A review by epiphoria
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

God.. I have no words. An unspeakable tragedy but undeniably, as Philbrick puts it, 'a tragedy that happens to be one of the greatest true stories ever told'. While the incident itself is greatly disturbing to hear of, this account is written with exceptional detail that still manages to capture any reader's attention, even if one might not be familiar with nautical terms. You might find yourself tasting sea salt on your tongue throughout. It includes a good number of sources as well as perspectives of the tragedy that give it a feeling of completeness and closure. While a lot of mistakes were made, it is impossible to not feel a respect and awe for the men of the Essex wreck, particularly their bravery and discipline in the face of such unimaginable suffering. This is a story that won't ever leave me. 
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