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A review by kjgrievewriter
Moby-Dick: Or, the Whale by Herman Melville
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
'He saw God's foot upon the treadle of the loom, and spoke it; and therefore his shipmates called him mad.'
Holy mother, no book containing the above line can be anything short of an absolute masterpiece.
I prevaricated over dropping the half-star from my rating for how long it took me to finish this blubbery epic, or for some of the more (let's be charitable) 'technical' chapters, or for the almost complete lack of plot, or its wildly overblown prose which disintegrates by the last few 100 pages into a chivalric register that's barely English, and decided it made my efforts to finish the book sufficiently harder to lower the rating from a perfect score.
The second half of the book descends into a philosophical maelstrom which is much more enjoyable to read than the plodding setup which didn't seem to be leading anywhere once the plot sloughed away. This is particularly helped by this Penguin edition's superbly comprehensive explanatory notes, index and glossary.
It's certainly not for the faint of heart, but I'd encourage anyone with any hint of imagination to read this book. As a cultural touchstone, it seems unparalleled. It feels like every day I see or hear a reference of some kind even in completely unrelated films, TV shows, games, and of course, other books.
This is simply one of the richest, most unique and evocative novels I've ever read. It defies categorisation. I once read something to the effect of it being a book about men, madness, and whales, in that order, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Holy mother, no book containing the above line can be anything short of an absolute masterpiece.
I prevaricated over dropping the half-star from my rating for how long it took me to finish this blubbery epic, or for some of the more (let's be charitable) 'technical' chapters, or for the almost complete lack of plot, or its wildly overblown prose which disintegrates by the last few 100 pages into a chivalric register that's barely English, and decided it made my efforts to finish the book sufficiently harder to lower the rating from a perfect score.
The second half of the book descends into a philosophical maelstrom which is much more enjoyable to read than the plodding setup which didn't seem to be leading anywhere once the plot sloughed away. This is particularly helped by this Penguin edition's superbly comprehensive explanatory notes, index and glossary.
It's certainly not for the faint of heart, but I'd encourage anyone with any hint of imagination to read this book. As a cultural touchstone, it seems unparalleled. It feels like every day I see or hear a reference of some kind even in completely unrelated films, TV shows, games, and of course, other books.
This is simply one of the richest, most unique and evocative novels I've ever read. It defies categorisation. I once read something to the effect of it being a book about men, madness, and whales, in that order, and I agree wholeheartedly.