Customer Reviews

Moby-Dick

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This in no way is a literary review, although I will say that this is a very finely written novel and really should be read by everyone...if of course reading is your thing...it is mine and I love this work...but hey, that is just me.
No, this is a quick review on this particular edition of this book. It is good, cheap and of surprisingly good quality. The font is quite readable and paper is pleasing.

This makes a great give and is a great way to add this work to our book shelf at very little cost...of course unless you want to by a nice used copy here on Amazon of which the choices (editions) are almost with out limit.

I purchased three copies of this particular edition as quick graduation gifts...sort of stocking stuffers, if you will and they were indeed appreciated by the kids I gave them to.

Tthe book came as promised, and in the advertised condition, but it is NOT part of the Enriched Classic Series.
It's an Airmont Classic, which only includes an intro by a PhD. It's a wicked old version, which is actually
kind of fun 1964--- to read an american classic with old and yellowed pages. I like that part.

It is complete and unabridged, but I thought I was getting a lot more "Enrichment"
when I ordered.

Sadly, it's just a copy of Moby Dick, a bit weathered... lacking the scholarly info
i thought I had ordered.

:(

Huck Finn, Holden Caulfield, Scout Finch - they're all classic American narrators. But for my money, the king of them all is Melville's Ishmael. Listening to him tell this story is like listening to a rakish old grandpa tell his half-remembered, half-made-up stories of youthful adventures, complete with rambling, yet interesting, digressions. Sometimes the details can be confusing to modern minds, but once you've fallen under Ishmael's spell, it doesn't seem to matter much; the point is listening to that voice and hearing the way he says things. Sure, at some points you might feel like saying, "Get on with the story, Grandpa!" But at the end of the story you'll be saying, "Tell me another one!" Ishmael's what I'd call a considerate narrator; for all his wandering asides about whales and what not, he always makes sure you know where you are in the narrative. After all, he only digresses during those long stretches of time when the Pequod is sailing along and not much is happening. The minute something happens, he stops rambling immediately, and then you're right there in the boat, catching a whale. I love Ishmael! To spend time in his company is well worth any effort the reading may require.

This epic story begins, as most readers are aware, with, "Call me Ishmael." Unfortunately, that is where the easy reading ends. It follows the adventures of Ishmael and his friend, cannibal and harpooner Queequeg (my favorite character), as they first meet in Nantucket before heading off on the Pequod with a vengeful Captain Ahab and his crew. The chapters run chronologically, although some find the narrator going off on tangents about whales, whaling and other related subjects. Those involving encounters with whales are the most easily read and comprehensible. Others are extremely detailed and difficult to follow. Although nowhere near the top of my list of favorite novels, the time, energy and concentration required to get through Moby Dick are well worth the effort, even if one is unable to fully appreciate or understand each and every word. It might be better read as part of a high school or college course, where the nuances of the symbolism and goings on in various chapters could be studied and discussed in great detail. An excellent but challenging read - better swallowed with a dose of Cliff Notes. Other interesting sea creature-related books include: The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, The Devil's Teeth (sharks) by Susan Casey, The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch and The Grim Grotto (book 10 in the series) by Lemony Snicket (for its Moby Dick-related plot elements).

If you're looking for a tale of adventure with interesting and memorable characters...keep looking. Despite all the bluster about how iconic this novel is and its central character, Captain Ahab, you'd be far better off reading a child's abridged version of the tale with lots of pictures. You won't miss much.

The novel begins with the famous line, "Call me Ishmael." Then, through the hundreds of pages that follow, nobody ever does. The narrator, Ishmael, says and does absolutely nothing of note throughout the course of the book. That's largely because most of the central bulk of the novel is consumed by a lot of history, fiction, and inane facts about whales and the whaling industry. As this information is related on the course of a long, dull sea voyage, Melville occasionally favors his readers with a glimpse of the white whale. For hundreds and hundreds of pages, nothing happens concerning the titular character or, really, any of the characters.

Even Captain Ahab--the main reason one supposedly has to read this book--is given short shrift. So, he's obsessed with finding the whale that took his leg so he can exact revenge. Big deal. You learn that right up front. Precious little happens to further illustrate the depth of his character or his obsession. You already know now all you need to know about Ahab and all that you will learn in this novel.

If you're interested in just getting some literary exercise, I can recommend the book as a good source for improving your vocabulary. Melville uses a lot of unfamiliar terms that are fun to add to one's own word stock. He also has an admirable style that impresses one as intelligent without being either pretentious (like Faulkner) or labored (like James).

If you want to read the STORY of Moby Dick, just read the first 21 chapters and then skip to chapters 133, 134, and 135, plus the epilogue. Leave out the 111 chapters between and save yourself the labor.

This is a select for a book club I am a member of. This book is our October selection and we are meeting on a members sail boat. I recently saw the Greggory Peck movie on the book and I look forward to reading and discussing the book on the lake under sail.

I am in the middle of reading a number of classics and this book was on my list. I've moved on to War and Peace (thankfully). I can't imagine a more rambling, nonsensical, self-indulgent piece of tripe than this horrid book.

If you don't believe me, just read the reviews written by the journalists in the prologue. Even they thought the book was exhausting and convoluted.

If you want to read the classics, I suggest you read this. Once complete, you can spout your intellect by shouting "WHAT A TERRIBLE BOOK!!!"