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A review by cyanide_latte
One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
It's been a very long time since I read the original novel, but I wanted to take my partner through it and it was a nice change in pace from other things we've been reading.
I would like to begin by making it clear this book is very dated, and I have an older copy of it (so I can't speak to whether or not things were edited or removed from newer printings.) Simply be aware that the edition I own contains racist depictions of Romani people, racially insensitive moments here and there otherwise, and a very questionable depiction of the intellect of Missis Pongo. (Perdita here being a separate dog.) I'm sure there are other things I cannot immediately recall but the book is aged, and not all of it has aged very gracefully.
I think one of my biggest frustrations with this is that while the humor and comedic elements do have their place and they are important to the story, I often feel like they are overdone and tend to take away from the narrative as often as they add to it. I also often feel like Missis seems intentionally very one-note and falls into a trap of making Pongo look better, because her character development is fraught with repetitive behaviors from her, whereas Pongo doesn't really feel like he develops much at all if one really examines his character from start to finish. So I have my reservations about Missis constantly being handled in a way that makes her seem like a "silly woman" character to balance out Pongo's actual one-note character.
But otherwise, I do feel like the story is fun and a fairly rich children's book for what it is. I remember reading it as a child multiple times and being utterly taken with it, just as much as I was with Disney's film adaptation. I've always found the puppies to be a delight (and the few puppies we have named in here do have some good characterization) and I love the way the book depicts Cruella. She's one of the few villains who scared me as a kid and still gives me chills even now, and I feel like she could really be utilized well in a literary analysis of the concept of the monstrous feminine, both as she is in the book as well as all of her Disney film depictions.
This book has stuck with me for so long, and while I take it with a large grain of salt now that I'm an adult, it does still hold a special place in my heart.
(Also, I do recall Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler giving older lesbian vibes, but I'd forgotten about Jim and Bill! Something about them also gives gay vibes, and I'm absolutely loving that.)
I would like to begin by making it clear this book is very dated, and I have an older copy of it (so I can't speak to whether or not things were edited or removed from newer printings.) Simply be aware that the edition I own contains racist depictions of Romani people, racially insensitive moments here and there otherwise, and a very questionable depiction of the intellect of Missis Pongo. (Perdita here being a separate dog.) I'm sure there are other things I cannot immediately recall but the book is aged, and not all of it has aged very gracefully.
I think one of my biggest frustrations with this is that while the humor and comedic elements do have their place and they are important to the story, I often feel like they are overdone and tend to take away from the narrative as often as they add to it. I also often feel like Missis seems intentionally very one-note and falls into a trap of making Pongo look better, because her character development is fraught with repetitive behaviors from her, whereas Pongo doesn't really feel like he develops much at all if one really examines his character from start to finish. So I have my reservations about Missis constantly being handled in a way that makes her seem like a "silly woman" character to balance out Pongo's actual one-note character.
But otherwise, I do feel like the story is fun and a fairly rich children's book for what it is. I remember reading it as a child multiple times and being utterly taken with it, just as much as I was with Disney's film adaptation. I've always found the puppies to be a delight (and the few puppies we have named in here do have some good characterization) and I love the way the book depicts Cruella. She's one of the few villains who scared me as a kid and still gives me chills even now, and I feel like she could really be utilized well in a literary analysis of the concept of the monstrous feminine, both as she is in the book as well as all of her Disney film depictions.
This book has stuck with me for so long, and while I take it with a large grain of salt now that I'm an adult, it does still hold a special place in my heart.
(Also, I do recall Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler giving older lesbian vibes, but I'd forgotten about Jim and Bill! Something about them also gives gay vibes, and I'm absolutely loving that.)