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dedication's review
4.0
Üniversite yıllarında okuması zorunlu kitaplarımızdan biriydi dolayısıyla o dönem pek bir gönülsüzdüm özet olarak okuyup geçmiştim. Şimdi tekrar okuduğumda ise Melville'in saf bir iyilik olan ana karakteri Budd'ı kötülük ile tanıştırmasını okuyoruz. İçimiz el vermese de bazen çoğunluğun huzuru için azınlığın güme gitmesi gerekiyor. Kısa ama çarpıcı bir hikaye.
becca_2505's review
2.0
Though this book presents a number of compelling moral dilemmas (is a crime a crime regardless of intent? can the military work without unwavering loyalty? should we rule with our heads or our hearts?), I found it poorly written and dense. The entire book is only about 100 pages and yet the first half is essentially world building and character backgrounds. This would make sense if the novel was 500 pages, but for its length, this content was a waste of space. I didn't feel it contributed anything to the story, except perhaps at the very end. Even so, much of this non-narrative writing could be cut to easily half the length. The narration only started about halfway through the book and, though interesting, was rather dense and tangential. Worth reading for the moral and historical aspect, but otherwise rather mind-numbing.
ashbash_'s review against another edition
1.75
The moral stuff is cool to consider but its just a bit boring
bupdaddy's review
2.0
If I ever get my hands on a time machine, I'm going back to destroy this book before Melville's widow decides to make it public knowledge. I hate this book. Why two stars? Because the last 30 pages were good.
But look. This book hurts Melville's legacy. Moby Dick is wonderful, but most people never read it because they read Billy Budd under duress. Because this book exists, and is short, every American high school assigns it. Everyone learns to hate Melville because this book sucks wet rope. I learned to hate Melville when I was assigned this book in high school, and I never even finished it. If this book didn't exist, high school students would be assigned Bartleby the Scrivener, or passages from Moby Dick, or, like Faulkner, or Dostoevsky, you'd simply hear about this author but come to believe he's only for college students. And you know what? That'd be fine. Better than what we've got today.
Man, you know, if I get my hands on a time machine, I might instead go back to Melville and say, "remember, Herm, it's show, not tell. And the point of writing is not to be intentionally inscrutable - this isn't a word puzzle. I don't want you hanging out with Nathaniel Hawthorne anymore. He's a bad influence." But then I'd probably destroy this book anyway - it may well be hopeless. After he died, of course. No need to be confrontational; that'd just be rude.
But look. This book hurts Melville's legacy. Moby Dick is wonderful, but most people never read it because they read Billy Budd under duress. Because this book exists, and is short, every American high school assigns it. Everyone learns to hate Melville because this book sucks wet rope. I learned to hate Melville when I was assigned this book in high school, and I never even finished it. If this book didn't exist, high school students would be assigned Bartleby the Scrivener, or passages from Moby Dick, or, like Faulkner, or Dostoevsky, you'd simply hear about this author but come to believe he's only for college students. And you know what? That'd be fine. Better than what we've got today.
Man, you know, if I get my hands on a time machine, I might instead go back to Melville and say, "remember, Herm, it's show, not tell. And the point of writing is not to be intentionally inscrutable - this isn't a word puzzle. I don't want you hanging out with Nathaniel Hawthorne anymore. He's a bad influence." But then I'd probably destroy this book anyway - it may well be hopeless. After he died, of course. No need to be confrontational; that'd just be rude.
pato_myers's review
2.0
It's an alright read I guess, this story could have easily been told in much fewer words without losing the story or symbolism. The background and thought processes really seemed like rambling instead of adding to the story. Just not my taste of story telling.
jeremybost's review
1.0
The first half of the book was very very slow. *Everything* had to be explained with a long allegory, it seemed. And then, sometimes the allegory needed explaining.
But after the half-way point, things got a bit better. Their was some more action.
But after the half-way point, things got a bit better. Their was some more action.