wandering_zero's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
4.0
rumbledethumps's review against another edition
5.0
An absolute masterpiece. There are far too many themes (Man v Nature, Ahab v Starbuck, Ahab and Pip, The 9 Gams, The Unknowable, Melville v Shakespeare, etc etc etc) to be properly encompassed in a single, brief Goodreads review.
Instead, my experience in reading it: The first third drove me along, and I thought I had found my new favorite book. The humor, the language, the setting, the story were all such that I could not put it down, could not stop thinking about it in off moments. The second third, however, is where it gets its reputation for being a difficult book. For every chapter that advances the plot, there are two that anchor it down in academic asides about whales and the whaling industry. But once one clears these windless waters, the final third sails along to its inevitable conclusion, and I again could not put it down.
This book has earned a spot on my permanent shelf. I may never read it from cover-to-cover again, but I will definitely pick it up now and again to re-read favorite passages, and will be reading about it for the rest of my life.
Instead, my experience in reading it: The first third drove me along, and I thought I had found my new favorite book. The humor, the language, the setting, the story were all such that I could not put it down, could not stop thinking about it in off moments. The second third, however, is where it gets its reputation for being a difficult book. For every chapter that advances the plot, there are two that anchor it down in academic asides about whales and the whaling industry. But once one clears these windless waters, the final third sails along to its inevitable conclusion, and I again could not put it down.
This book has earned a spot on my permanent shelf. I may never read it from cover-to-cover again, but I will definitely pick it up now and again to re-read favorite passages, and will be reading about it for the rest of my life.
djinnetta's review against another edition
4.0
I finally did it. I finished this book.
It only took 18 months.
I feel like crying.
It only took 18 months.
I feel like crying.
paideia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It’s a fantastic story on two sides of a zoological inquiry into whales.
heleena32's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
paracosm's review against another edition
4.0
Before you decided to read Moby Dick there's something you need to know; about ⅔ of the content is just random whale facts. I'm not even kidding. The author dedicates so many pages to describing every single detail of the ships that used to hunt whales back in the day. There's even a chapter that it's just a list of all the species of whales that people knew about at that time and their characteristics. It does get tedious sometimes, I'll recognize that.
I know its sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not. I found all of that information very interesting. Herman Melville used to be a whaler before he became an author, so he actually knows what he is talking about. He doesn't shy away from the gruesome parts, such as the way the whale is skinned on the side of the ship. In a way it feels like non-fiction, but again, I'm not complaining. I really like non-fiction. Regardless of that, I think that is very important that people don't go into this book with the wrong expectations, after all, it's at least 800 pages long.
Besides the whale facts there are also several chapters dedicated to the author's reflections about certain topics. Some are better than others, that's just the way it is. It feels like Melville was just writing his chain of thought as it was coming from him. One of most interesting ones is when he tries to puts himself in the perspective of the whales and thinks about how terrified of humans they must be. He also mentions that the number of whales has been decreasing with the years, with hives him points for accuracy.
Let's move on to the characters. "Call me Ismael" is one of the most famous first lines in the history of literature. Speaking of the character himself, I'm not sure how reliable he is as a narrator. He seems biased in certain ways and I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me he is the author's self-interest. Captain Ahab is exactly as the media portrays him. A man that lost his leg to a whale and went mad because of it. Starbuck is the second in command, the voice of reason, and got a coffee brand named after him. Then there's Queequeg, a polynesian dude that totally deserved better.
Did you know that this book includes a same-sex marriage between Ismael and Queequeg. For real, I'm not making it up. The first day they meet up they have to share a room (and they were roommates), ended up sharing a bed, and Ismael explains how that formed a bond between them like the one between a husband and a wife, him being the wife. I know this sounds like fanfiction but it actually happens. It's not explicitly sexual, but we all get the insinuation. There are whole books written about this subject.
Another way this book is very subversive is how many POC are included, not just Queequeg. Melville took his time to explain that these kind of ships always included people of all backgrounds. And the thing is that Queequeg is a good character, he has motivations, personality and the author takes his time to explain that he shouldn't be treated differently for his race. Of course the representation is not perfect, but for a book that was published during the 1860s its really progressive, and I appreciate the effort.
Finally let's talk about Moby Dick itself, the white whale, which only appears in the last 50 pages of the book. There are plenty of debates about what it all means. One interpretation that I like the most is that Moby Dick represents how humans think that they can control nature, but of course they are wrong. Again, there are actual books dedicated to this topic, so I will not even try to cover it all.
I know its sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not. I found all of that information very interesting. Herman Melville used to be a whaler before he became an author, so he actually knows what he is talking about. He doesn't shy away from the gruesome parts, such as the way the whale is skinned on the side of the ship. In a way it feels like non-fiction, but again, I'm not complaining. I really like non-fiction. Regardless of that, I think that is very important that people don't go into this book with the wrong expectations, after all, it's at least 800 pages long.
Besides the whale facts there are also several chapters dedicated to the author's reflections about certain topics. Some are better than others, that's just the way it is. It feels like Melville was just writing his chain of thought as it was coming from him. One of most interesting ones is when he tries to puts himself in the perspective of the whales and thinks about how terrified of humans they must be. He also mentions that the number of whales has been decreasing with the years, with hives him points for accuracy.
Let's move on to the characters. "Call me Ismael" is one of the most famous first lines in the history of literature. Speaking of the character himself, I'm not sure how reliable he is as a narrator. He seems biased in certain ways and I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me he is the author's self-interest. Captain Ahab is exactly as the media portrays him. A man that lost his leg to a whale and went mad because of it. Starbuck is the second in command, the voice of reason, and got a coffee brand named after him. Then there's Queequeg, a polynesian dude that totally deserved better.
Did you know that this book includes a same-sex marriage between Ismael and Queequeg. For real, I'm not making it up. The first day they meet up they have to share a room (and they were roommates), ended up sharing a bed, and Ismael explains how that formed a bond between them like the one between a husband and a wife, him being the wife. I know this sounds like fanfiction but it actually happens. It's not explicitly sexual, but we all get the insinuation. There are whole books written about this subject.
Another way this book is very subversive is how many POC are included, not just Queequeg. Melville took his time to explain that these kind of ships always included people of all backgrounds. And the thing is that Queequeg is a good character, he has motivations, personality and the author takes his time to explain that he shouldn't be treated differently for his race. Of course the representation is not perfect, but for a book that was published during the 1860s its really progressive, and I appreciate the effort.
Finally let's talk about Moby Dick itself, the white whale, which only appears in the last 50 pages of the book. There are plenty of debates about what it all means. One interpretation that I like the most is that Moby Dick represents how humans think that they can control nature, but of course they are wrong. Again, there are actual books dedicated to this topic, so I will not even try to cover it all.
absurtiddy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5