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challenging
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a slog. The book is split almost 50/50 between actual story things happening, and discussions of whale biology and whaling fishery. Even if the latter part is meant to be allegorical or something, it's painfully boring to get through and suffers from the same flaws that the worst parts of Les Miserables do. Way too wordy, and seemingly there for no good reason. Maybe I'm just not well read enough to appreciate it, but it feels like you need a companion guide to understand 80% of what Melville's talking about. The actual story itself is nothing special, but the final 3 chapters of the book are fairly entertaining, I guess. I think the whole White Whale/Holy Grail/Relentless Revenge story has been done better, not to discredit this book as one that popularized that concept in more modern literature.
For a book about one particular captain and the whale he so desperately wants to exact revenge on, neither of them have very much screen time.
For a book about one particular captain and the whale he so desperately wants to exact revenge on, neither of them have very much screen time.