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penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition
4.0
That was extremely interesting. I was surprised by how anticlimactic the attack itself was. It was covered in just a few pages in the middle of the book. The vast majority of the book was setting the stage, talking about the voyage up till the attack and an overview of the whaling industry before the attack and after it focused on the escape back home. But the attack itself was very brief and to the point.
The overview of the whaling industry on Nantucket and the description of the operation of a whaler was extremely interesting. I'm always interested by how developed these processes get to be. In my job I work with manufacturing processes and a crap ton of planning goes into it nowadays and I just doubt everyone had a sit down and discussed what would work best on a whaler so I'm always fascinated by how well thought out these things can be.
And the survival attempt was heartbreaking. The sailors braved starvation and dehydration to cross thousands of miles of open sea to get home and most didn't make it. What they descended to hurt to read.
I also got the impression in here that sperm whale attacks were uncommon at the time the Essex was attacked but they got more common over time. I wonder if that's because more docile whales were gradually killed off and eventually the more aggressive ones were all that was left? Or, did the whales start cottoning on that these ships and the boats they launched were hunting them and decided to fight back? I've always heard that whales are fairly smart.
Overall, it was a very interesting read.
The overview of the whaling industry on Nantucket and the description of the operation of a whaler was extremely interesting. I'm always interested by how developed these processes get to be. In my job I work with manufacturing processes and a crap ton of planning goes into it nowadays and I just doubt everyone had a sit down and discussed what would work best on a whaler so I'm always fascinated by how well thought out these things can be.
And the survival attempt was heartbreaking. The sailors braved starvation and dehydration to cross thousands of miles of open sea to get home and most didn't make it. What they descended to hurt to read.
I also got the impression in here that sperm whale attacks were uncommon at the time the Essex was attacked but they got more common over time. I wonder if that's because more docile whales were gradually killed off and eventually the more aggressive ones were all that was left? Or, did the whales start cottoning on that these ships and the boats they launched were hunting them and decided to fight back? I've always heard that whales are fairly smart.
Overall, it was a very interesting read.
p_t_b's review against another edition
4.0
got my dadcore audiobook non-fiction on driving from CLE to alabama today. this was good. a little adult-contempo but really well-crafted narrative, good insights. it does not get a lot worse than promising your sister you'll take care of her son and then overseeing the execution-by-lottery and subsequent eating of son's entire body. also dying of dehydration sounds like a real drag. cross that off the list of stuff to try.
billy_iii's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.25
chris_dech's review against another edition
4.0
White whale! Holy Grail!
A harrowing story of survival, the skills and stomach needed for it, and even just a reminder of the capriciousness of the world around us.
Much like Moby-Dick that takes influence from the story of the Essex, the story of the crew of the Essex and their suffering reminds us that, in the face of terror, when all norms and mores are abandoned, the only thing that can keep us going is to cling to what we know, and to hope even harder.
Like his work on the Mayflower, Philbrick shows his capacity to present history as a story, as a narrative that exists in more than just the context of its events, but the story's preceding, contemporary, and future events as well.
A harrowing story of survival, the skills and stomach needed for it, and even just a reminder of the capriciousness of the world around us.
Much like Moby-Dick that takes influence from the story of the Essex, the story of the crew of the Essex and their suffering reminds us that, in the face of terror, when all norms and mores are abandoned, the only thing that can keep us going is to cling to what we know, and to hope even harder.
Like his work on the Mayflower, Philbrick shows his capacity to present history as a story, as a narrative that exists in more than just the context of its events, but the story's preceding, contemporary, and future events as well.
thotfitzgerald's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me like, and fall back in love with history. Reads like fiction and masterfully written.
konsgard's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.0
My only complaint about the audiobook is that the last 2 hours of it consists of footnotes. It was difficult to make use of these, since there had been no prior verbal indication that the footnotes existed. It was also impossible to determine when each footnote began and ended. I suppose it's still better than leaving them out entirely!