by William Burroughs

 

This is a Classic story that is familiar to most people, having seen some version of it on television, as a movie and even in cartoons. Tarzan is iconic, but reading the original story really opened my eyes to the genius of the source material.

 

The writing itself is beautiful. I started reading and found it hard to stop because I was instantly transported into the story and the trials of Lord Greystoke and his wife as they became shipwrecked. The transition to the world of the apes and the interaction of the creatures of the jungle was so smooth that I was lost in the story for several chapters before I knew what had happened!

 

A large part of the story has been left out of film versions and I found the story more realistic with these plot lines in place. Also, the story takes a real turn towards Romance which I never knew!

 

"Come back to me," she whispered. "I shall wait for you- always."

 

That line alone reminds me that this was written not so long after certain Victorian novels with a penchant for Romance. In the later part of the book, I got the real feel of the jungle through the eyes of a French soldier, to whom it is all new.

Tarzan's first experience of civilization is different than any film version I have seen, and quite interesting. I did have the feeling at the end that there would be more of the story to tell, but luckily the collection I have includes the direct sequel, The Return of Tarzan. I'll have to read it soon!

Knock me sideways, that last third made this so much better than I expected.

 

It IS full of "whiteman's burdeen", and "fair for it time" commentary, and "nobility breeds true" and all that chivarious "poor little woman" bullshit. But... BUT! That friendship with D'arnot! And all the intern exploration Jane does on her feelings for Tarzan. And through out all of the book, the fact that Clayton is NOT the asshole so many adaptations turn him into but a honestly good man (with a few very understandably petty moments).

 

Which totally makes the end a stake to the heart. I did not expect to, but it made me care.

 

 

@helen291283 - Helen, @XpressoTours, #New_Adult, #Romance, 4 out of 5 (very good)

Two books for the price of one
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
After a business venture collapses, Tarzan decides the best way to get out of this problem is to head off to Opar and steal some of the gold they have left lying around.
A bash on the head leaves him with only the memory of his days growing up with the apes and he reverts to the savage man he once was.
Meanwhile, Jane manages to get herself kidnapped, escape, lost, kidnapped again (and again).

This took a while to get into, with a lot of things having to fall into place before the finale making it a bit of a chore before the action started.

Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Various short stories of Tarzan as a boy growing up with the apes. Some are better than others, but they follow each other logically and lead into the next story quite well.