Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex: The Extraordinary and Distressing Memoir that Inspired Herman Melville’s Moby Dick
Alright...time for another book review.
Apparently I'm in the mood for survivor stories lately. Two books in a row based on protagonists stranded in the ocean. Hopefully this one doesn't have as many sharks as the last one did. O_o
The Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex was a mish-mash of opinions for me. I was disappointed in the title, as 50% or less of the book is devoted to the actual story that inspired the classic novel Moby Dick. The rest of the book is primarily account after boring account of how other whales were also aggressive towards their hunters. There were only a couple accounts in the later half of the book that were of any interest that separated them from the rest. The book is fairly short in the first place, but I would have rather them made it even shorter and only put in the stories that were unique.
Overall this was a thought-provoking book. It covers quite a few topics that are worth talking about. These range from the most famous aggressive whales of the seas, to how the sailors would milk the females while they slept, to how lucrative the whaling was during that time. I would recommend this book only if people are REALLY interested in history, or would like a short read about the adventure and perils the whaling ships went through each time they left solid land.
Malia's Pizza Rating
Rating: 26,883 pound pizza - it's a whale!