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A review by jiayuanc
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, Hester Blum
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ishmael my depressed ADHD friend.. he's just like me for real. I loved this book, but I could have done without a few of his whale tangents. Melville was so ahead of his time.
I initially read the Oxford Worlds Classics edition edited by Hester Blum but I found the end notes quite lacking. I ended up ordering the Penguin Deluxe Classics edition which has no notes but a lovely map, diagram of whales, the ship, and labelling whaling tools that really enhanced my read. And I finished off reading this book by swapping between the OWC, Penguin and Norton Critical editions. I would recommend looking to Norton Critical for more thorough notes on the text.
I initially read the Oxford Worlds Classics edition edited by Hester Blum but I found the end notes quite lacking. I ended up ordering the Penguin Deluxe Classics edition which has no notes but a lovely map, diagram of whales, the ship, and labelling whaling tools that really enhanced my read. And I finished off reading this book by swapping between the OWC, Penguin and Norton Critical editions. I would recommend looking to Norton Critical for more thorough notes on the text.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Racism
Minor: Child death, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts