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giuliamrll's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Islamophobia, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
sofipitch's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
lizzie24601's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Melville's writing - I can only assume he was paid by the word - is at times quite difficult to get through, and the filler chapters on whale art and terminology don't help. Other than the first several chapters (of Ishmael and Queequeg in Massachusetts) and the last few chapters (where the book's reputation actually comes to fruition), there's really not much of a plot and the book is very episodic. If you're looking for a "masterpiece of American literature" that is going to open your mind and blow you away, I don't think this is it.
However - I was surprised to see the amount of diversity in the crew, and there were several scenes with beautiful descriptions of ocean and whaling life. The themes Melville introduces here (of obsession, of mass mania, of race relations and the destructiveness of "whiteness") are tantalizing and I would LOVE to see an adaptation dive deeper into these, with the participation of voices of color and modern, more accessible language.
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Blood
yojacksonyo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry
hjb_128's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
Minor: Child death, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
holden1951's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs
sarasanchez's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Racial slurs, and Racism
piahz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Death and Religious bigotry
clevermird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What I didn't realize, however, was that this book was also relatively easy to read, surprisingly funny, and full of dick jokes. While it was certainly not a breeze to get through, the prose was relatively modern and uncomplicated and is often written in a dialogue-heavy, almost script-like style that makes it feel fast paced.
So what's the book actually about? A schoolteacher takes a break from teaching to satisfy his wanderlust by joining a whaling crew (as one does). He signs onboard the Pequod, captained by the mysterious Ahab, who seems bent on capturing Moby Dick, the mysterious white whale, at all costs. Vengeance, he claims, for the leg that Moby Dick took from him years ago. What follows is an epic tale (over seven hundred pages!) of vignettes, character studies and, yes, whale facts, all building toward the confrontation at the heart of this quest.
Although I started this review by talking up how much easier this book was than I thought it would be, that doesn't mean it was painless to get through. Moby Dick is heavy on the literary references, allusions, and implications, meaning that it's hardly turn-your-brain-off literature. While I do enjoy something to sink my teeth into, at some point it just got to be way too much, as the endless stream of prose didn't seem to be going anywhere or building to anything, to the point that when the white whale did finally show his face, my reaction wasn't awe so much as an exasperated "finally!".
Was the book worth a read? Absolutely, both from a historical and literature standpoint and as an exercise in appreciating this style of writing. Will I ever read it again? Probably not. I had more fun with Moby Dick than I expected, but ultimately it's just too much of a good thing.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, and Terminal illness
There are lots of descriptions of and references to drowning in this book.tkivinen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
It is drawn out, mostly very boring, and jumps from genre to genre. The language is so archaic it desperately needs modernization.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Gore