What makes a book like this stand the test of time? It is an adventure story about a rugged, dangerous time and place, told through the eyes of a dog. After Buck is stolen from his home in Southern California, he has to adapt to a new and brutal life. His first encounter with violence is through "the man in the red shirt", a dog-breaker. This man was the first to introduce Buck to the "law of club and fang". Prior to this, Buck's life was one of a privileged, favored and pampered pet.
Gradually, he begins to disassociate with domesticity and feels the stirrings of the "primordial" life- instinctual memories and the "call of the wild". ( )

Book source ~ Audio purchased at Chirp

An historical tale of sled dogs during Alaska’s gold rush. Told from the POV of Buck, a dog stolen from his home in a warmer climate and sold to assholes up north, it is not for the faint of heart.

I read this a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Not really. But it was a long time ago. I’m almost 56 afterall. This time I listened to the audio version and it was fantastic. Brutal, but fantastic. If that makes sense. Poor Buck really has his cushy life turned upside down. So cruel! I really hate that dogs were and still are treated that way. However, the history of dog sledding during the gold rush is interesting and the story is told entirely from Buck’s POV which is fascinating. This is an excellent story with an awesome narrator and I highly recommend it. ( )

Needing a specific kind of book for a reading challenge recently, I settled on this one as my pick for the month. I was excited; I’ve been interested in Jack London’s books for a long time, but this was the first time I ever actually picked any of them up.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t really to my taste. I was disappointed by how much evolution was brought into the story, and some of the scenes didn’t feel particularly realistic, which was sad. There was also quite a bit of violence in these pages, plus what felt like glorification of the “primordial longings” the main character experienced.

There were things to enjoy in the story; I found the history side fascinating (aside from the despicable abuse and violence!), and since I haven’t read much about the Klondike Gold Rush, I appreciated that part. It was a well-written story, and I think I would have enjoyed the writing style had not other things bugged me. Overall, it wasn’t a horrible book, but it’s not one I’m planning to keep on my shelf or recommend to others. ( )

Compelling and deeply satisfying. ( )

Buck es un perro que vive en San Diego, California. De su feliz vida como perro de casa es arrancado vilmente; así inicia un viaje que lo llevará a recorrer América del Norte, hasta llegar a los límites del círculo polar ártico.

Mas el viaje de Buck es también espiritual: cuando es secuestrado y obligado a cambiar su cómoda y civilizada vida, Buck se resiste, pero a medida que el clima, el trato humano y el contexto se van volviendo más agrestes, volverá al espíritu de la manada a través de la llamada a lo primitivo que resuena en sus instintos: la llamada de lo salvaje.