Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
I found this copy as "Maby Dick (The story of white whale)"
A Chinese-English edition that is much, much more abridged than I thought, made for Chinese learners of English to be able to understand the content. I haven't even attempted the Chinese though I'm certain in those 78 pages contain the entire original book plus commentary.
Anyway . Felt rushed in the abridged version. Ahab, just, take a breath. Like, just, it's okay man. And Ishmael and Queequeg are totally, well literally bedfellows.
If you like comprehensive, 19th century depictions of whale harpooning and at-sea oil extraction, this is for you.
Oh, and I think any extreme thematic lessons were probably abridged out. This thing is the size of a magazine.
A Chinese-English edition that is much, much more abridged than I thought, made for Chinese learners of English to be able to understand the content. I haven't even attempted the Chinese though I'm certain in those 78 pages contain the entire original book plus commentary.
Anyway . Felt rushed in the abridged version. Ahab, just, take a breath. Like, just, it's okay man. And Ishmael and Queequeg are totally, well literally bedfellows.
If you like comprehensive, 19th century depictions of whale harpooning and at-sea oil extraction, this is for you.
Oh, and I think any extreme thematic lessons were probably abridged out. This thing is the size of a magazine.
Re-reading this as an adult was one of the best decisions. This book is sweeping and exhausting. Exhilarating and dull. I felt every kind of emotion while reading this and yearn desperately to apologize to my sophomore year high school English teacher.
More than a classic, Moby Dick, like Steinbeck’s East of Eden, is a piece of history. Raw and obtuse and heartbreaking. A piece of America’s soul rests between these pages.
More than a classic, Moby Dick, like Steinbeck’s East of Eden, is a piece of history. Raw and obtuse and heartbreaking. A piece of America’s soul rests between these pages.
I know it's classical literature but I found it painfully boring. I found Scarlet Letter, and other contemporary work a lot more enjoyable, and I don't understand why this Melville piece is so revered. Please go read Bartleby A Scrivener by him instead. The story should be called "Everything you never wanted to know about whaling"
Hey guys! Have you heard of this one? It's pretty good!
This was a slog, but once I decided to edit out the outdated science passages it eat much more manageable. The last few chapters are pretty entertaining, and it wasn't until I read them that it dawned on me the parraellels between reading a long, meandering novel and being on a long, monotonous whaling mission.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The first part of the book was amazing, witty, funny. Then we get deep into whale details and it was a struggle to get through, but just like the whaling itself, you are rewarded in the end. Stick around for one hell of an ending, it's worth it!
Some parts are problematic of course with racism and the actual violence and cruelty of whaling, and these parts are hard to get through. But, persist (and I say this as an outspoken woman of colour).
Very glad I read this classic and would recommend others to do the same!
Some parts are problematic of course with racism and the actual violence and cruelty of whaling, and these parts are hard to get through. But, persist (and I say this as an outspoken woman of colour).
Very glad I read this classic and would recommend others to do the same!
Some interesting scenes, but the plethora of chapters where the narrator waxes poetic about the skeletal structure of the sperm whale versus the greenland right whale got old very quickly. Also, for being the titular character, I expected Moby Dick to appear a bit sooner than he did. I do not recommend. I read this book solely for bragging rights.
Finally finished this whale of a tale, I’ve heard this described as the great American novel and I can only agree in the sense that Moby Dick, is much like an American road trip from coast to coast. Great views and fun in the beginning and the end, and then a whole lot of nothing in the middle.
It’s tough cause there’s a truly great story here and some truly great writing, but it gets dragged down by a lot of fluff. I think this book is THE reason abridged versions of books exist. If I could have listened to just the story in half the time it would have been much preferred. Glad I finally read it tho but wouldn’t rank anywhere near my list of merited classic status.
It’s tough cause there’s a truly great story here and some truly great writing, but it gets dragged down by a lot of fluff. I think this book is THE reason abridged versions of books exist. If I could have listened to just the story in half the time it would have been much preferred. Glad I finally read it tho but wouldn’t rank anywhere near my list of merited classic status.