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Samadrita's Reviews > The Mysterious Island
The Mysterious Island (Modern Library Classics)
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Samadrita's review
bookshelves: own, timeless-classics, cherished, european-literature, 1001-and-more, re-readable, france, adoration, adventure, sci-fi-speculative
Sep 30, 2012
bookshelves: own, timeless-classics, cherished, european-literature, 1001-and-more, re-readable, france, adoration, adventure, sci-fi-speculative
I can't remember the number of times I have re-read this Verne masterpiece and discovered something new every time I had. In fact, my book has become so frayed around the edges over the years that I fear I won't be able to open it anymore without being afraid of ruining the pages or the cover for good.
Trying to recollect my feelings when I read the book for the first time ever seems a bit of a humongous task. But I can't possibly forget the rush of adrenaline and intense emotions, joy and thrill that inhabitants of Lincoln Island and their numerous adventures gave me - be it while hunting game in the forests, or rescuing Captain Harding, building a boat for a voyage to an island close by, fending off an attack by pirates, making priceless discoveries like finding a hint of sulphur in a nearby spring or even a massive block of granite (which was to become their home later on). Every time I have started reading it, I have been sucked right into the core of the tale, the predicament of the castaways and their struggle against the forces of nature and their quest for survival and felt like I was one of them.
This book would've been my most favorite Verne novel without any competition whatsoever if I had not read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. But being torn between these two books, wondering which one edges past the other in terms of adventure or plot or characters or backdrop or scientific information is a sweet dilemma to have.
Will read it again and again and again and again....
Trying to recollect my feelings when I read the book for the first time ever seems a bit of a humongous task. But I can't possibly forget the rush of adrenaline and intense emotions, joy and thrill that inhabitants of Lincoln Island and their numerous adventures gave me - be it while hunting game in the forests, or rescuing Captain Harding, building a boat for a voyage to an island close by, fending off an attack by pirates, making priceless discoveries like finding a hint of sulphur in a nearby spring or even a massive block of granite (which was to become their home later on). Every time I have started reading it, I have been sucked right into the core of the tale, the predicament of the castaways and their struggle against the forces of nature and their quest for survival and felt like I was one of them.
This book would've been my most favorite Verne novel without any competition whatsoever if I had not read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. But being torn between these two books, wondering which one edges past the other in terms of adventure or plot or characters or backdrop or scientific information is a sweet dilemma to have.
Will read it again and again and again and again....
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The Mysterious Island.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
January 1, 2000
–
Finished Reading
September 30, 2012
– Shelved
October 1, 2012
– Shelved as:
own
October 10, 2012
– Shelved as:
timeless-classics
October 17, 2012
– Shelved as:
cherished
November 17, 2012
– Shelved as:
european-literature
December 4, 2012
– Shelved as:
1001-and-more
December 7, 2012
– Shelved as:
re-readable
December 9, 2012
– Shelved as:
france
January 9, 2013
– Shelved as:
adoration
January 10, 2013
– Shelved as:
sci-fi-speculative
January 10, 2013
– Shelved as:
adventure
Comments Showing 1-9 of 9 (9 new)
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by
David
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rated it 5 stars
Aug 04, 2014 05:49AM
So, I take it, if you were ever stranded on an island you would be able to follow in Harding's footsteps.
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:-) The pictures that Verne paints through his words on the canvas of the readers mind is so vibrant. I totally agree with you, 'The Mysterious Island', is one of those rare books that never loses it's charm even after repeated reading. There are a multitude of readers who rant about this title being scientifically wrong, and full of plot convenience and bad survival tips; i think they totally missed the point of taking this as a fascinating adventure tale.
Samadrita,I'm ashamed to admit that I have never read this book; Verne's other books yes but I've actually never heard of this one. So I'm going to rectify that now.
Your review has indeed enticed me with the idea of adventure. Something we all need from time to time...
A glorious review of a wondrous book, Samadrita. I too have read this novel, and agree this and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, are his best. Around the World in 80 Days, From the Earth to the Moon, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, are almost as good. And the top read on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, also , want to read Mysterious Island again, thanks for reminding me of it.
Um sorry about never replying to any of the comments on this thread. I seem to have forgotten the existence of this review altogether.@David:-I'd probably try to follow in his footsteps in a theoretical sense. But any of the scary, heart-stopping and suspenseful moments would probably lead to a cardiac arrest and consequently instant death for me. :(
@Pramod:-Glad to know you enjoyed this as much as I did at 12. I wonder how this will hold up to a re-read now.
@Lynne:-It was something I read and mostly re-read as a kid and loved to bits. Hoping to know your reactions to it.
@Henry:-This is one of my earliest reviews (the amateurishness is probably telling) so I had conveniently forgotten about it. Verne was one of my favorite childhood authors without a shadow of doubt but I'm not sure how this would hold up to a re-read.
Wrote my high school senior theme on Jules Verne in 1977 in part based on The Mysterious Island and Captain Cyrus Harding. Tough teacher with many years experience said no one had picked Jules Verne before and she also awarded me an A� for it. My poor dear Mother took me to a COLLEGE LIBRARY in FL for some of my research and typed it up as I wrote it out of sequence but she marveled at how it all fit together just so. My Father grew up in poverty and had few books in Boston, but one was TMI. I first read it when he gave me circa age 8 his green hardback copy, which I read multiple times and enjoyed immensely. The book introduced me to Jules Verne, one of my favorite novelists along with Mark Twain. My Father's copy had only one black and white plate illustration, of the Lincoln Island castaways in a small boat entering Dakkar Grotto. But it was labeled the frontispiece, which taught me a new and cherished word. I reread another copy of the book as comfort food around the time in 2013 that I unexpectedly lost my poor dear Father. I hope to again soon. As a vegan animal rights activist and a committed pacifist and an anti-tobacco person, I disapprove of certain aspects of the story, of course. But overall I did and do love the story. I wish all editions included maps of Lincoln Island and Tabor Island, but one can find the former in severs online spots. I would highly recommend the book as a true masterpiece!! -- Alfred Robert Hogan, M.A. (PhD in progress) [email protected]
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After reading your review of the book� I suddenly feel like I had never ever learnt English.
