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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-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:
Yes
This is more than a book, HOWEVER you WILL NOT enjoy this read unless you really give yourself entirely up to it. You have to allow Ishmael to take your hand and guide you through his winding, obsessive mind. It’s a wild ride. You have to be willing to read so many passages of whale facts that you find it funny that keeps continuing. You must be willing to learn about the disputes among the whaling community. You must be willing to read the ramblings of a narrator who gets lost in their own head every other paragraph with strange historical allusions. If you can do that you will be rewarded with a book that encompasses introspection into life, fate, religion, the depths of human character; all while keeping a hilarious, self-aware sense of humor. It really is a complete multi-faceted journey, if you can give yourself over entirely to a comedy of the mundane.
Also keep in mind this guy wrote this pre-American civil war. So there are some tough chapters, but he actually manages to have some fairly progressive takes (sometimes).
Also keep in mind this guy wrote this pre-American civil war. So there are some tough chapters, but he actually manages to have some fairly progressive takes (sometimes).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Racism
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
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Violence
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
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
Graphic: Animal death, Gore
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry
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.
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
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood
adventurous
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Racism
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
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Racism
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-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
4.5 ⭐️
my goodness, that was a journey.
it’s not a true 5 because there was so much blatant racism in it (for the time it was published, i can understand. it doesn’t justify it though.)
but WOW. i mean wow. i’ve seen so many people hate on this book saying it’s a pain to get through, but i genuinely have no idea what y'all are talking about. i just read a million pages of whale trivia and a crazy captain with a lust for revenge, and i ENJOYED IT? i mean that’s a talented author right there. and it was written in the most poetic and interesting and even, at times, hilarious way.
this is certainly a must read. i understand why some call it one of the best books ever written now. i’m convinced that the people who disliked it either read it for school, or don’t have a large enough vocabulary.
i’m a whale nerd now. i love whales you guys. fun fact: whales are really cool.
also another fun fact: starbucks (the coffee place) is named after the character mr starbuck from this book :)
my goodness, that was a journey.
it’s not a true 5 because there was so much blatant racism in it (for the time it was published, i can understand. it doesn’t justify it though.)
but WOW. i mean wow. i’ve seen so many people hate on this book saying it’s a pain to get through, but i genuinely have no idea what y'all are talking about. i just read a million pages of whale trivia and a crazy captain with a lust for revenge, and i ENJOYED IT? i mean that’s a talented author right there. and it was written in the most poetic and interesting and even, at times, hilarious way.
this is certainly a must read. i understand why some call it one of the best books ever written now. i’m convinced that the people who disliked it either read it for school, or don’t have a large enough vocabulary.
i’m a whale nerd now. i love whales you guys. fun fact: whales are really cool.
also another fun fact: starbucks (the coffee place) is named after the character mr starbuck from this book :)
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism