Moby Dick!

Posted byMoushmi RadhanparaPosted inBook Reviews., From a book loverTags:, , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. Ishmael’s obsessively narrates the quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship’s previous voyage bit off Ahab’s leg at the knee….

 

I could go on and on about the summary but I might end up just describing the book so I’ll stop here. I am simply going to talk about whether I liked the book or not. Also, I should warn I might end up just disclosing the book to you. Reads ahead and you might come across some spoilers. (In case you are reading or plan to read this book.)

 

So, before I tell you about if I liked the book or not, I will disclose you some random facts which you might already know, but since I am getting bored in the middle of the day, and I have no one to talk to, I might just go on. So, bear with me.

 

August 1, 2019 marks the 200thbirthday of the author that remains unread in English language. There could be many reasons behind it, the assumed complex plot of his book Moby Dick that may have instances of gay marriage, slavery and imperialism and existential crisis, would be few of them. It also has a reputation of being dull.

 

But is it?

 

Well, I am rolling my eyes right now. I want to say ‘no’ but I can’t. I mean yeah, it’s long; it’s dreary but not so much as dull. I am contradicting myself, am I not? But I have a little mixed review of this one. Yes, the author drags and drags about whaling and finding the whale and you start wondering if at all you are going to see that wale in the book. There was a point when I started thinking that if the whale makes no appearance at all, it would be like waiting for an ice cream cone in a hookah bar. But nearing the end, I mean too close to the last few pages; we do get a glimpse of the so-talked-of white whale. So, what I am trying to say is, patience with the book pays off. I did think to give up on this book midway, but considering the fact that the copy was sitting on my table for soooooo long, I had to at least find out what happens. Honestly, I was literally hooked for the first 150 pages or so and lost myself midway because of the too much delay, in thinking if anything is about to happen or not. But then it all picked up nearing the last 100 pages.

 

I did find out what happens, partly though. I do know what happens to Ahab but I still wanted to find out what happens to our dear Moby Dick. I mean, I know just as the other books that leave you hanging you are supposed to make assumptions here, but despite reading more than 600 pages, I still wanted more.

 

So, there you have it, I have mixed reviews of the book. I liked it and I didn’t like it. There is a lot to think about here, you’ll need a lot of patience, I mean a-lot to finish the book even once so the thought of reading it again does not cross my mind as of now. May be later.

 

So, pick this up! I mean if you have that kind of endurance you really should. thoughtco.com claims this to be one of the top 5 classics that you should read in your lifetime. And I think you won’t regret it. It is funny at the same time it makes your brain go on a full time parole.

 

I am sure I would have enjoyed this even more if I had read it at some other time. Last month was pretty disturbing and picking this up then, wasn’t exactly helpful. The book to me was more of the right person that comes across in your life at the wrong time. But then that’s my personal experience. I still recommend this one to really serious and avid-avid-avid readers. You are not going to get along this boy toy if you are looking for something casual.

 

PS: I am weird and I liked Queqeeg more than others.

PPS: I just got to know, with this I make a mark of 500 posts on my page!

Published by Moushmi Radhanpara

A bilingual writer, Moushmi Radhanpara has authored three poetry collections so far, namely POSIES and 03:21 AM –An Ode to Rust & Restlessness, and Resignation of an Angel. She is also scribbling an unplanned rough draft of a story as a part of NANOWRIMO 2020 and hopes that something might come out of it. She has also co-authored two books, The Lockdown Stories and Mirage so far. Her poetries can be found on her blog https://aestheticmiradh.com/ and a few other online portals. She believes in the fact that a better reader makes a better writer. Reading a 100 books a year is her latest obsession. She can be found either drunk on coffee or hiding away from everything and admiring the gorgeous sun.

42 thoughts on “Moby Dick!”

  1. So you did post a review 🙂
    ‘I liked it and I didn’t like it’ this is consistent with what I feel as I read this book. But you deserve all the kudos for managing to read it in such a short time.
    Congratulations on 500 posts! I was expecting a speech, with advice for other bloggers.

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  2. This is an amazing book, one of the greatest pieces of American literature. So many Biblical allusions, such as Captain Ahab that references King Ahab, a king of Israel who worshiped idols. As long as it is, and it can be difficult to get through on occasion, but it’s worth the time and effort to really dig into this. Thanks for the review!

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  3. Honesty … This is the third time i have come across the mention of Moby Dick in recent past ….it’s almost like the book is calling out to me but your review makes me feel it isn’t the right time for me to pick it up either …… .. patience is not something I can boast of presently especially when I have six unread books screaming at me from my bed side😜

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  4. liked it. Thanks for the warning. I have so plans to pick it, the plot didn’t take off! Thanks 🙂
    And many congratulations for the 500. Happy Blogging 🙂

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  7. Congrats on your persistence! MD is definitely a loooong novel and sluggish at times, but hey, that’s a 19th century novel for you. 🙂 As someone commented here, a very deep and complex tale with lots of Biblical allusions. In 1850s America, everyone knew at least one book–the King James Bible. So, readers then would be more familiar with the allusions than we may be today. “Call me Ishmael,” the famous first line starts it all off. Ishmael, the outcast son of Abraham. Makes sense for the novel, no? Then, there’s Father Mapple’s sermon…and so on. MD is often considered the greatest of American novels, but I like the 20th century lit better.

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  9. This review is great timing– I’m plowing my way through Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” and I can’t help wondering how much of his description (like Melville’s) is actually symbolic. I’ve heard people say “Moby Dick” is hard to appreciate the first time through because so much of the tedium is symbolic for deeper meanings that are hard to catch at first– a sign of truly complex and artful storytelling.

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  14. I read this book years ago. It does go on and on about the whaling industry, but I found some of its imagery quite vivid. Some other Melville works aren’t quite as heavy as this one. I especially liked his tales of the South Pacific.

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