Reviews

This was fabulous! I could spend the rest of the year thinking about this one-- so many layers. Loved it.

“Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its jagged edges.”

intentional_practices's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

2.25

hollewade's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wonderful story, I loved all the setup for the eventual action. It helped frame the story and the injustice that happened.

Content Warnings

alana_f's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I believe Melville is making a larger scope of criticism over lawful process and also a critique on the individual level of officials of the law in regards to following orders. This stance can be seen through the text’s -I would argue- condemning of Captian Vere, which I believe is further reinforced by the text’s biblical allusions and end episodes.

kellieveltri's review against another edition

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2.0

It’s hard to refute that this book is well-written—after all, the only thing that Melville may be better known for than his sprawling prose is his love of boats—but if you are a person who prefers plot-driven stories like I do, this novella is probably not for you. Not much happens, and even the stakes of the central crisis feel much lower than they should given the situation. All in all, this story is a quick read that’s largely exposition and denouement without a lot of climactic action in the middle, but at least you can say you’ve read Melville without having to attempt Moby Dick.

P.S. There’s no doubt that my reading journal on this book for class will include the phrase “heavy-handed symbolism” at least once.

imgayforspace's review

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

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