Moby Dick

Deliverance

How many people have read this book and found it inspiring and amazing? I tasked myself to read it as a chore having not read many classics.

From the first to the last I found it exciting, interesting and looked forward nightly to the bedtime hour when I could hold this amazing epic story of human nature.

I found it to be a series of night-time chapters at bedtime which I read untill I coud not keep my eyes open, literally (pardon the pun). My daily chores (job etc) were only done and taken with the thought of finishing this book at the time I was reading it, bed time was a pleasure.

What a book, what a book.

Any pointers to another such classics? I have started reading the works of Sherlock Holmes but it is disappointing but at the same time kind of great in it's own way. It is no Moby Dick.

buck65

You may well have convinced me to read this. Damn you...as if I hadn't enough to read at home.

Dades

Great book - a real window to a different time.

My fav quote is from Moby Dick!

Sean7

Similarly read it 'just to read Moby Dick' but I too found it to be a fantastic book. As for searching for your next whale; Robinson Crusoe would probably be another classic in a similar vein for you to look into. Adventures of Tom Sawyer and/or Huck Finn too maybe.

Eliot Rosewater

Popular culture has seemed to typify Moby Dick as just a hard book to read with little enjoyment to be had in return. Its on my shelf but I didnt plan on reading it, put the OP has got me interested!

Did you find trouble with all the whaling terms?

Deliverance

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

Popular culture has seemed to typify Moby Dick as just a hard book to read with little enjoyment to be had in return. Its on my shelf but I didnt plan on reading it, put the OP has got me interested!

Did you find trouble with all the whaling terms?

I found that as well about pop culture but always had it in the back of my mind to read it and see why it was a classic. The catalyst eventually was: I found an old worn hardback in the library with amazing diagrams which just drew me to it.

The 'whaling terms' are only introduced after they are talked about graphically in the story so they are not really a problem for the reader. There is quite some technical detail but it only adds to the overall feel of the book.

An interesting part I found about reading it was the authors ability to write in amazing detail about just about everything whilst keeping the story intact. At one stage several pages of text were dedicated to the colour white and how it is perceived in religion and nature (obviously related to nature and the whale).

It is a hard read in a way, I found that I had to stick at it for approx 30mins to get into the spirit and the language of the book, but once I got into it I could not put it down. There were many moments in the book where I felt v.satisfied and smiled to myself. I read it to my Gf at times and she was the same.

The relationships in the book were amazing to see unfold through the characters. Ahab and his history with the whale, the nature of his insanity are described beautifully and horribly. Starbucks relationship with Ahab is one of total loyalty, Ishmael meeting Quee Queg was frightening etc etc.

The overall feel for me as an experience was that the author had an incredible understanding of human nature through his experiences as a whaler on a ship.

I could go on forever because the book is just so good. I would just say that having read it I am v.happy that I did.

tyler71

Loved the book but couldn't stick the chapters about the various parts of the whale - just skipped straight past them and back to the plot part. Found the same thing with Tolstoy's War and Peace - ended up reading alternate chapters - guess that makes me a bad person:(

Deliverance

tyler71 wrote: »

Loved the book but couldn't stick the chapters about the various parts of the whale - just skipped straight past them and back to the plot part. Found the same thing with Tolstoy's War and Peace - ended up reading alternate chapters - guess that makes me a bad person:(

Nah you just read the edited versions;)

buck65

tyler71 wrote: »

Loved the book but couldn't stick the chapters about the various parts of the whale - just skipped straight past them and back to the plot part. Found the same thing with Tolstoy's War and Peace - ended up reading alternate chapters - guess that makes me a bad person:(

How could you !!! (admit to such a thing).

Sergeant

Fantastic novel. On a personal level, I love the chapters that describe the whaling business, they contrast with the more fate driven sections.

On another note, metal band Mastodon released an album Leviathan loosely based on Moby Dick.

tyler71

Forgot there you had asked for recommendations (although I might not be the best person to do it, given my half-arsed attempt at Moby Dick!) but if you enjoyed Melville you might also enjoy Joseph Conrad (who also worked as a sailor for a time)- apart from the very well known Heart of Darkness, I really enjoyed Lord Jim, Nostromo and Typhoon (more of a short story). Set around the same time, a lot of nautical themes as well but apart from that, just great reads.

Carawaystick

Moby disk is great. Digresses loads, wanders all over the shop, is a historical novel describing whaling, is so much deeper. 'tis great.
The actual whaling stuff was great. I remember first reading this and ( it was a cheap £2 penguin edition) wondering if someone hadn't stuffed a load of the encyclopaedia cephalopoedia into it to bulk it up. But I love random useless information....

Denerick

I've always been meaning to read it. Will do so soon. Cheers for making an even bigger 'to read' list for me OP!

bullpost

Deliverance wrote: »

Any pointers to another such classics? I have started reading the works of Sherlock Holmes but it is disappointing but at the same time kind of great in it's own way. It is no Moby Dick.

I'd recommend you try Don Quixote by Cervantes. Its a big book and totally unlike anything else you'll read. Takes a bit of effort to get into it but worth it.

cassiusclay

[SIZE=+2]Call me Ishmael.[/SIZE]

Or poke me on facebook. You have reminded me to re read this book.TY. Loved this as a kid.