Moby-Dick or, The Whale in Classics Without All the Class

Jan 06, 2011 Russ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, historical, travel, adventure, 2011

Reading this book is kind of like going on a whaling voyage. It takes a long time, and can be quite difficult, but can also be rewarding if you just push through.

I started it about 8-10 years ago, but didn't get too far. So, I stopped, and figured I'd pick it up again at a later time. In 2011, that time came. I decided to give Moby Dick another shot.

This book is deep, as deep as the waters of the Pacific Ocean. It's exciting. It's boring. It's funny. It's serious. It's confusing. It makes perfec ...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Alice rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-fiction, fiction, classic-challenge-of-2013, 2013-12-classic-challengelen, drama, adventure, in-it-for-the-long-haul, the-1001-books-yo-read-before-you-d, slowly-crawling-overfed-turtle

This novel is more musings on philosophy than a whale hunting adventure. What is most important is the epic character of Captain Ahab. Ahab has given inspiration, or at least reminds readers, of the relentless Inspector Javert of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. In Star Trek's The Wrath of Khan, Captain Kirk's nemesis is quoting Ahab's last words. We have the Roadrunner cartoon with Wile E. Coyote always after that silly bird. There is a noirish crime novel by James W. Hall about a wrecked patriarc ...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Ben rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The author writes in long sentances that drip with poetry. Personally I think they sound/feel a bit like shakespear. There appear to be more words than are needed, but at the same time they have a musical quality that forgives the excess.

Chapter 42: The Whiteness of the Whale: Oh golly, I can't believe how this chapter drags as the author spends 9-10 pages making an argument for why the color/hue white should be menacing versus calming (assuming you thought it was calming in the first place).

C ...more

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