bibliowrecka 's review for:

Moby-Dick: Or, the Whale by Herman Melville

4.0

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I DID IT! Year two of "Read the English major essentials I never got around to" is a success, although I had a huge slump in the middle where I put the book aside for months. I was trying to read this one with the Serial Reader app like I did for Anna Karenina, but ultimately I was more successful in getting through it when I switched to the audiobook. I listened at 1.2 speed while crafting or doing a puzzle or driving, and that turned out to be the way to go for my ADHD self. The narrator was great. He gave so much life to each character and brought interest to the longer stretches of whale or sailing facts or whatever. Listening to it at a slightly faster speed also helped. Once I could get beyond the challenges of reading it, the language of the book really is beautiful, and it reminded me that I did like Melville's shorter works when I read them in school. Now I need to decide what massive tome I should read in 2023. I'd like to switch it up and not do another dead white guy, while still focusing on those classics I "should have" read already.