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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Never read it before, and it did not live up to the positive hype. On the positive side, the themes are interesting, descriptions of seafaring compelling at times, and (rarely) it’s a little funny. But this book was a slog and weighed down by mid-19th century racism and xenophobia. The frequent tangents into pseudoscientific descriptions of whales brought the limited action to a stop, and the deep unpleasantness of whaling was revealed. Totally fine to skip this supposed classic.
Few books have as complex a narrative as Moby Dick. Reading this book was difficult, my English teacher called this book "a big, beautiful mess" and he was right. Moby Dick will forever remain beloved in my heart. Herman Melville's mastery is clear through every chapter. I don't actually know how to summarize my thoughts on this book.
Ishmael,
Our orphan, who escapes to the sea to work as a sailor. Ishmael has no family or friends that we know of and the only person with whom he shows affection is Queequeg . Ishmael sails on the sea to stave off depression and, due to his ignorance about Captain Ahab's story, signs on the Pequod. The Pequod is described quite cabalistically. (It is also later described as a hell ship.) Ishmael functions as the narrator (although there are many chapter where it is clear the narration has briefly changed) who guides the readers along his own emotional journey as the Pequod searches tirelessly for the White Whale. Ishmael is also consistently a thinker and dreamer who searches for meaning in paintings, his own job aboard the Pequod, his duty as a Christian, how he should treat others, and observes his own place in the universe.
Ishmael,
Our orphan, who escapes to the sea to work as a sailor. Ishmael has no family or friends that we know of and the only person with whom he shows affection is Queequeg . Ishmael sails on the sea to stave off depression and, due to his ignorance about Captain Ahab's story, signs on the Pequod. The Pequod is described quite cabalistically. (It is also later described as a hell ship.) Ishmael functions as the narrator (although there are many chapter where it is clear the narration has briefly changed) who guides the readers along his own emotional journey as the Pequod searches tirelessly for the White Whale. Ishmael is also consistently a thinker and dreamer who searches for meaning in paintings, his own job aboard the Pequod, his duty as a Christian, how he should treat others, and observes his own place in the universe.
I need get another copy, I think I threw mine away in a moving cleaning fit.
A great love letter to whales and the whaling industry against the backdrop of a cautionary tale not to temp fate.
adventurous
challenging
informative
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:
Yes
I am glad I finally read this classic, but honestly it seemed like half this book was vivid descriptions of whales, and how to harvest whale blubber. If that were condensed or removed it would be a lot easier to get through.
It's impossible to actually review Moby Dick, right? What can I say, except to share that my own experience with Moby Dick was quite positive. I read it using the Serial Reader app, which kept me going and kept me from getting bogged down. The book itself was surprisingly enjoyable, although I think I could have done without quite so much detail on whale anatomy and the minutiae of the whaling trade. Still, it feels like a big accomplishment to finally have read Moby Dick, and I'm really glad that I finally did it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
It’s a classic for a reason. A mix of a lot styles that comes together for form an epic story of one man’s thirst for adventure and another man’s relentless pursuit of revenge.