Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Herman Melville : Moby Dick Or The Whale

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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Herman Melville : Moby Dick Or The Whale by Herman Melville, Herman Melville

81 reviews

giuliamrll's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous informative slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

da_michael's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging funny informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I certainly would have dropped the novel during some of the slower scenes aimed at teaching the reader as much as it possibly could about the act of Whaling. However, I’m taking a class on this novel and having the input of 35 or so different voices as points of view has had a major impact on my interpretation and appreciation of the novel. This is the first book since the old Diary of a Wimpy Kid books I’ve read from beginning to end without skipping over and getting summarized for me on the internet. I hope I can bring the same level of analytical thinking I used to tackle this monster of a book with all my future reading and annotation.

Content Warnings

lizzie24601's review against another edition

2.5

challenging informative slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What I wouldn't give for someone to make an intense, emotional Moby Dick HBO drama that takes this premise and characters and pulls more out of it. Melville creates a diverse, fascinating crew of whalers - and does very little with them. I wanted much more out of this book to match its reputation, and instead understood why abridged versions exist.

Melville's writing - I can only assume he was paid by the word - is at times quite difficult to get through, and the filler chapters on whale art and terminology don't help. Other than the first several chapters (of Ishmael and Queequeg in Massachusetts) and the last few chapters (where the book's reputation actually comes to fruition), there's really not much of a plot and the book is very episodic. If you're looking for a "masterpiece of American literature" that is going to open your mind and blow you away, I don't think this is it.

However - I was surprised to see the amount of diversity in the crew, and there were several scenes with beautiful descriptions of ocean and whaling life. The themes Melville introduces here (of obsession, of mass mania, of race relations and the destructiveness of "whiteness") are tantalizing and I would LOVE to see an adaptation dive deeper into these, with the participation of voices of color and modern, more accessible language.

Content Warnings

happysami's review against another edition

2.0

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

jamelchior's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

hjb_128's review against another edition

2.25

adventurous challenging informative reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

freddie_mond's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

jthyme's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Honestly, I feel like this book could've been condensed to around 300 pages if it weren't for the MC jerking himself off over whales and whaling. The interludes can be quite a drag to get through. Although the main plot was entertaining enough at least.

AHAB, YOU STOOPID FUCK!! also Queequeeg my love💔 I did not expect another gay tragedy😭 I was really rooting for them to get a happy ending but I guess not. Damn you Melville😭

Content Warnings