Customer Reviews

The Game

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although the language is a little dated, this classic short story is extremely well written. It captures the emotions and passions of a proper young lady and the prize fighter with whom she has fallen in love. The descriptions of the characters and their settings elegantly take the reader into their lives. Once you get past the language of a bygone era, this is a great, quick but satisfying read.

Once again, Jack London brings you completely in another world, in another's way of thinking and puts you in someone else's shoes for a hour. This time, the master shows us the emotions and needs of two lovers, on the brink of their wedding day. What drives a man to combat ? Could a gentle lady understand that part of him ? Life, as usual, in all its glory, its twists of fate, and its unrelenting progress.

I really enjoyed this short story by Jack London. The details about boxing, and about the couple's relationship resonated with me. It was a quick and easy read, and it left me feeling a bit emotional for the characters in the story. I loved the raw emotion and the feelings that Genevieve has. I love her naivety, which was very characteristic for the time period. London really gave you a sense of how the young was couple dreaming of their future together.

I have since downloaded some of Jack London's other stories, and am beginning to read them.

Five Stars! Definitely recommend this story.

I've read plenty of Jack London and am convinced that the three topics he was really good at, are animal psychology, Alaskan stories and boxing stories.In The Game, apart from describing a love story London opens you the world of prize fighting, brutal and pitiless and at the same time exciting and fascinating. And you also get to see what a blind chance can do to people plans, hopes, lives. This story is worth reading if only to give yourself a good emotional shake. but also because it's really well written and interesting.

The Game is a boxing novel by Jack London, first published in 1905. Though there's little that's ground-breaking or profoundly deep about this brief narrative, it's an entertaining piece of genre fiction written with a literary proficiency that lifts it above the level of mere pulp fiction.

Joe Fleming and his girl Genevieve are an innocent young couple who, after a virginal courtship, have decided to tie the knot. The two naive young lovers share a pure and simple adoration of one another, but Genevieve does have serious reservations about the relationship, due to the obtrusive presence of Joe's beloved mistress. Joe's mistress, it must be stated, is not another woman, but the sport of boxing. Genevieve cannot understand Joe's desire to participate in such a brutal and primitive activity. For the sake of their marriage, Joe agrees to end his boxing career with one last bout. Wishing to impress his bride, Joe invites her to witness the match. Thus, on the eve of their nuptials, Genevieve masquerades as a man and sneaks into the arena to watch Joe's final fight.

Between the lines of this straightforward sports novel, frequent readers of London will recognize his obsession with evolution. Despite Joe's usually mild mannered persona, once inside the ring he is the living embodiment of Darwin's "survival of the fittest". Although Genevieve abhors the brutality of boxing, she can't help but be aroused by the primitive strength and savagery of her man in action. Underneath their civilized romance bubbles the primordial stirrings of their animal natures. By making Genevieve a spectator at the event, London turns the boxing ring into a representation of Darwinian sexual selection.

London truly loved the sport of boxing, and that love is apparent throughout this story. The epic match between Fleming and Ponta is no mere slugfest, but a celebration of the pugilistic art. To the 21st-century reader, who's probably seen fifty boxing movies over the past few decades, the plot and characters of this hundred-year-old book may seem a bit familiar, but London handles the material so skillfully that the entertainment value generated by The Game is well worth the brief hour spent reading it.

Never have I seem such a raw look into the emotion we call love. This was very well written and although it used some, let's just say "dated" language, I thought it added to the appeal and charm of the story. The author's style and skill with the written word takes you into the minds of the characters and makes you feel and see their thoughts and identify with the decisions they make and reactions to each other. There were a few things I didn't like, but the things I thought were great about this were so abundant, it would be fair for me to arch my fingers to type the words. Enjoyed this ... and it was free so that made it even better.

Get into the book and it is done, either they didnt finish it or they cut off from download, I know my server is TOP NOTCH!