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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I never thought I'de return to this book. Let alone finish it.
Although not the most boring book I've read, I'd safely label it "unreadable."
Only in the last 26 pages is there any contact with Moby Dick; which leaves 510 pages of whaling and sailing terminology, history, and "cetology." None of which I enjoyed. Nor did I enjoy all the parts pertaining to the story, really.
I do not know why this book is so popular and liked. I hope I can recover from it soon.
Although not the most boring book I've read, I'd safely label it "unreadable."
Only in the last 26 pages is there any contact with Moby Dick; which leaves 510 pages of whaling and sailing terminology, history, and "cetology." None of which I enjoyed. Nor did I enjoy all the parts pertaining to the story, really.
I do not know why this book is so popular and liked. I hope I can recover from it soon.
Can you believe we actually read and discussed this in our Library Book Discussion group? Why not it was a classic! We also hosted a guest speaker a week later who was an expert on Herman Melville and had taught at our local university. It was actually quite the event for both weeks. And quite the discussion. I am constantly amazed what we can learn from these old classic tales.
Moby-Dick is an epic piece of literature. Rich in language and structure. As well as character and story.
It is about a man against a whale. And we can dissect the story philosophically all we want - and of course when we are in a book discussion group, we took our job seriously.
We have a sea voyage. The long, long, long search for Moby Dick, and then the adrenaline-fueled final days of the chase and fight. Man against creature? Man against nature?
Some of the themes of discussion that emerged:
*Human confronting the unanswerable question of existence.
*Grappling with the question of why bad things happen to good people.
*Why there is suffering in the world.
*Betrayal against One's body - even against himself.
Any way you look at it - there is heart in here. And lots and lots of room for discussion.
Moby-Dick is an epic piece of literature. Rich in language and structure. As well as character and story.
It is about a man against a whale. And we can dissect the story philosophically all we want - and of course when we are in a book discussion group, we took our job seriously.
We have a sea voyage. The long, long, long search for Moby Dick, and then the adrenaline-fueled final days of the chase and fight. Man against creature? Man against nature?
Some of the themes of discussion that emerged:
*Human confronting the unanswerable question of existence.
*Grappling with the question of why bad things happen to good people.
*Why there is suffering in the world.
*Betrayal against One's body - even against himself.
Any way you look at it - there is heart in here. And lots and lots of room for discussion.
I thought this was a book on the history of Wales, not a story about a whale
Shockingly delightful. I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First read: March 10, 2014
Second read: November 7, 2016
Second read: November 7, 2016
What a summer! This took me all summer to read but I feel so happy that I went the distance. The prose is beautiful and the climatic conclusion actually made my heart pound. I might actually re-read this some day.