Moby-Dick or, The Whale question

I gave up on it about a third of the way through. Life's too short to read a book you aren't enjoying.

It's a hard book, but I found it, ultimately, totally rewarding, one of the finest reading experiences I have ever had. But if it's not working, it's not working ... put it down and pick it up later! (IMO, YMMV, etc.)

It's an awful book. Dense, obscure, self-indulgent. After about 6 months I am now (according to my Kindle) 43% of the way through it. I will not let it defeat me. It has become my quest, my purpose, my divine obsession. Down all the years I shall track this thrice-accursed book, yea even unto the day of final damnation, when I shall stare the beast in it's steely malevolent eye. It is either the book or me, and so we shall both fall into that endless howling abyss.

And so on. I really need a dose of Hemingway.

I listened to the audiobook, I find that helps me get through difficult works. The narrator doesn't stop when I might if reading it.

I enjoyed Moby Dick but it is a mixed bag. Know a lot more about whales and whaling now! Big stretches of info dumps can pull you out of the story.

It's not a bad book. The background of the book certainly is the Bible and it has been cleverly woven. Some characters bear a slight semblance to those of the Bible's story- either in their character or their name. I know I gave it a low rating because, even though it was clever,it was just all too depressing. And after finishing it, I wondered a lot about the pointlessness of it all. I mean, which sane person will want to take revenge on a whale for an accident? And that character Elijah? He had a short role but even that was not needed.

What is Captain Ahab's full given name?

I second the audiobook as an option. I got through it thanks to the Big Read Project. Different celebrities were each given a chapter to read. Some short some long. It really livened up the dull parts and the pace was quick enough. I hope one day they tackle the other white whale out there - James Joyce's Ulysses.

mobydickbigread.com

It's a very admirable read. A book that took a lot of courage to write in the style written. You have to understand the author had previous nautical experience so this is more informative imagination than entertainment. I've read this book 4 times in my 22 years and love it. It is a challenge for some but if you can get through the immense detail... I feel it very much worth it!

Moby Dick was the first book I tackled this year, and I think tackled is an apt metaphor. It was like running after the storyline and when it was in sight bring it down to the ground. The book could definitely have been about 250 to 300 pages shorter. But you need to take into account when it was written. Reading was the only entertainment most people had and their attention spans were much longer than today's instant fix. It was a struggle, but like someone else said, I now have the battle scar.

I had to read it for 9th grade English. I remember it being tortuous. There are a few books that I remember being forced to read in high school that I did not enjoy, but reread later in life - Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities - and did like them rather well. Moby Dick is not a book I have ever been compelled to retry. It does feel a bit like wearing a battle scar, though. I like that analogy. I completed it, and I lived to tell about it! :)

I had to read it for school and decided I would be one of the few students in my classes that would actually read it cover to cover. I enjoyed the first thirty chapters or so. There were parts that were torturous and parts that were fantastic. I cut myself off from all social media, Netflix, and T.V. altogether and committed to reading 500-100 pages a day. I finished the book in a week and can now look back on it fondly. No matter how dry it is at times, you can't help but be impressed by Melville's knowledge of whaling and the sea. Now I look upon it with a mostly fond opinion. On another note, am I the only one who wished there was a whole book dedicated to Ahab as a character??? He fascinated me.

I agree wholeheartedly with Will. I finished Moby Dick in a series of painful efforts, broken up by weeks or even months of avoiding the book. I've started quite a few books that I found myself grinding through one page at a time, because if you start it you have to finish it. Right? Ensue painful reading. The book in question would inevitably end up collecting dust by my chair, taunting me. I couldn't put it back on the shelf or (more appropriately) give it away because I hadn't finished it. It's taken a while to realize I don't have to feel guilty if I don't like a "classic," and I don't need to finish it if it's not a style I'm enjoying. I say give it a third of the book and then move on.

That being said (I'm almost done here, I swear) I hated Pride and Prejudice the first time I was forced to read it. I came back 20 or so years later and thought it was hilarious. So, maybe in 20 years I'll give Moby Dick another try and enjoy it. :-)

I think I enjoyed the first third of it. Am I being too generous? There are passages that are so beautifully written and then there are the portions that are interesting from an historical perspective. I decided to read it because it is a "classic." Half way through, I began to hate it and couldn't wait for the whale to get his revenge on stinky Ahab. The book is a monster and would be much improved if it was only half as long. I finished it because I was in the middle of nowhere at the time and I was running out of other books to read. I got through it one painful page at a time. You are not alone. Like Chris said, this book is a hard-earned scar.

I say, read it if it's important for you to have it on your personal "I've read this" list but otherwise there are too many other wonderful books out there to waste your time. If I had been at home when I picked this one to read, I probably never would have finished it.

Yeah, I'm cheating, I guess.

Librivox. I think it's the only way I'll get through this.

I stuck through. I think it took me like an entire year. It's a hard-earned scar

I read Moby Dick because it is a classic. I hated every damn page of it. I finished it because I don't like to give up, but this was torture. UGH. I've since told myself it's ok to toss a book unfinished. Life IS too short.

OMG yes. This book is a monster to complete. I do agree with Armand in that this book is better digested in small parts. 2 pages at a sitting might even be to much for the start. Motivate yourself 1 paragraph at a time.

I avoided it for 5 years before I finally sat down and read it! I think you have to read it in the same way that people approach an academic tome or a religious text; just read a couple of pages a day. Maybe even make it your 2nd book. Have a book that you are reading for fun and then, every night before you go to sleep, just read 2-3 pages of Moby Dick.