Scan barcode
bookish_emily's review against another edition
4.0
I was instantly intrigued by the premise of this book - the possibility that the brief but intense friendship of Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne while Melville was writing Moby Dick was romantic rather than platonic. I always enjoy books that bring to life the relationships between famous authors, but this one was particularly captivating due to its intensity of feeling. It would have been nice to have a bit more of Hawthorne's perspective in the narrative, but writing the story through Melville's eyes created more parallels to Moby Dick. All in all an entertaining piece of historical fiction that fans of the classic authors will enjoy.
yavin_iv's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alexareads27's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I have never read Moby Dick or any work by Herman Melville so I suspect I missed a lot of references while reading this. From a method perspective I find the Whale to be an interesting project and would like to learn more about Beauregard’s writing process.
That being said, Melville’s neglectful and misogynistic attitude towards his wife and other women in the novel divested me from really feeling for his romance with Hawthorne. I would also put a huge content warning for fetishization of brown bodies and anti-indigenous sentiments in this book, which made me feel further divested from the romance.
The romance between the Herman and Hawthorne seemed to appear out of no where and needed to be developed more. I did feel sad for Herman and Hawthorne and the ending was moving, but not enough for my to disregard my earlier comments.
That being said, Melville’s neglectful and misogynistic attitude towards his wife and other women in the novel divested me from really feeling for his romance with Hawthorne. I would also put a huge content warning for fetishization of brown bodies and anti-indigenous sentiments in this book, which made me feel further divested from the romance.
The romance between the Herman and Hawthorne seemed to appear out of no where and needed to be developed more. I did feel sad for Herman and Hawthorne and the ending was moving, but not enough for my to disregard my earlier comments.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/day-1046-the-whale-a-love-story/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/day-1046-the-whale-a-love-story/
johndiconsiglio's review against another edition
3.0
Did Herman Melville & Nathaniel Hawthorne have a torrid romance? History isn’t sure, but this historical novel runs with it. Melville’s overheated passions feel ridiculous (Hawthorne’s “dark eyes… swam like gods in the secret fissures at the center of the world.”) until you find they’re direct quotes from his letters! He even dedicated Moby Dick to the Scarlet Letter author. Hawthorne’s letters don’t survive, but his lesser novel Blithedale Romance sure seems to have Melville in mind. Entertaining, sometimes silly, literary fill-in-the-blanks. I picked it up mistakenly thinking it was nonfiction. Some biographers don’t research books this well!
manuelgelmini's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5