Reviews

First off, this is a nice collection of Melville's short stories, serials, and novellas. It's the best place to go if you're looking for something of his to read after Moby-Dick or Pierre. Second off, your love for this book will really depend on your opinion of the stories therein. I loved Bartleby, The Scrivener which may be the best short story I've ever read. It's funny, perfectly structured with memorable characters and an iconic line ("I prefer not to"). I also really liked The Lightning-Rod Man which was short & funny and The Encantadas, which was a series of 10 sketches that probes the desolate, lonely, and savage side of The Galapagos Islands. These themes seemed to build in each subsequent sketch until at the end you said "wow, this isn't the idyllic vision of the Galapagos most often put forth." I loved the sense of unease in the first 2/3 of Benito Cereno and while I realize the ending was true-to-history I was a bit let down. Like an M Night Shyamalan movie. For the rest of the book: Billy Budd was just ok with little in the way of plot, a messy middle, and a protagonist with little depth beyond being handsome and innocent. And the rest of the stories I'll likely forget. All-in-all, I say 100% come for Bartleby but-for the rest-read what grabs you. I'm a completist so I had to read it all.

scrow1022's review against another edition

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5.0

So! Much! There!

Will be rereading, reading more critical appraisal.

nesposito's review against another edition

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4.0

Story: ★★★☆☆

Character: ★★★★☆

Craft: ★★★★☆

Study: ★★★★☆

shuashwa18's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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