The Green Ray by Jules Verne

Summary:

When the Morning Post writes about the legendary Green Ray's elevating effects on the mind and soul, Helena Campbell vows to experience it for herself, postponing the wedding being forced upon her against her will. Together with her uncles, Sam and Sib Melville, she sets off on what becomes a near-epic quest. Joining them in the search are two would-be suitors for Helena, one an artist, the other an amateur scientist. Together, they will voyage to a distant shore - and beyond - braving hurricanes, testing their patience and resolve, and ultimately finding their own true selves.

About the Author:

Jules Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist and poet. His novels include well-researched technological advances and scientific research that were available in the second half of the 19th century. He authored a collection of novels called ‘Voyages Extraordinaires’ which include (among others) Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and Around the World in 80 Days, and The Green Ray (published in 1882).

Rating:

1 star - ★☆☆☆☆

Review:

I was so close to not finishing The Green Ray. I won’t lie, it was maybe a bit too much for me as I was reading it while unwell, but I had to get my one French book in for January. I was surprised at how hard to read this was when I enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days so much. It feels like it took an age to read, I was surprised to find that I only started it three days ago!

I was definitely expecting more adventure, more travelling to different places and more drama. The whole book takes place on various towns and islands in Scotland. And the book is based around watching the sun, but there’s only so many descriptions of the sky, sun and sea that are necessary before becoming incredibly repetitive.

I didn’t feel any attachment to any of the characters. They were all very flat and I didn’t feel like I got to know any of them very well. Helena was very spoiled. And knowing her relationship with her uncles, if she’d just refused to marry Aristobulus then they would definitely not have forced her. They did whatever she asked, including spending 6 weeks running around after a green ray. So they wouldn’t have forced her to marry someone she didn’t want to. There were no surprises or stand out characters, apart from Aristobulus who was just a bit silly and maybe even unfortunate in being in the wrong place at the wrong time… Jules Verne writes boring characters very well. Was Jules Verne himself quite boring? Did he put people to sleep talking about science and discoveries?

There didn’t seem to be any real adventure or danger. Except when Oliver is first introduced to us in the middle of a rough sea (in a situation that he put himself in) and when Helena gets stuck in a rough sea (in a situation that she put herself in). Someone really needs to keep an eye on those two because they don’t seem to be very aware of the dangers around them… It was very obvious how the story was going to end for Helena from very early on in the book. There was no real tension between the two suitors. There was no tension from Helena’s uncles. They were just all hanging around waiting for a sunset and they were all quite jolly about it. There was no character development, every character was exactly the same at the beginning and at the end.

I found myself constantly waiting for the story to start. There would be a little spurt of action and then not a lot for a while. And we’d have to sit through a few pages of descriptions of yet another sunset and the sea and the weather and watching the barometer… The story was very linear, no hopping back and forth in time or swapping between characters POV. There was no insight into the characters' thought process or feelings. The settings were all quite the same - windswept, seaside Scotland. It was very surface level, and not really my cup of tea.

I’m quite upset with myself that I feel this strongly about this book. I like Jules Verne and I have a few more of his books already to read, and I’m still looking forward to those. I think I would have appreciated The Green Ray more if it had been a proper short story. It’s not quite Jules Verne's normal style. It’s not incredibly adventurous or forward-thinking. So I’m not giving up hope that I will enjoy Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. 

I can’t really recommend a 1-star book, but don’t be disheartened if you’re trying to read all Jules Verne’s work as The Green Ray is pretty short and won’t take up too much of your time.