From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

Moby-Dick or, The Whale

Herman Melville

Start date: October 1, 2022

Finish date: October 31, 2022

Discussion: Lesser Know/Wilderness Classics

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What Members Thought

Dec 13, 2020 Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, 2020-read, classics-trad-and-modern

I'm not quite sure what I've just read!
Moby Dick almost defies classification. There's a LOT about whaling in this book - maybe more than tolerable for some and it feels like more whaling info than action at times.
There's also a lot of humour - more than I expected. There's love, friendship, philosophy and...obsession.
Ahab is a wonderfully unique character. I swayed between loathing him and loving him. His quest embroils others in his fate and for this I can't quite forgive him, but his persiste ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

May 27, 2012 Anna Kļaviņa rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, classic, rakstnieks, north-america, lgbt, read-in-2015, made-into-a-film, 1001books

see how elastic our stiff prejudices grow when love once comes to bend them

kā lai novērtē grāmatu, kura vienlaicīgi aizrāva un tajā pašā laikā šķita kādu 100 lappušu par garu?

dodu 2 zvaigznītes, bet ja būtu pabeigusi lasīt citādā noskaņojumā tik pat labi varētu iedot 4-tras.

13 likes · Like · see review

Dec 29, 2022 Fernanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"I try all things, I achieve what I can."

Moby Dick's reading experience was incredible - it is long and dull and exciting and boring and adventurous and loooong!
I now know so much about sperm whales, the people and the ships who used to hunt them.

By God, Melville! At times you feel like reading a biology book, sometimes you're just lost at sea with no idea on why you're there... There are so many genres in this book, so many allusions to other writers, myths and so on. Genius! One of a kind!
I ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

May 12, 2015 Alexander rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

Truly a masterpiece and the pinnacle of classical American literature. With themes as deep as the oceans the Pequod sails upon this door stopper wrestles with the nature of a man and his darkest workings.

2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 01, 2017 Grace rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mccrum-s-100-greatest, 2017-reads

#17 in my reading of the McCrum list. The entire book could have been awful (it wasn't!) but the final chapters would have still made it 5 star. What a book! Read (mostly the Cliff's Notes) in college/again about 10 years ago and now for the list read.
An explanation of my star rating.
5= Truly cream of the crop. Amazing. In a wondrous realm of its own
4= Special and well written. More than good...maybe even a great book, but not a rare 5 star wonder.
3= Moments of brilliance, a pleasure to read. ...more

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