machen27 's review for:

Moby-Dick: Or, the Whale by Herman Melville

4.0

challenging dark emotional funny tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

I do not need to sing the praises of this classic, and certainly I believe it deserves that title. Instead, I will offer some advice: this is probably one of the stranger books that I have read. There will be tangents on whale taxonomy. Tangents on chowder. And in-between? Yes, an epic about the ways vengeance and hate will destroy you. My advice is to embrace this strangeness; it is all Moby Dick. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism

It's a book about whaling so don't be surprised that it features significant cruelty and violence against animals. It's also a book from the mid -19th century with its associated ideas about "savages."