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
joakley's review against another edition
5.0
Damn! Obviously a long overdue read, I am very intrigued by how this book has been presented to me in the past. People will say it’s a great story if I am ok with hearing about random facts and details about whales, and idk I guess I just didn’t process that fully? Or the idea that the back of this book says that this is “a stirring tragedy of vengeance and obsession”… “the greatest sea story ever told”. Like ok yeah maybe? But really what this book very often IS is not a story at all. Half of this book is a story and half of it is not, this is not a story with lots of tangents. It is substantively a tangent. I think Melville, already in 1851, was tired of novels and their typical narrative progressions. He is absolutely SHITTING on the usual method of reading a thrilling story and deriving symbols and metaphors and morals from it. The whole chapter talking about what the “whiteness” of the whale means is total bullshit. Every time there is a moment of suspense he absolutely “you thought”’s the reader and slaps you with four encyclopedic chapters. This is a novel that at the same time that it is a great adventure it is also concurrently a takedown of narrative in general. It’s sweet
emilaxx's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25