Zanna Bianca (1906)

Could not find an entry for my edition

I can still remember the day I received the hardcover edition of this novel as a christmas present by my grandmother four or five years ago. At a time when I was still recuperating from the classics thrown at us in school with the pure result of me feeling disgusted by everything which has been published more than one hundred years ago, I decided White Fang to be a piece of literature I'd better not pick up. And so it rested on my book shelf for more than three years before I brought myself to open it again. The first of altogether five parts turned out to be arduous to read, since I expected an animal's viewpoint, but read a story about two men trying to survive in Canada's wilderness. I finally stopped reading at page forty or so and put it back on my shelves.

Then, one year ago, I returned to "White Fang", telling myself continuously it couldn't be that bad, and exactly at that point where Part Two began, I fell in love with this book. White Fang's story is told in such a magnificient way, you can't help yourself but root for his wolf, hope for his survival, suffer with him through everything he has to endure. Jack London's novel became one of the first classics I enjoyed, and although some time still had to pass before I would turn my attention towards other classics, it ultimately broke the ice between me and classics, a long lasting antipathy fabricated by my teacher's abilities to kill any interest in reading all those great books out there.

Highly recommended! ( )

Mid 4/5

God yes. Jack London just doesn't miss when it comes to these kinds of novels. Especially, the beautiful scene and prose and the fascinating and well-crafted story. Although, in my opinion, it is too slow-paced (and the Jim Hall part was kinda too forced and unnecessary). But regardless, this and The Call Of The Wild is my top current favourite reads.

Man, I wish dogs were real. ( )

I know why I loved this as a kid. It is a raw adventure, with a natural charm, and the idea of a wild wolf-dog that is tamed by one man’s kindness would have been irresistible to my nine year old self. Even as an adult, it reads like a heroic tale, as White Fang fights his way through life’s difficulties, like Odysseus trying to find his way home. There can be little doubt that Jack London understood the nature of a wild animal and the dangerous life in the Northern climes.

The descriptive powers of London made me shiver with the chill of the cold and the fear that must accompany a night spent with a fire being the only thing standing between a man and a hungry wolf pack. There are moments of animal cruelty and even nature’s cruelty that make one cringe, but the story is true to life, and life is often unkind. But there is also a feeling of hope, of the possibility of survival, and of the love that a dog, or even a wolf, can offer a man, whether he deserves it or not.
( )

This is going to have to go into the did not finish pile for me and the boys. I remember enjoying it when I read it as a 12 year old or so. It does not really stand up as a read out loud to a 9 and 11 year old. There is an awful lot of made up animal physcology. It was really hard to read and very dense for the boys to understand. ( )