woolfen's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars
A ponderous tour-de-force, this is a book about whales and whaling. Not about Moby Dick, Captain Ahab, Ishmael or the Pequod. Melville's own monomania about whaling is so evident, down to every essential (and non-essential) detail, which often gives people cause to complain. It is a revenge story, but the story facilitates two aspects to be vastly more focussed upon.
The first one, is the study of cetology and the contemporary whaling industry. The process, the descriptions of the whales, the habits and questions of sustainability (which Melville errs on the side of 'it will be fine to keep hunting'...). Sperm whales are juxtaposed alongside Right whales and the descriptions of their being processed by the whalers is very in-depth.
Secondly, the story facilitates some of the most enjoyable, impressive and purple prose I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Truly, there are so many scenes which the language; the construction, the richness , the joy of language is so clear. The initial description of Ahab's monomania and relation and vendetta of Moby Dick was truly phenomenal and I read it multiple times to friends. Melville's prose is what makes this book so incredible impressive and engaging. The frankly dull and technical moments which often drag, are rewarded by this process.
Whilst not an ideal tension, between often at times boring jargon and details and hyper purple-prose, I found it to be very worthwhile and enjoyable, but the ending, where you can practically feel Moby Dick hiding around the corner of the final 50 pages, just waiting to be encountered, is a little undercut by the sustained tension not fully carrying through in the finale.
Call me impressed.
A ponderous tour-de-force, this is a book about whales and whaling. Not about Moby Dick, Captain Ahab, Ishmael or the Pequod. Melville's own monomania about whaling is so evident, down to every essential (and non-essential) detail, which often gives people cause to complain. It is a revenge story, but the story facilitates two aspects to be vastly more focussed upon.
The first one, is the study of cetology and the contemporary whaling industry. The process, the descriptions of the whales, the habits and questions of sustainability (which Melville errs on the side of 'it will be fine to keep hunting'...). Sperm whales are juxtaposed alongside Right whales and the descriptions of their being processed by the whalers is very in-depth.
Secondly, the story facilitates some of the most enjoyable, impressive and purple prose I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Truly, there are so many scenes which the language; the construction, the richness , the joy of language is so clear. The initial description of Ahab's monomania and relation and vendetta of Moby Dick was truly phenomenal and I read it multiple times to friends. Melville's prose is what makes this book so incredible impressive and engaging. The frankly dull and technical moments which often drag, are rewarded by this process.
Whilst not an ideal tension, between often at times boring jargon and details and hyper purple-prose, I found it to be very worthwhile and enjoyable, but the ending, where you can practically feel Moby Dick hiding around the corner of the final 50 pages, just waiting to be encountered, is a little undercut by the sustained tension not fully carrying through in the finale.
Call me impressed.
marians_'s review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
clarkg's review against another edition
4.0
I can see why this book is a classic! Rich description, interesting themes, and Melville manages to carry out a story arc that avoids being predictable, even when it was clear how the story was going to end. That said, there were moments where Melville got really into the nitty-gritty in terms of whaling/maritime description and as someone who shares his passion for neither, he lost me a bit.
ziraff's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
tini25's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
brinastewart's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book started off well. I was into the story and writing. However, as it went on Melville went off on trails of telling me all about whales: species, the best parts to sell of and what they were used for, as well as random people's stories from boats they met at sea. It became really boring and diffficult to pay attention to the further along I read.
Ahab, our 'main character', the one everyone knows in this book, was missing in the majority of it... he maybe was in 10% of the whole book.
The good news is at about 85% the story gets interesting again and easier to keep up with through the end.
I would say you are safe reading the abridged version of this book because let's face it... you won't remember all the random stories or whale information anyway.
Ahab, our 'main character', the one everyone knows in this book, was missing in the majority of it... he maybe was in 10% of the whole book.
The good news is at about 85% the story gets interesting again and easier to keep up with through the end.
I would say you are safe reading the abridged version of this book because let's face it... you won't remember all the random stories or whale information anyway.
muftarova's review against another edition
4.0
It took two weeks but i finally finished Moby Dick! This is the longest book ive read so far and one of the most difficult in English (for me). Melville's vocabulary and knowledge is most impressive and unbelievable, and quite difficult to comprehend (tbh i only understood about 70% of the novel). For anyone that is interested in reading this novel i'd like to mention that you need to really dedicate yourself to it! It takes a lot of focus and patience. Herman experimented with implementation of a few genres in the writing of the book, such as: elements of poetry, play-like chapters and criticism! As i mentioned, Melville is knowledgeable and impressive, with his wit and in his writing. His references to the Bible, mythology, geography, history, other literally works and to whaling and the life of the seamen are beyond unbelievable, he is a human encyclopedia! After all of this praise i have to say that this book didnt do much for me. The author should have focused on the main storyline way more than whale facts! As funny as it seems it can get frustrating as you forget the fictional story as you read some chapters that are not relevant to it.
But i do recommend this book for lovers of nautical novels (such as myself) who want to experience the life and adventures of seamen, and dive deep into the mysterious oceans of the world and the living creatures in it. I'm sorry for this long review but i hope somebody finds it helpful. Cheers!
Note: My honest rating is 3 and a half stars.
But i do recommend this book for lovers of nautical novels (such as myself) who want to experience the life and adventures of seamen, and dive deep into the mysterious oceans of the world and the living creatures in it. I'm sorry for this long review but i hope somebody finds it helpful. Cheers!
Note: My honest rating is 3 and a half stars.
tubaplayer144's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
communist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I gave Moby Dick 4.5 stars due to the beauty of the writing, the timeless themes and ideas the novel explores, as well as its influence on other works both past and present. Moby Dick is one of the most influential American novels of all time. This is NOT an easy or quick read. There were multiple times when I wanted to give up and did not think I would be able to finish. I am so glad I pushed through and read the whole novel. Many people complain about the large portion of the book (essentially about 300 pages right in the middle) where Melville goes into (at times) excruciating detail regarding every single aspect of the whale and the whaling industry. These sections did not bore me or cause me to want to stop reading. The parts of Moby Dick that were the most frustrating to me were the sections of dialogue, especially Ahab's dialogue. Most of the Characters (Starbuck, Stubb, Flask, and especially Ahab) speak in this antiquated Quaker dialect the was difficult to follow. Ahab's dialogue was by far the most challenging since he not only spoke with this old-world lexicon but he also speaks in vague riddles, referencing vague or obscure works of literature or events. Some of Ahab's monologues would take me an hour or more just to attempt to decipher what message Melville was attempting to get across. I found using an outside annotation extremely helpful. I used a website called "Power Moby Dick: The Online Annotation" which can be found here http://powermobydick.com/. I highly recommend using an annotated edition if it is your first time reading MD, I would not have picked up on many of the references to literature, art, historical events, and religious practices found throughout the novel. Moby Dick is an investment, and I truly believe that anyone who loves literature and/or any writer should absolutely put in the time and effort required to read this amazing and inimitable novel.
Content Warnings
Content warnings are pointless. Go out there and be shocked, be appalled, be frightened, be disgusted, BE OFFENDED by a book. How are you going to learn more about yourself if you are always hiding from yourself?