Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Every part of the book was so gripping and beautiful that it was so natural...
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
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
I was surprised how much I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was funny and sad and ironic. The story is very compelling, but the organizational structure is lacking. The tangential chapters about whaling history and religion are important to setting the scene of the story and putting the events into context, but I wish Melville had organized them differently and paced the story better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Classism
I have a rule that once I start a book I finish it. Only a handful of times in my life have I broken this rule. This book fell into the category of books where I broke the rule. Twenty years ago I started this book and just simply could not finish it. Last November I found a free Kindle copy of it and I set out to make sure I finished it this time. Here I am almost three months later and I have reached the end. Much like Ahab himself I feel as if Moby Dick has personally abused me. For those who have never read the book do not expect to get the classic story of man vs whale..not until the last 10 percent of the book anyway. What you will get is page after detailed page of New England whale towns, sermons, whale biology, types of whales, whales and their place throughout history, how whaling works...well you get it...it would be somewhat interesting if it were not so damned detailed..it's just too much and the story gets lost in the details. At any rate I stand here unlike Ahab having vanquished the great white whale..tomorrow I shall take on the next...Dr. Seuss anyone? :)
adventurous
mysterious
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
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Recommended for those who love the sea; or New England history; flowery poetic prose; long, slow reads; whale anatomy circa 1851; gay innuendo; anthropomorphism; sailing ships of yore; or angry white men ("...I grapple with thee; From Hell's heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee."). The book is a commitment, but for me, worth the length and often-cited criticism of being a bit drawn out in the middle bits (the reasons its rating was penalized 1 star). I highlighted more than the usual (34, in fact) noteworthy passages, I think you can see in my profile somewhere. I switched between the ebook and audiobook formats, and want to point out the exceptional narration by Anthony Heald in the Blackstone Audio recording. If you prefer the printed book format, be sure to find one with Rockwell Kent's superb illustrations.
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
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:
Yes
listening to this as the Moby Dick Big Read podcast series