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gingerjane's review
3.0
I read this for book club and rather enjoyed it - however I left the last chapter for two weeks before I finished it and I'd fallen off the Leviathan band wagon somewhat which meant that I was all like "WHAT?" when I read it this morning.
jaimcham's review
4.0
I have never seen anyone really SEE a whale like Hoare sees a whale. If you like prose that feels a little like poetry, his sentences will leave you reeling for days.
lyrareadsbooks's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. Some of my disappointment stemmed from the book being as much if not more of a travelogue than a work of science or history. Parts of the book were enjoyable, but mostly I found it baffling. Hoare writes with a lofty style that would not be out of place in academia, but this is no piece of scholarship like those I'm familiar with. I could not identify sources on multiple occasions. Even more confounding, Hoare relied heavily on the literary work, Moby Dick, as a guide for his study of whales. Literature can be a useful tool for understanding the past and the present. I have no quibbles with incorporating literature and using fiction as an inspiration. I do take umbrage with treating Ishmael's observations as though they are of equal value to first hand witnesses to the past. In one place, we are told Melville never visited a certain city and yet Ishmael's impressions of the city are given greater believability and weight than those of Frederick Douglass, a man who actually walked the streets of the city. Something about the use of Moby Dick as evidence didn't sit right with me. If this had been presented as more of a travelogue or a memoir rather than scientific study, I might have enjoyed it more.
jabarkas's review
3.0
Ok, so I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I enjoyed it because Mr. Hoare is erudite, witty and insightful. He has a gift for vebiage that is rarely found in these sort of semi-science books, at least the ones written on this side of the pond. However, this book was also something of a let down for a two reasons. First, pretty much the whole thing is a big love letter to Moby Dick. Not necessarily a bad thing, since Moby Dick is fucking fantastic, Melville himself a profound and interesting character. At points during The Whale though, one almost feels cheated, as one was promised a whole new book, and instead about 50% of what you're reading is extended commentary on entirely separate story. Which leads into the second let down, which is that while there are four whales on the cover of this book, over half of the tome is devoted entirely to sperm whales (and people who have written about sperm whales.) I was really hoping for some more in depth natural history on the rest the whale family. While I learned a tremendous amount about the relationship between western culture and whales in this book, I learned almost nothing new about whales themselves. Still, very much worth a read if you enjoy witty writting, or just want to sit around for a few hours being talked at by someone who really enjoyed Moby Dick (which I did, and enjoyed quite a bit.)
aimeeverret's review against another edition
5.0
Le livre parfait qui m'est tombé dessus au bon moment. Non content de nous en apprendre plus sur les baleines (cétacés serait plus juste en français), leur physionomie, leurs habitudes, l'auteur nous dresse surtout le portrait de notre relation à elles, notre histoire commune, notre perception, leur exposition, exploitation, quasi-extermination. L'auteur examine leur représentation dans des peintures, mythes, récits, en accordant bien sûr une place de choix à Melville lui-même, de même qu'à son Moby Dick. Un livre écrit avec une grande sensibilité, un essai qui se distingue de l'ouvrage purement scientifique. Je le relirai (en fait j'ai presque déjà détruit mon exemplaire lors de cette première lecture).
radbear76's review
3.0
Interesting facts about whales, whaling, and history of human/whale interactions. However, the insertion of Moby Dick quotes was overwhelming at times and distracted from the story of the whales.
kvltprincess's review
3.0
This book is only about halfway about whales, just to let you know. The other half is about Herman Melville, and Moby Dick, and about the world that Melville lived in. Which is, don't get me wrong, super interesting. But I was here for the whales. And I think those were the best parts of this book that was interesting enough to keep me reading it, even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted.
themadmadmadeline's review
2.0
I find whales to be some of the most fascinating animals on the planet, and after recently watching Blackfish, I thought this would be an appropriate follow up.
GREAT information about whales. I learned quite a bit of new and fascinating information, so the book was strong in that respect. Whales are majestic, complex, BEAUTIFUL creatures unique to this planet, and we should celebrate them.
Initially, I really liked the author's description of his interest (almost obsession) with whales because of their size and mystery. I was totally hooked with his descriptive opening about the fuel behind this book.
However, as the book progressed, and especially towards the end, I was kind of...dare I say "creeped out" by the author's repetitive insistence that the whale is "sexy" and that the smell of whale poo is "sensual". WHOA buddy. I know we all have personal preferences, and I respect your love of the whale and its history, but reading about sexy whales made me markedly uncomfortable hahaha.
I enjoyed the rich history associated with whale hunting, and I enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind Moby Dick, but I could have been spared the loooong history of Herman Melville. There were several chapters which I felt could have been cut entirely, and I would have enjoyed more information about the whales themselves (doing different chapters for different whales would have been AWESOME, but alas). I won't like you, having read this on my Kindle, I was PUMPED when I realized the last 20% of the book was the bibliography...sorry Philip!!! You just went down too many rabbit holes!!!
All in all, good information, but several aspects made give this one a two-star rating due to personal discomfort hahha and general long-windedness.
GREAT information about whales. I learned quite a bit of new and fascinating information, so the book was strong in that respect. Whales are majestic, complex, BEAUTIFUL creatures unique to this planet, and we should celebrate them.
Initially, I really liked the author's description of his interest (almost obsession) with whales because of their size and mystery. I was totally hooked with his descriptive opening about the fuel behind this book.
However, as the book progressed, and especially towards the end, I was kind of...dare I say "creeped out" by the author's repetitive insistence that the whale is "sexy" and that the smell of whale poo is "sensual". WHOA buddy. I know we all have personal preferences, and I respect your love of the whale and its history, but reading about sexy whales made me markedly uncomfortable hahaha.
I enjoyed the rich history associated with whale hunting, and I enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind Moby Dick, but I could have been spared the loooong history of Herman Melville. There were several chapters which I felt could have been cut entirely, and I would have enjoyed more information about the whales themselves (doing different chapters for different whales would have been AWESOME, but alas). I won't like you, having read this on my Kindle, I was PUMPED when I realized the last 20% of the book was the bibliography...sorry Philip!!! You just went down too many rabbit holes!!!
All in all, good information, but several aspects made give this one a two-star rating due to personal discomfort hahha and general long-windedness.
barschuft's review
4.0
Depite my fear of whales, the authors obsession and love for them is inspiring. More of a history of the "Whale" in popular imagination that a scientific book, which I liked. I really need to re-read Moby Dick
bookishwendy's review
4.0
This was a fascinating follow-up to my latest re-read of [b:Moby-Dick, or, the Whale|153747|Moby-Dick, or, the Whale|Herman Melville|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327940656l/153747._SY75_.jpg|2409320]--a book that seems to only get better each time--and provides some much-appreciated background to Melville, whaling history, and as if I wasn't already saturated in it already, updated cetology for the modern reader. Hoare balances cold hard facts with ethereal imagery and evocative prose. He's present in his narrative, but not overwhelmingly so, which I much appreciate. The Whale would pair well with [b:The Search for the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature|325168|The Search for the Giant Squid The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature|Richard Ellis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348582514l/325168._SY75_.jpg|315833] for any other readers who aren't quite ready to leave the watery realm.