Short & Sweet Treats discussion

Our November Action and Adventure read is Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Share your thoughts with us! Let's ponder the following questions while reading.

☀Why is Tarzan so successful as a member of ape society?
☀What are Tarzan's feelings about his natural parents?
☀How do Kala's characteristics resemble that of a human?
☀Why does Tarzan return to the jungle?

It's been a few years (5 or 6?) since I've read this but I remember thinking that Disney probably didn't have to change much to make a cartoon out if it. It already had a "Disney-ish" feel to it! (I can't swear to how much was changed, though since I haven't seen the cartoon version.)

I haven't seen the movie or read the book !

I just started the book myself. I am enjoying it . So far, it is the story of Tarzan's parents, John and Alice Clayton and how it came to be that they are in the jungle.

I wonder why Michael never sent help for Alice and John as he had promised. ..

I grew up watching the black and white Tarzan movies with my Dad. It was a Sunday ritual! The Disney movie doesn't quite reflect the book's storyline. Tarzan doesn't feel that he's accepted by his ape father, but in Disney there isn't the violent confrontations...and of course, the father accepts him at the end.

I really enjoyed reading the book though. In fact, I added the next two books in the series to my To Read list since I know he ends up with Jane and they have a son "Boy". Now, I want to know how it works out.

I read it quite a long time ago. I remember it being a little bit grittier than Disney, but I don't remember it well. Hopefully I will get to re-read it later this month. It depends on how fast my other reads go!

It is sad how Tarzan sees his own reflection in the lake and sees himself as hideous.

Just downloaded a free audiobook version of this book from LibriVox.

I just saw the Disney movie of Tarzan. Why do you think the apes were replaced by gorillas? Are gorillas considered to be more human like?

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "I just saw the Disney movie of Tarzan. Why do you think the apes were replaced by gorillas? Are gorillas considered to be more human like?"

You know Laura I had to look this up, because I hadn't even noticed when I watched the movie. Scientifically, I'm reading that gorillas are a type of ape...but then that led me to the "Planet of the Apes" movies, because those animals seemed smaller in stature than humans at least at first.

The apes in the book are a fictitious species: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangani

I really liked the first half of the book. Any story having to do with people leaving civilisation behind and getting lost in the jungle works for me.

The latter part where people are repeatedly attacked by one of lion, lioness, bad ape or negro and then rescued by Tarzan was too repetitive.

Did anyone feel the ending was abrupt or a bit of a cliffhanger?

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "Did anyone feel the ending was abrupt or a bit of a cliffhanger?"

Oh definitely! Of course, I'm so used to books being part of a series now that I've come to expect being left wanting to read more.

good point, Holly. And it looks like there were a lot more books in the Tarzan series.

Ah. I just finished this. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Very surprising.

This book reads well.