White Fang (Jack London) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

27. White Fang by Jack London
      Prompt: book set in the wilderness

Synopsis:
White Fang is part dog and part wolf, and the lone survivor of his family. In his lonely world, he soon learns to follow the harsh law of the North--kill or be killed. But nothing in White Fang's life can prepare him for the cruel owner who turns him into a vicious killer. Will White Fang ever know the kindness of a gentle master?

My Review:
This is the story of White Fang, a wolf-dog, who has to survive in the wilderness. It begins from the time he was just a small pup and continues as he grows up into adulthood. I believe he was under a year old when he became the only survivor of his family. While he did learn some survival tips from his mother, White Fang had to learn most of what he knew on his own, essentially known as survival of the fittest. At times, he was by himself and at other times, he was under the watch and care of self-proclaimed owners. A couple were kind and cared about his well-being, while most were harsh and taught him to kill, as in brutal dogfighting. This is a story that asks can a wolf-dog be tamed and domesticated in a world of surviving the harsh realities of life? The answer lies in the wonderfully crafted ending.

I wasn't really expecting to like this book. The theme and plot is something I usually wouldn't read. I liked the perspective of a wild animal and how they survive in the outside world, whether that be the wilderness for wolves and bears or the ocean for whales and dolphins or anywhere else for whatever wild animal there are. There are parts that are heart-wrenching and pulled you into the story. I feel that animals are just like humans, in that sometimes they just want to be loved, which describes White Fang. Since he was part wolf, he had an instinct to attack and kill, but since he was also part dog, his other instinct was to be gentle and playful and just be loved by someone, like I just mentioned.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

A Place Called Bliss (Ruth Glover) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

24. A Place Called Bliss by Ruth Glover

Synopsis:Sophia Galloway, a rich and pampered lady of Scotland's renowned house of Heatherstone, and Mary Morrison, a simple servant, share a dream of traveling to a new land of freedom, promise, and opportunity: Canada. On the tumultuous journey overseas, Sophia and Mary both give birth. Neither mother knows how closely their destinies will be intertwined by a secret with the power to shatter their lives.

My Review:
In most stories (and not just in books), you read or hear about people moving from other countries to the US for freedom and opportunity. In this book, it follows the same concept except that it involves two families immigrating to Canada. However, getting to either place wasn't easy; many had difficult and tumultuous journeys. And for Sophia and Mary, it was no exception, made even worse that they were both pregnant and subsequently gave birth on their travels over to Canada.

A Place Called Bliss started off slow, which was when the two families were traveling by boat to Canada to start over in a new land. Once reaching Canada, they went their separate ways to opposite sides of the country. Sophia and her family had an easier time adjusting to their new surroundings since they had relations already there. It was more of the frontier life for Mary and her husband. Each family had their difficulties and struggles and stayed in contact with each other from time to time by mail. It was during this that it became more interesting and enjoyable to read.

What Mary and Sophia didn't expect was to find out a secret that changes everything that they used to know. The particular secret goes back to when they gave birth on the boat, but things didn't go as expected for both of them. Sophia and Hugh had somewhat of a distant marriage, but it made sense once the secret is found out. And no, I can't say what happened because that would be giving it all away.

A Place Called Bliss is a book filled with rich vocabulary and historical significance. Some of that was part of the reason why it dragged at times - for me, it was mostly in the beginning. The descriptive and detailed writing was enlightening. It was good to get to know more about Canada and its history.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~