Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman MelvilleMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I happen to have the Usborne 161-page edition of Moby Dick in my possession, which I understand is a VERY condensed/watered-down version of the original, but nonetheless I enjoyed it VERY much! I couldn't put this book down. The author's writing is almost poetic. The plot, while somewhat foreseeable, kept me intrigued and fascinated. Some of the other reviews mentioned a long and tedious description of the whaling industry. Being that this particular edition of the book is VERY much abridged, I did not have that experience. Ishmael, the main character and narrator of the story, only discusses the whaling business briefly. In addition to being a great fictional novel, this book also has a lot of "food for thought." For example, Ahab's fatal obsession with Moby Dick clearly demonstrates what can happen in life when we ourselves choose to channel all of our emotion, passion, energy, and focus on one thing. Ahab's life could have been so very different. He could have lived a long and happy life with his wife and son, but instead allowed revenge and hatred to consume his entire being. Life has to be balanced or else our happiness and progression are at stake. That is only one of many insights this book has to offer. I would definitely recommend it to others.
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1 comment:
It's a classic! Good choice, reading the abridged edition. It saved you from a whole lot of useless rambling (all classics tend to have too much explanation of random things, like the whaling industry. I just read Les Miserables and it went on-and-on-and-on-and-on about the road/sewer systems in France...seriously? TMI). Poor, crazy-obsessed, one legged Ahab...Lesson learned: Don't seek revenge against whales, even if they ate your leg. Also, don't get tangled in the harpoon line of a diving whale.
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