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eskaywai's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-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
4.5
4.5 ⭐️
my goodness, that was a journey.
it’s not a true 5 because there was so much blatant racism in it (for the time it was published, i can understand. it doesn’t justify it though.)
but WOW. i mean wow. i’ve seen so many people hate on this book saying it’s a pain to get through, but i genuinely have no idea what y'all are talking about. i just read a million pages of whale trivia and a crazy captain with a lust for revenge, and i ENJOYED IT? i mean that’s a talented author right there. and it was written in the most poetic and interesting and even, at times, hilarious way.
this is certainly a must read. i understand why some call it one of the best books ever written now. i’m convinced that the people who disliked it either read it for school, or don’t have a large enough vocabulary.
i’m a whale nerd now. i love whales you guys. fun fact: whales are really cool.
also another fun fact: starbucks (the coffee place) is named after the character mr starbuck from this book :)
my goodness, that was a journey.
it’s not a true 5 because there was so much blatant racism in it (for the time it was published, i can understand. it doesn’t justify it though.)
but WOW. i mean wow. i’ve seen so many people hate on this book saying it’s a pain to get through, but i genuinely have no idea what y'all are talking about. i just read a million pages of whale trivia and a crazy captain with a lust for revenge, and i ENJOYED IT? i mean that’s a talented author right there. and it was written in the most poetic and interesting and even, at times, hilarious way.
this is certainly a must read. i understand why some call it one of the best books ever written now. i’m convinced that the people who disliked it either read it for school, or don’t have a large enough vocabulary.
i’m a whale nerd now. i love whales you guys. fun fact: whales are really cool.
also another fun fact: starbucks (the coffee place) is named after the character mr starbuck from this book :)
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
ellieg2604's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is actually a pretty decent book. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It was a little hard to get through and hard to keep track of what was going on. But still pretty good.
tberg42's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
geriatricgretch's review against another edition
4.0
I honestly can’t believe I finished it! Mostly read along with Whale Weekly (though you can see I wrapped up early). This novel was thoroughly unexpected in many ways.
casual_henk's review against another edition
3.0
Reading Moby Dick left me conflicted on how to rate it. This book has a very unique way of storytelling. You might be disappointed if you want to read a fast-paced, action-packed story about finding and capturing a Dangerous sea monster. That is different from what this story is.
Moby dick felt like a history/Biology book that had some fun anecdotes woven into it. Multiple chapters are devoted to the different types of whales, their anatomy, and the history of whaling. In fact, almost 90% of this book is not about Moby dick. This surprise was disappointing at first because it was not why I wanted to read this book, but once I got over that, I could start enjoying the Whale 101 I was reading instead.
Luckily, these long chapters of Whale info are written in a unique and fun way. The book is relatively easy to follow. So, instead of telling you that this is a must-read. I will warn you that Moby Dick might not be what you expect. If you don't care that the book is mainly info-dumping about all things whales, then you might enjoy the book. Otherwise, Mobydick might not be for you.
Moby dick felt like a history/Biology book that had some fun anecdotes woven into it. Multiple chapters are devoted to the different types of whales, their anatomy, and the history of whaling. In fact, almost 90% of this book is not about Moby dick. This surprise was disappointing at first because it was not why I wanted to read this book, but once I got over that, I could start enjoying the Whale 101 I was reading instead.
Luckily, these long chapters of Whale info are written in a unique and fun way. The book is relatively easy to follow. So, instead of telling you that this is a must-read. I will warn you that Moby Dick might not be what you expect. If you don't care that the book is mainly info-dumping about all things whales, then you might enjoy the book. Otherwise, Mobydick might not be for you.
ebt137's review against another edition
5.0
No one is more surprised than me about how much I loved this book.
celhausske's review against another edition
i read this for a class so it’s hard to give a proper rating. on one hand i really disliked reading this novel, but by discussing it so deeply and writing about it every week, i found that there were some redeeming qualities surrounding the conversations about capitalism/colonialism, environmentalism, trauma, etc.
i think what made the novel so fun to read was having a group of people and a dedicated professor to sift through it with.
no rating, don’t recommend unless you are reading for a class where the professor is able to laugh along with you while offering incredible insight on what exactly you should be searching for.
i think what made the novel so fun to read was having a group of people and a dedicated professor to sift through it with.
no rating, don’t recommend unless you are reading for a class where the professor is able to laugh along with you while offering incredible insight on what exactly you should be searching for.
goodolvic's review against another edition
4.0
Herman, pal, I know what you were going for with the middle 2/3 of this book, but that really should’ve been a standalone expansion. Tolkien (or maybe his editors) knew to leave that to its own thing. In any case, WHAT A BOOK. How is this from the mid-1800s? Great beginning, great ending, interesting middle for those who can get through the instructional texts on whales and whaling.
kellysings's review against another edition
4.0
some of the most beautiful gorgeous prose I've ever read, really interesting things to say about the eternal human conflict of fate vs. free will, lovely philosophy of how happiness cannot be found in abstract ideals but rather in the everyday mundane in a chapter about whale sperm of all things. HOWEVER, a bit too much about the taxonomy and physiology of whales and whaling. There are only so many chapters about whale tails and blowholes I can read in a row before my eyes start to glaze over. But the final few chapters were literally mic-drop amazing. Sickos: ha ha! yesssss!