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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
This version of Moby Dick is perfect for a young reader: it is exciting, adventurous, and kept my 9-year-old's attention to the very end. There's some good history here and a lot of interesting tidbits of life on a whaling boat in the 19th century; though as an animal lover, he found some of the descriptions of killing a whale pretty disturbing. He was relieved to know commercial whaling is now illegal, at least in the United States.
As a third-grader, he's been working in school on analyzing characters, describing their personality traits, their motivations, etc. This was a great book for practicing that particular skill. Ahab, Starbuck, and Ishmael all made for good character analysis and discussion. We will continue reading more classics in this series for sure. They are written in a more accessible style for young readers.
As a third-grader, he's been working in school on analyzing characters, describing their personality traits, their motivations, etc. This was a great book for practicing that particular skill. Ahab, Starbuck, and Ishmael all made for good character analysis and discussion. We will continue reading more classics in this series for sure. They are written in a more accessible style for young readers.
Let’s start with the good: First, this book is more of a piece of modern (or postmodern maybe?) art than a book. It’s a ton of research papers, several philosophical treatises, and a few mediocre short stories haphazardly stitched together. It is truly unique, unlike anything written before or since, and just flat out weird. Plus, it is a figurative Leviathan itself. That most certainly deserves respect and appreciation. I don’t particularly like it - I think the pacing is atrocious and the structure nonsensical at best. But I get how that might attract others.
Second, Moby-Dick does a great job giving us a snapshot of so many American philosophies and qualities. You can’t ignore its significance for that fact alone.
Third, some of the narrative and characters are very entertaining. Queequeg and Stubb were my favorites. Ahab and Pip were also interesting. I’ll note that most characters (not all) are just different voices of the same elitist prick. Let’s call that prick Ishmael.
Now for the bad:
Moby-Dick is a terrible book. People will wax poetic about how all of the chapters about the whaling industry, whale anatomy, and mundane day-to-day in the fisheries are so incredible because - you probably weren’t smart enough to realize it - they are actually about the aforementioned culture and philosophies of 19th century America, as well as even broader more universal truths of Man and Nature. There are plenty of condescending reviewers here that say if you don’t appreciate those chapters, then you are just a simpleton - you didn’t get it and you should go read Colleen Hoover instead.
Here’s the thing. None of those philosophical chapters are unique or interesting in any way. I figured out all of this stuff on my own by the time I was 16. And what’s worse? They were written so heavy handed, so on the nose, with absolutely no subtlety, that it baffles me that there are so many reviewers here that think we actually missed the point. It’s impossible to miss for anyone with a 9th grade reading level.
That brings me to my next point. Moby-Dick is very poorly written. The prose is dense, borderline unapproachable. I’m not just talking about the outdated vocab here, which wouldn’t be fair to hold against Melville in 2024. I’m also talking about the run-on sentences that add no value to what is being said. And those sentences just keep coming. Like many of the people that give this book 5 stars and get so mad when others don’t, Melville is often just talking to talk (cue the people saying I didn’t get it). Sure, sometimes he catches you with a great line, but those moments come so few and far between that it isn’t worth it. And there is no variation!!! So many wasted words.
Isn’t one of the tenets of great writing supposed to be the ability to show rather than tell? I think one of the best things a writer can do is leave some blank space on the page. Pick their words carefully, set the scene, use sentence structure and word choice with a purpose and awaken the readers mind to the endless possibilities, narrative or otherwise. Instead, Melville is going to shove it down your throat whether you like it or not.
If the contest for the title of “THE Great American Novel” is between this and Huck Finn…Huck wins by a landslide.
Second, Moby-Dick does a great job giving us a snapshot of so many American philosophies and qualities. You can’t ignore its significance for that fact alone.
Third, some of the narrative and characters are very entertaining. Queequeg and Stubb were my favorites. Ahab and Pip were also interesting. I’ll note that most characters (not all) are just different voices of the same elitist prick. Let’s call that prick Ishmael.
