Reviews

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

siobhancollierauthor's review against another edition

2.0

The actual plot of Moby Dick is good. Getting to know characters like Queequeg and Starbuck made the narrative come alive, and Ahab’s obsession grows stronger and stronger until the fast-paced end.

However, I kept tabs on chapters that had narrative and those that were just information on whales. Of the 136 chapters, 43 digress from the plot. It would have been a tighter story if we could have stuck to the story, though I know it was written for an audience that didn’t have access to the information we do now.

mrei's review against another edition

I did like the beginning, but the more I progressed in the story, the more boring it became. I know some say the ending is great, but I just can't get myself to read a few hundred more pages of mostly contemplation and descriptions only to perhaps be underwhelmed in the end.

clbonni03's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

vincef's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

gracenebowman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

urdun's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

pbraue13's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

arlwithak's review against another edition

3.0

Another classic read. That was quite the text book on whaling practices. The book was probably 80% teaching and 20% narrative.

jeremy_felt's review against another edition

4.0

This is a hefty book! I've worked at it before, but never made it out of Nantucket—so really, just a few chapters in.

I don't think I ever found myself bored, but there was SO MUCH detail about whales and whaling that made me wonder why Melville was driven to write this book with SO MUCH about whales and whaling. And the punctuation!

But it must have served its purpose, because here I am the next day, thinking about the book, reflecting on the pieces I highlighted, and looking forward to the next time. I'm sure it will be slightly less difficult now that I know where it goes.

lavinia_speaks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0