Review: The Call of the Wild

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



My dad tried to read The Call of the Wild to me as a bedtime story when I was five. I told him it was too scary and made him stop. I'm twenty-eight now, and I've finally finished it. I cannot believe he wanted to read it to his five-year-old, but it's an excellent story.

I've read too many things by Jon Krakauer and others like him to take Jack London's pictures of northern frontier life completely at face value, but London's voice makes the northland a magical place. All through the book, I had the distinct feeling that London understood people rather better than he understood dogs, and had truer things to say about them.

Listened to Gene Engene's reading -- very nice. He does great voices, and clearly enjoys the book he's reading to us. He mispronounces a few words, but seems to know what they mean, if that makes any sense.





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