who flit in and out.
"Animal that longs to return to the wild" may be a cliche now, but it wasn't then. And now I'm off to read "White Fang"--I hope it's as good as this book was.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Was exactly as expected !!amazing
Was read by my daughter for a ELA annotation
She enjoyed it.The book was in great condition too !
Was read by my daughter for a ELA annotation
She enjoyed it.The book was in great condition too !
Published 18 days ago by jo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Jack London is a great American writer. My Track and Field coach used to read us excerpts from this story and it really taught us something. Had to get my own copy
Published 24 days ago by Mark Cadden
2.0 out of 5 stars
Print too small.
As a teacher, I couldn't even use it in the classroom. The print is too small for kids to read comfortably.
Published 1 month ago by P. Hintz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Bood
Purchased a number of copies for a private school classroom. Executive Director was pleased and the students enjoyed the read.
Published 1 month ago by Joseph Grigelevich Jr
1.0 out of 5 stars
call of the wild
Again didn't get the actual book. Was confused when ordering I guess. Very disappointed that the description was not more clear
Published 5 months ago by Cheryl Panther
3.0 out of 5 stars
Thrift Edition fine print
This is a review of the THRIFT EDITION of the book. The story itself is fine. The thrift edition however is printed with fine print, probably about a font size 8. Read more
Published 8 months ago by H. Le
5.0 out of 5 stars
A quick read that's worth it.
I should have read this sooner - it' only 105 pages. What a book! While it was interesting all of the way though, the last chapters got even more remarkable with the descriptions... Read more
Published 11 months ago by SuperConnected
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Call of the Wild
Now this is what I consider a classic. Can there be a more exciting tale than that of Buck? Well, I don't think so anyway. Read more
Published 12 months ago by M. Reynard
4.0 out of 5 stars
True and Timeless
We've all seen movies and read books in which the focus is on man's best friend. They usually feature someone's cute, fuzzy pet, lost in the wilderness, trying to make his way... Read more
Published 17 months ago by S. Mowdy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quick, quick, quick
My son needed this for school. He had it in hand 2 days later! It was much easier than driving to the book store and searching for what we needed. Thank yoU!
Published 19 months ago by Mom
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