Why Read Moby-Dick? (2011)

Book Info

Author

Nathaniel Philbrick

Genre

History & Biography

Rating

3.63 of 5 Votes: 5

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ISBN

0670022993 (ISBN13: 9780670022991)

Language

English

Publisher

Viking Adult

Shops

Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble

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About book Why Read Moby-Dick? (2011)

I always loved Moby Dick. Read it over the summer in high school for AP English. I used to throw an inner tube in the pool and float around while reading. Perfect to be in the water. I loved the digressions, the poetry of it, and then just closing my eyes and imagining being on a boat. This little book made me want to go back to the novel for a re-read. And to go on to Billy Budd which I've never read. Philbrick is a masterful writer but this appreciation of Moby-Dick, while serving as a lovely introduction to the book, ends up feeling slight and hurried. On the other hand, it's accessible, and it could imagine using it as an introduction for someone embarking on reading the novel, to get an overview of Melville's life and work and the cultural, historical, and literary context hex was working within.