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A review by dnglvr
Moby-Dick: Or, the Whale by Herman Melville
4.0
Moby Dick is considered by some to be the great American classic. This was my expectation as I began reading this novel that more readers start than finish. Unfortunately the book did not meet my expectations.
The positives are many. Melville uses language beautifully and constructs great sentences. The allegories are excellent, constructed in a historical period of great division. The practical was blended expertly with the mystical.
The negatives are also many. A large part of the book focused on cetology and details of the whaling industry. This was unattractive to me as a modern reader who was struck by the hubris of our species and knowledge of the current existential crisis for the whale population. The book is a bit disjointed as illustrated by the relationship between Ismael and Queepueq strongly developed in the beginning of the book only to completely disappear before the half way point.
Bottom line is I am glad I read Moby Dick, but would hesitate to recommend it to others.
The positives are many. Melville uses language beautifully and constructs great sentences. The allegories are excellent, constructed in a historical period of great division. The practical was blended expertly with the mystical.
The negatives are also many. A large part of the book focused on cetology and details of the whaling industry. This was unattractive to me as a modern reader who was struck by the hubris of our species and knowledge of the current existential crisis for the whale population. The book is a bit disjointed as illustrated by the relationship between Ismael and Queepueq strongly developed in the beginning of the book only to completely disappear before the half way point.
Bottom line is I am glad I read Moby Dick, but would hesitate to recommend it to others.