Customer Reviews

Whalesong: A Novel About the Greatest and Deepest of Beings

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My wife is a sixth grade teacher and reads "Whalesong" to her class as a read aloud book in their Sea Life Expedition. Her students are just raving about how much they love it. She says it is wonderful how it brings in other books, such as Moby Dick. The children can really relate, since it is told in the whales pespective. She says, "You feel as if you are right there swimming with the whales". She highly recommends this book!

Whalesong

Poetic, interesting, easy to read

I read this very quickly, it was an easy read and I was engrossed in the story. A bit predictable in some parts but overall was very entertaining. The author writes about life of a whale from his infancy until he becomes a father and leader of the whale pod. Others have written reviews that reveal more about the content so I will refrain from repeating what they have said. Just think of what life would be like as a whale and how things look from a whale's perspective. The only thing that I find a bit questionable is that the whales are given a VERY human-like intelligence and emotional capacity, which some people may find too unrealistic to bear. Encounters with whaling ships, storms, humans, an aquarium, and a great escape are all covered. There is even some romance. I enjoyed this book but I'll be honest and state that I felt it was the author's intent to give support to the "save the whales" movement; it is a bit like fiction-based propaganda. (This book was first published in 1981 when the "save the whales" campaign was a popular environmental cause.) How anyone can read this book and not suddenly feel compelled to do something to help save the whales is beyond me. It also made me feel guilty for having visited aquariums in the past! The book has emotional parts and I did shed a few tears and at other parts I was cheering for the whales and other sea creatures. I understand the author went on to write two sequels to this story but as of yet I have not read them. Read it and form your own opinions!

It is rare that an author writes a book from the perspective of a non-human animal that actually makes you feel as if THIS IS THE ANIMAL TALKING. The world of the whales is spun around us, in a magical, unforgettable tale. I felt as though I was really there, swimming with the whales. More non-human animals need their experiences expressed- and literature may be the best way. YOU- YES, YOU- MUST READ THIS BOOK. Even for those who simply wish to enjoy faultless literature, this book is a must-read.

A poetic, beautiful and heart-warming tale of Hruna, a humpback whale, from a calf to the leader of the pod and a father. It seems as though it was written by a real whale. Reading this book, I like and appreciate the whales more. No more explanation will be necessary. Just read this book and enjoy it.

I have read this book several times, as a young adult, an adult, and a parent reading to children. Loved it every time. The story is captivating as story, but Siegel is also a gifted poet and the language is as beautiful as the tale it tells.

None of the reviews do these books justice. The first book, Whalesong, is a very good book. The next 2 books get better and better. But you really need to read Whalesong before going on the others.

Yes, 'saving the whales' is an obvious theme, and for good reason! Maybe if more people thought about what we are doing to the planet from the whales' point of view, they would change.

But, that is not really what this trilogy is about. These books are about the spiritual journey, about visionquests, about life and death. Each book in the trilogy gets better. Start with Whalesong and by the time you finish Ice you will not be the same. Allow this beautiful, spiritually uplifting tale to inspire and transform you!

Very consciousness-raising, and by that I mean spiritually. Also poetically written. You'll shed some tears, but you will feel enriched.

What if...just what if...it's true??? What if whales really do have a culture as emotionally and spiritually rich as our own?

You think that sounds far-fetched? You won't after you read these wonderful books.

Robert Siegel's whalesong sagas are magic! We homeschool our children, and have a time each day set aside to read aloud to one another. WHALESONG was the first book I chose to read to the girls. Before I finished the first page, we were all transported to the mysterious, undersea kingdom of the humpback whale, Hruna. At times I had to stop to wipe away tears before going on with the story. These books are so beautifully written and the story so touching and meaningful, that we completely forgave the evolutionary slant and, at times, the predictability, of the books. They were not written to be read only once and then hidden away on an obscure shelf to be forgotten. And like poetry, the tales are meant to be read aloud--that is, if one can get through them without crying too often. Enter Hruna's world. You won't be disappointed.

I read this book in about 3 nights. It was a very good story and since I have always loved whales, it was wonderful for me to "get inside a whale's head". The author makes the whales very human-like, which some readers may object to. This didn't bother me though. The only drawback is that sometimes he makes the story a bit predictable. I would highly reccommend this book to all whale lovers and others who would like a good story.

WHALESONG IS A GREAT BOOK.THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN BY ROBERT SIEGEL. HE WRITES THIS IN THE WHALES POINT OF VIEW.THIS BOOK IS ABOUT WHALES.THE BOOK IS TELLING YOU ABOUT THIS WHALE NAMED HRUNA. THE BOOK TELLS ABOUT THE WHOLE LIFE OF HRUNA.ROBERT SIEGEL SHOWS YOU WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE A WHALE AND ALL THE TROUBLES A WHALE CAN RUN INTO. THIS BOOK HAS ALOT OF DETAILS.

This is easily one of my top three favorite novels of all time. Whalesong reminds you that words can be magical. Prose can be art. And Robert Siegel is a true artist, a true wordsmith. The pages of Whalesong hum with life, and you are about to be swept away to a faraway place of wonder and imagination.