Scan barcode
willowbiblio's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
"Starbuck saw the old man; saw him, how he heavily leaned over the sides; and he seemed to hear in his own true heart the measureless sobbing that stole out of the center of the serenity around."
-----------
This started out really strong for me, but fairly soon after our cast set sail on the Pequod it became really boring. I enjoyed the exploration of friendship between Ishmael and Queequog. To me that was the most interesting part of the book. 80-90% of this was hyper-specific information dumps about whaling and whaleboats, which I have zero interest in. Had this been more character driven maybe I would have enjoyed it more.
The narrative itself kind of went nowhere, which was ironic given that they were literally out at sea. Nothing much was said or explored other than Ahab's continual comparison to the devil and weird monologues saying nothing from him and others.
I was reminded of Ulysses when the POV shifted from Ishmael, because Melville adopted a sort of playwright style similar to the complete shift that occurred in Ulysses. That was actually quite entertaining.
The butchering and death wasn't for me. Maybe I just didn't "get" this.
-----------
This started out really strong for me, but fairly soon after our cast set sail on the Pequod it became really boring. I enjoyed the exploration of friendship between Ishmael and Queequog. To me that was the most interesting part of the book. 80-90% of this was hyper-specific information dumps about whaling and whaleboats, which I have zero interest in. Had this been more character driven maybe I would have enjoyed it more.
The narrative itself kind of went nowhere, which was ironic given that they were literally out at sea. Nothing much was said or explored other than Ahab's continual comparison to the devil and weird monologues saying nothing from him and others.
I was reminded of Ulysses when the POV shifted from Ishmael, because Melville adopted a sort of playwright style similar to the complete shift that occurred in Ulysses. That was actually quite entertaining.
The butchering and death wasn't for me. Maybe I just didn't "get" this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
oftalone90's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Not sure what Miss Honey was thinking letting Matilda read this tome….
It’s BIZARRE.
Melville’s style switches, Jekyll and Hyde-esque. There are the parts that tell the story of the hunt for Moby Dick (which are well written, few and far between and odd. If I’d have been told Melville was on hallucinogenic drugs when writing these bits, I wouldn’t be surprised) and then there are the parts that would be better placed in a non-chron about whales. Who cares about cetology, or fossils, or why sperm whales are called sperm whales?
I only got through this book by listening to it on The Big Read. I’d never have made it through if I actually had to read it all. Chop out the unnecessary bits and it would be less than 200 pages.
It’s BIZARRE.
Melville’s style switches, Jekyll and Hyde-esque. There are the parts that tell the story of the hunt for Moby Dick (which are well written, few and far between and odd. If I’d have been told Melville was on hallucinogenic drugs when writing these bits, I wouldn’t be surprised) and then there are the parts that would be better placed in a non-chron about whales. Who cares about cetology, or fossils, or why sperm whales are called sperm whales?
I only got through this book by listening to it on The Big Read. I’d never have made it through if I actually had to read it all. Chop out the unnecessary bits and it would be less than 200 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
lizzieowl's review against another edition
Too much and detailed animal cruelty
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence
Moderate: Racism
isabella_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Racism
krista_lm's review against another edition
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
franzi_m's review against another edition
The whale hunting was described in all its brutality, which I found quite disturbing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Animal cruelty
theologize's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Racial slurs
ccpetrikas's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Gore
jbeacham's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The point is ‘Be Yourself’
A mess of a book. At times entertaining, and at times frustrating. There is probably an edit that could be 5 stars, but then it wouldn’t be Moby Dick. It’s a challenging read, and at times I drifted. Especially the infamous whaling chapters. A lot to digest though and I may revisit it again in the future and attempt to fully grasp it.
A mess of a book. At times entertaining, and at times frustrating. There is probably an edit that could be 5 stars, but then it wouldn’t be Moby Dick. It’s a challenging read, and at times I drifted. Especially the infamous whaling chapters. A lot to digest though and I may revisit it again in the future and attempt to fully grasp it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, and Animal death
Moderate: Medical content, Cannibalism, Death, Slavery, and Alcohol
Minor: Antisemitism and Grief