Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Long winded prose. Wish I'd read the start and skipped to the end. Like Jules Verne in the endless categorization and description. Needless description of violence to the animals. Needless racial judgments. No women. A product of its time. I didn't find anything redeeming to make the effort of slogging through worthwhile. I suppose the depiction of physical disability was decent. And there's a lot of neat info about boats and whaling. Historical context. Idk. Some might enjoy, but not me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely something everyone should read. Took me 4 months though 🫡. The gay subtext really sold me aswell as the corruption of ahab as he descends into madness! Also despite the use of slurs this book actively pushed against racist rhetoric.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Xenophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-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
Unbelievably educated and witty narrator perfectly combines comedy and exploration with a heartbreaking drama. The book explores the strenuous lives of the sailors of a whaling ship and the inner challenges of human nature.
A story of obsession, doubt, trauma, friendship, partnership of extremely diverse individuals that are all stuck in each other's company and a tragic reality of the whaling industry.
Everyone will find something to like in this book, but only a few will love this book in its entirety.
A story of obsession, doubt, trauma, friendship, partnership of extremely diverse individuals that are all stuck in each other's company and a tragic reality of the whaling industry.
Everyone will find something to like in this book, but only a few will love this book in its entirety.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Classism
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An unforgettable adventure at sea. A great story for any reader who wants an in-depth exploration on the history of whaling and a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare. In between the exposition from the narrator, which is very strong for the most part, there are little flashes of humor. I especially laughed so hard. at chapter 3.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Racial slurs
Readers should take note that this book was a product of its time and that you need to view the characters in that light. Yet many of the ideas also feel timeless, and they can resonate in ways beyond the authors, original intent.
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finally it’s done… Three months of reading but it’s over and I can’t say it was exactly worth it.
There’s very little story for the amount of text here. I feel like Brendan Frazer’s teenage daughter when I complain that the whale is only present for 10% of the book but I stand by my grievance. The book would be less than half the size only for the fact that, any time a character picks up a rope, Melville will wax lyrical for 20 pages about how ropes are made, the various uses for ropes, the history of rope, and his favourite type of knot.
At times, the prose is quite impressive. At times, it’s leaden and overwrought. Sometimes, Melville styles the writing like a Shakespearean play. Sometimes, it’s written like a bad science assignment that’s trying to ramble over its lack of content to make the word count.
With an editor, this could be a peerless work of classic literature. That it still makes that grade for all its flaws is a remarkable achievement but the book itself is 60% authorial hubris, 40% magic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a journey...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism
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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Islamophobia, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Classism
reflective
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this was overall good and enjoyable but man the memes about the anatomy of the whale were not kidding, I thought it would be one chapter, like the battle of Waterloo in Les Mis but nope, Ishmael keeps coming back to it. I appreciate what it was doing, this next chapter he really was gonna fully get it, if he can just understand the whale he can surely understand the incomprehensiblity of nature/the universe. I did still prefer chapters with the actual characters, especially Ishmael. It surprised me for being an anti-racist (for it's time) and critical of christianity text given it's title as one of if not the great American novel
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry