In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

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Summary: a historian who can write...
Review: In November 1820 the Nantucket whaleship Essex was attacked by an angry spermwhale, 1,500 miles off the coast of Peru. This is the true story that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick. After the Essex sank, the 20 crew members took to the open seas of the central Pacific in three whale boats. In the Heart of the Sea is a historian's account of the Nantucket whaling industry, the personalities of individuals, the destruction of the Essex and the three-month open-boat journey plagued by thirst, hunger, cannibalism, and bad management decisions. The book reads as smoothly as any novel yet is backed up by the authority of years of research by a historian specializing in Nanctucket Island (off the Cape Cod peninsula in Massachusetts).

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Summary: A Nautical Must
Review: I thought this book dripped with history and detail. Not since "Two Years Before The Mast" have I felt the excitement of trimming the rigging as they approached the Horn and beyond. Largely compiled of first hand accounts, and the facenating history of Nantucket, it was an real Nautical page turner, a real salty book. As for the endeavors of the poor men of the Essex, you grow so close to them you start to sympathize with them, and ultimately to forgive them. It is a well told story of heros and the possibility in any of us to rise to the moment, come together and perserver against the most dire odds in a merciless frontier. I am most pleased to recomend this book to any in question of the human spirit, or to those who just want to know what it was like to go a whaleing.

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Summary: Tragic, heroic and stunning..........4 1/2 stars
Review: This story is the well documented story of the sinking of the whaleship Essex by a whale. This is the story of the actual events that inspired Herman Melville to create his novel, Moby Dick. In the Heart of the Sea is the story of the whaling industry in Nantucket, as well as the culture of the people of Nantucket. Most of all it is a story of how men faced with what seems to be insurmountable odds against them, strive with everything in their heart and soul to survive and return home. The lengths these men of the sea would go to and the actions they are forced to choose between were stunning. The author describes their physical and mental condition as their situation plays out and you realize what a super-human effort even the smallest necessary task was to perform. To fight when your body has nothing to draw upon or to surrender yourself at that point, these are the decisions they must weigh. The author recreates the emotions at each point in their journey. From the ramming of the ship, when the men cannot believe what is happening, to their isolation on the sea, thousands of miles from the nearest land in small boats and a meager supply of survival supplies, to their arrival on an island, only to realize they cannot survive for long there either. The documentation of the starvation process from other situations (concentration camps, remote crash sights, etc.) provide a crystal clear story of what these men were experiencing. While the first chapter or so did not pull me into the story, suddenly I was swept up in the lives of these whalers and could not put this book down. If you want to read about the sea or what men can overcome when life is in the balance, this is a vivid tale, tragic, heroic and stunning.

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Summary: Excellent tale of history and adventure
Review: If you liked Endurance about explorer Ernest Shackelton, you will LOVE this book too. The added pleasure of this book is the rich lesson in American and Nantucket history and early American culture- both the human history and the wonderful and tragic history of the great sperm whale. This will become a classic a New England tale, a highly readable synopsis of previous writings on this very same subject matter.

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Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: Best book I've read in twenty years. Period.

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Summary: More than a tragedy story
Review: When I started to read this book, I discovered that it was more than a whaleship's wreck story. It talks about the leadership of one man (Owen Chase) and the weakness of another: Pollard, Jr. I couldn't put it down. The author is extremely precise in all facts and the narrative is well-written. I recommend.

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Summary: No fluff stuff here
Review: The first chapter didn't grab me. By the time I finished the second chapter only a "knockdown" could have gotten the book away from me. I read it in a day and then read the notes. Well done, Mr. Philbrick, you brought to life the people of Nantucket who lived as my sea-going ancestors from Maine must have done. You made it so real we could smell the fog, feel the salt and heat, and weep for the decisions made under stress. The weaving of salient facts with the on-going narrative are effortless. This is a never-to-be-forgotten book. Thanks.

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Summary: Detailed, but not to much.
Review: I was impressed with how Mr. Philbrick was able to share just the right amount of detail. When reading the narrative of the canniblaism I was just about to shout, enough! when he stopped. The book flowed well and was never boring. The explanations of whaling and the culture, both in Nantucket and on ship, were well done. The sadness of wrong decisions and how they can have such a devestating affect on others is something many of us can relate to as we make decisions throughout life. I appreciated the Epilogue, but felt the extensiveness of the Notes were unnecessary. It was already evident that much research had gone into this book. This book is certainly not for everyone. those who are looking for a love story will not find it here. It is a true story about people coping in an extreme situation and what they feel they must resort to.

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Summary: A quick & entertaining read
Review: I'm not a fisherman or do I have much interest in boats, the ocean, etc. My brother-in-law recommended this book and I cannot use enough superlatives to describe what an enjoyable book this is. The historical details are intriguing and the story of the ill-fated whaling voyage is truly riveting. Even though you know how it ends, the story is so engrossing that I read this in a matter of days. Bring it to the beach, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

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Summary: Outstanding
Review: Like other reviewers I found this one difficult to put down. A grim tale. Very well-written, the descriptions of Nantucket culture and whaling activities elevate the book to be more than just an adventure story. I found the book highly readable, the detail was rewarding and easy to follow. I also recommend Lansing's "Endurance", the story of Shackleton.