Now for the bad:
Moby-Dick is a terrible book. People will wax poetic about how all of the chapters about the whaling industry, whale anatomy, and mundane day-to-day in the fisheries are so incredible because - you probably weren’t smart enough to realize it - they are actually about the aforementioned culture and philosophies of 19th century America, as well as even broader more universal truths of Man and Nature. There are plenty of condescending reviewers here that say if you don’t appreciate those chapters, then you are just a simpleton - you didn’t get it and you should go read Colleen Hoover instead.
Here’s the thing. None of those philosophical chapters are unique or interesting in any way. I figured out all of this stuff on my own by the time I was 16. And what’s worse? They were written so heavy handed, so on the nose, with absolutely no subtlety, that it baffles me that there are so many reviewers here that think we actually missed the point. It’s impossible to miss for anyone with a 9th grade reading level.
That brings me to my next point. Moby-Dick is very poorly written. The prose is dense, borderline unapproachable. I’m not just talking about the outdated vocab here, which wouldn’t be fair to hold against Melville in 2024. I’m also talking about the run-on sentences that add no value to what is being said. And those sentences just keep coming. Like many of the people that give this book 5 stars and get so mad when others don’t, Melville is often just talking to talk (cue the people saying I didn’t get it). Sure, sometimes he catches you with a great line, but those moments come so few and far between that it isn’t worth it. And there is no variation!!! So many wasted words.
Isn’t one of the tenets of great writing supposed to be the ability to show rather than tell? I think one of the best things a writer can do is leave some blank space on the page. Pick their words carefully, set the scene, use sentence structure and word choice with a purpose and awaken the readers mind to the endless possibilities, narrative or otherwise. Instead, Melville is going to shove it down your throat whether you like it or not.
If the contest for the title of “THE Great American Novel” is between this and Huck Finn…Huck wins by a landslide.
The story part is good but I found the travel log and natural history lectures boring. The lectures might have been better if modern science had not changed or invalidated so much of what was in the lectures.
I can now say that I've read Moby Dick. Good for me.
Is this book one of those long, heavy, and deep metaphors? It doesn't matter. I enjoyed it and it was a nice quick read. I'm not going to write a deep-understanding review because I'm stupid.
And I didn't actually quite grasped the meaning.
And have I ever mentioned that I'm an stupid?
I love whales. 3 out of 5. Too much water.
Finishing Moby Dick was my own white whale. Ahab's stubborn obsession to slay the leviathan became my stubborn obsession to finish this damn book. I started it 5 years ago.
As tedious and pointlessly detailed as it could be and for all the times I shouted "get to the point!" internally, I have to admit upon reflection that I was never bored. Something about Melville's poetic whaling world kept me coming back.
By the time I reached the last three chapters and could feel the weight of what I had finished in my left hand, my mood shifted and I became as engrossed as if I were reading a modern page-turner. Melville captured what must have been the typical whaling experience- days upon days of nothing but thoughts and reflections at sea punctuated by spontaneous moments of thrill and risk. Is it all worth it? I still don't know.
But still, my overall affection for this book is a mystery to me. You spend this much time with one novel and it becomes something more like a companion. Some days you like it, other days you hate it. Either way it's finished. I'm done. And the sea rolls on as it rolled five thousand years ago.
As tedious and pointlessly detailed as it could be and for all the times I shouted "get to the point!" internally, I have to admit upon reflection that I was never bored. Something about Melville's poetic whaling world kept me coming back.
By the time I reached the last three chapters and could feel the weight of what I had finished in my left hand, my mood shifted and I became as engrossed as if I were reading a modern page-turner. Melville captured what must have been the typical whaling experience- days upon days of nothing but thoughts and reflections at sea punctuated by spontaneous moments of thrill and risk. Is it all worth it? I still don't know.
But still, my overall affection for this book is a mystery to me. You spend this much time with one novel and it becomes something more like a companion. Some days you like it, other days you hate it. Either way it's finished. I'm done. And the sea rolls on as it rolled five thousand years ago.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nothing like I expected. Had all the riveting, rollicking adventure of a modern-day blockbuster--interspersed with long digressions into natural history, cultural phenomenon, and philosophy. Hard to make your way through the entire book--but so worth it.
I decided to read more classics this year as one of my reading goals. As many times as I’ve heard bits and pieces of this one, I had never actually read it. An enjoyable enough read, and interesting to notice some of the differences between books written so long ago and books written now.