Written with little feeling or emotion

books:


	• The Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O'Dell Yearling, 1999 - 208 pages average customer review:based on 606 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

good

THIS BOOK WAS FOR MY GRANDDAUGHTER. She liked it very much. I am looking for some other books for 7th graders do you have any suggestions?

Written with little feeling or emotion

When I read a young adult book I don't expect it to be written heavy-handedly or with lots of metaphors, but when I read any book I expect some level of characterization and sense of time. Unfortunately, Scott O'Dell's prose is so bereft of any emotion that "terse" and "austere" seem about as fitting as "purple" and "flowery." The main character, Karana, spends 18 years marooned on San Nicholas Island. Read that again: *eighteen years*. I've only been alive for 20; that amount of isolation is beyond my comprehension. Yet she only shows a hint of loneliness when (after at least 10 years by herself) she befriends a girl who is only staying on the island temporarily. I don't require Karana to make deep, introspective looks into her own soul, but a little lip-service to solitude might be nice. Papillon was nearly driven insane by 3 years of solitary confinement and this girl can handle 18 years alone on an island with only a few momentary tremors of longing?

Even aside from loneliness I wanted Karana to merely express some feeling about anything. The first-person narrative merely serves as a clothesline to string 18 years of activity on: "Then I made a fence out of whalebones...then I domesticated a dog...then I went hunting for elephant seal...then I went hunting for devilfish...then I decided not to hunt devilfish anymore." Does she miss her parents or brother? Does she beleive in some form of religion? Does she wish her diet had more greens in it because she thinks her legs aren't muscly enough? I wished she could have expressed some feeling, something aside from "Fought the dogs again, killed three but not the leader. I need a stronger bow." The book reads more like a journal than a novel.

Overall O'Dell's novel simply isn't very compelling or interesting. I suppose there aren't many other survival novels with female protagonists, but beyond that this novel has little going for it.

for more information click here

Blast from my Past

When I was a kid, 'Island of the Blue Dolphins' was one of my favorite books. It's a story about the trials of a young Aluet girl who gets stranded. I recently ordered from Amazon and reread. As wonderful a story as a remembered!!

Tale of enlightenment

I saw this in movie form when I was a child, and I fell in love with it. Reading a list of wanted books for a Camelmobile in Africa, I found this title on the list, so I bought it to send for a donation. I read the book before sending to Africa, and I wept. This is a beautiful story of courage, heartache, strength, love, forgiveness, -- and enlightenment that we *can* live in harmony with all animals on Earth - in fact, that we are happier and far more content when we realize that all living beings belong here and have value. The tale is not sentimental, but, rather, written in the tone that one would expect from an Indian girl. In its simplicity, this book soaks into one's psyche and stays put. It is sure to make anyone who reads it become a better human being.

for more information click here

A rare gem that everyone should read

This book is one of those rare books that makes you see your whole world in a different way. Things that seem so important like checking your email or getting a new outfit, pale in comparison to the life Karana was able to lead. Without a complaint or a whimper, she found a way to live on the island by herself for so many years.

I was truly overwhelmed by her physical and mental strength. Then to find out that this was the fictionalized story of a real human being made it feel so much more awe-inspiring. Karana is a true role model for people of all ages.

Although this story is about a girl, I recommend this book to both boys and girls. I think that the things that she did to survive will impress both genders. I also think that it is an important story to read as a way of putting a priority on the precious things in life.

I had the opportunity to read this book when I was young but never did. I'm sorry that I waited so long. This is a beautiful and well-written book. The author's extensive research paid off in the plethora of detail that helped us to feel like we were on the island with Karana. I'm sure I will read it many times over and learn something new with each reading.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Looking for Adventure? (from youth to young at heart)
My List of Book Reccommendations Part I
Books for Ethnic / Multicultural Kids
All Time Best Children's Books
Terrific Teen Novels

search for books
island of the, blue, dolphins, island

Impressum / about us