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

4.0

A fascinating story, and all the more so for its being true. I enjoy these nautical accounts, and Caroline Alexander's scholarly examination of the notorious events aboard the ill fated Bounty have stayed with me for many years, so I was intrigued when I first picked this up, and must say I wasn't disappointed. There's no getting away from the brutality of this though, the Nantucket whale trade was as close to organised barbarity as it's probably possible to be, but there is nonetheless a tenuous thread of humanity that holds together these tragic survivors who endured dreadful calamities and unimaginable hardships on their epic voyage to salvation.

Do read this if you enjoy Orcan epics of survival and hardship. Don't read this if you're very sensitive or squeamish. It can be brutal.