Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs is an exciting tale full of love and adventure, a book for all the ages.
Not only had I never read Tarzan of the Apes, but I had also never seen a movie adaptation of it, so I came to this story as a complete novice. This review won't do the book justice, so I hope that you make time to read the book yourself.
In this book, Edgar Rice Burroughs tells the story of John Clayton, born to Lord and Lady Greystoke who were marooned on a jungle island in Africa after the crew on their boat mutinied. Following his parents' death while he is a child, John Clayton is taken in by Kala, one of the great Apes that inhabits the island. He is raised an Ape but begins to explore his true heritage in his parents' hut. His curiosity is piqued when an African tribe moves onto the island - but his journey of self-discovery reaches a head when an English family are marooned on the island and Tarzan finds himself attracted to the beautiful woman with them.
I loved this story, it had everything you could want from a classic adventure novel. There were pirates, mutiny's, fights to the death, hunting and cannibalism... as well as a little romance.
Strangely, I found the earlier chapters when Tarzan was alone to the island and living with his Ape family the most interesting. Edgar Rice Burroughs did a wonderful job creating a very complete and realistic character in Tarzan - I felt that I was there with him during his adventures and really wanted him to be happy.
When the English and French visitors landed on the island (I won't spoil the story by saying who they are), I began to lose interest. Too much time was spent on what they were thinking and doing, and by then I was very attached to Tarzan and just wanted to spend my reading time with him.
All in all, a really exciting book. The story was so compelling I could barely put it down and I raced through it all the way to the end. If I could re-write it though, I would re-write it with a happy ending.
Summary
What kind of read is this?
Extremely compelling, I couldn't put it down.
Do I recommend that you read this book?
Absolutely.
Do I recommend that you buy this book?
I read it as a free eBook and that was fine. Probably borrowing it would be sufficient.
Star Rating
6.5 / 8
Brilliant, couldn't put it down.
Have you ever read Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs? What did you think of it?
Originally posted 6 December 2010 Page Turners
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