Book Review: Moby Dick

Moby Dick, Herman Melville
3.218.11 - 5.17.11

When I started this one, I was super intimidated. Having to actually record my "start" time was intimidating, since I knew it'd take me a while to finish. I should really be less cowed by these authors...

But I did it! I really did it! I felt so accomplished at the end. I took about six pages of notes, writing down references and words I didn't understand, and I feel like at the end of it, I did my best to get the most out of this one.

I think I liked it. His structure--the references--were really well done. The story line itself feels so classic it's impossible (for me) to critique, but I guess I'll try. Some plot points felt like they weren't carried through to the extent that they should have been. A if, after embarking on a 200-page tangent about whale physiology, he forgot the original point he was trying to make.

He sets certain characters up as main players, then it turns out others are much more poignant. I liked the sense of poetic, dark humour he maintained with the names of the chips. I feel like if I was raised at the time of his writing, with a Christian-religion upbringing, it would have been even more entertaining.

Oh and lastly, the footnotes gave a strong impression of not like Melville at all. There were comments that could almost be described as snarky. Some even so far as biting. Which I think skewed my reading a little, but nothing too damaging.

Book Update: Moby Dick

That's right, I'm not finished but I'm still going to talk about it. I'm actually super surprised at how long it's staking me to get through this book. I made a joke about it being my white whale (but not really, because I was certain Pynchon was my biggest white whale), BUT OH MY GOD I MIGHT BE WRONG.

This book is taking a long time. Longer than I've spent on any book (apart from maybe Tolstoy's short stories, but that's different, because I was reading other things as well) in a long time.

It's a good exercise in patience, I suppose. A reminder about it being about the journey, rather than the destination. The goal isn't to have read Moby Dick, it is to read Moby Dick.

Except....

I don't think I like this book. I'm halfway through and really? Not so much. I'll stick with it, but better believe I'm rewarding myself with some awesome (and ahem short) Russian literature after this.