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Summary: In The Heart Of The Sea
Review: The book In The heart Of The Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick is an incredible book that that shows how human endurance is able to push the limits to an extreme. This book is about that whale ship the 'Essex' and its adventure at sea from Nantucket Island to its crash sight and the rescues of stranded men in the Pacific Ocean off of South America. It is written based on the diary of a young sailor, which he keeps over the course of this long adventure. This story not only tells about this large crew of men that after being rammed by the very same whale they had tried to kill, but it also tells about history at this time, and it is a story of human survival at its hardest in desolated and harsh area of the world. It is an intriguing story that will hook readers from the very begging, and not let them go till they are in the boat. In The Heart Of The Sea is an amazing book, and will no doubt keep the attention of readers of most ages and will be one for those who read it to never forget.By
Dylan
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Summary: The Real Moby Dick Story revisited!
Review: Nathaniel Philbrice re-introduces us to the forgotten tragedy of the Whaleship "Essex" and its influence on that great sea tale, Moby Dick. The setting is Nantucket Island in the post USA independence years of the late 18th century. Today this Island is a tourist attraction however back then its only attraction was the Whale oil industry and in that time Nantucket was the center of the world in that (what would now be called a shameful) industry. Nantucket's reach went all the way around the world and where the "Essex" would end up testifys to this, The vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean after a near fruitless search along both sides of the South American coast with a green crew who nearly sink her, a captain who was so not up to the task and a spot of wanton destruction on the Galapogos Islands that can still be seen to this very day. Eventually the "Essex" reachs "paydirt" and what happens next is now consigned to history. The Whale wins the battle against man and sends the "Essex" to the bottom. Now the real horror begins, survival which ends up involving the ultimate human sacrifice, cannibalisim. Mr Philbrice covers this taboo subject with clear and concise understanding and the social impact of this event on Nantucket in it's aftermath is also told. Lots of extra notes are provided for better understanding and illistrations a also used. A good piece of work on a regularly mis-told part of nautical history.
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Summary: Masterful!
Review: I don't give even 4 stars lightly, but this is on the order of absolutely essential reading for anyone with the slightest interest in the sea or history in general. The passages dealing with the unimaginable travails of these souls read with a real, visceral impact. Philbrick does a wondrous job of plotting the tale, expertly editing in excerpts from actual journals of several of the men. One of the very few books that I have immediately flipped back to page one and begun reading a second time. I did not want it to end. Has someone bought the movie rights to this yet? If so, please tell me it's not James Cameron...
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Summary: Well worthy of a 5-star review
Review: I bought this whilst on vacation in USA from my native Scotland. I knew nothing of whaling and Nantucket island before reading the book. This soon changed. Philbrick certainly seems to have done his homework; everything from the strange lexicon the Nantucketers used (many words similar to the Scots vernacular, oddly) to the type of food that was consumed in the early 19th century. I read and read, almost willing Pollard, Chase, Nickerson, Barzillai Ray, Owen Coffin and Obed Hendricks to make it back to dry land and safety. Some did, some didn't. I won't spoil it for you. An altogether excellent read, though.
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Summary: Wonderful book about whaling AND langauge
Review: Quite apart from being a fine narrative of the tragedy of the the whaleship ESSEX, this book is also remarkable for its literary worth. Mr. Philbrick is a very fine writer. This makes all the difference. In the hands of a man of lesser literary sensibility, it would not have turned out half so well, despite the compelling nature of the story. Aside from the authors of Lily Snow and Lolita, have there really been many American writers in the last thirty or forty years WORTH buying, as opposed to borrowing from a library. High questionable, that!
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Summary: Two Great Books in One
Review: Heart of the Sea is two books in one, Philbrick's straightforward, fast-paced and highly readable narrative of the whaleship Essex, its death from a whale attack, and the resultant harrowing maritime survival tragedy, and the Notes section, where Philbrick cites and expands upon the facts, issues, and concepts touched upon in the main narrative. This second part is a trove of avenues to explore, alone worth the book's purchase price. The main question of the Essex is, "Did they get what hey deserved?" Did the crew pay the long-overdue price for relentlessly the whale, for the wanton, careless destruction of whole species, for depleting a finite resource with no foresight or thought of conservation? Did nature rear up and finally fight back? The facts and other evidence Philbrick offers clearly lean that way. The irony of the Essex's crew reduced to hollow-eyed animals sucking the marrow from their shipmates' bones after their numerous examples of careless, wanton killing cannot be escaped. Philbrick writes effortlessly, comfortable with virtually all aspects of early 19th century seamanship, whaling, even the demographics and cultural context of the early 19th century American maritime Northeast. He describes Nantucket in detail, and the role its conservative Quakerism played in the whaling industry and in the Essex tragedy itself. The basic story flows quickly, at times almost too quickly, as the central narrative takes only about 170 pages of the book's 302. The other pages set the historical, economic, cultural, and sociological stages, and provide excellent epilogue. I found the fast-moving story frustrating, as I was keen to enjoy in detail the voyage, wreck, and 92-day ordeal at sea. For example, the Essex's struggle for "more than a month" to round Cape Horn is described in less than two pages, most of this geographic and historical context. Upon reflection, Philbrick's story is constrained by scant available sources for the tale of exactly what happened during the voyage and after. To his credit, he is loathe to blithely create fiction where he has no indication of what truly happened during the voyage and after the wreck. He does make speculations, but they are informed speculations, and he is careful to discuss them with the reader as they are presented. He does not embellish, nor does he fictionalize; he tells the best story he can with the historical information he has at hand. This is noble, honest, and makes for a more compelling book than one in which fiction and truth would be harder to distinguish. The narrative concludes with the survivors' lives after their ordeal, their successes and failures. This almost puts a happy ending on the story. Curious is the fact that many of the survivors were so open about their experiences, and in great detail. Certainly this was an effort at explanation, and through that redemption, but what else lies behind this need? It seems Philbrick's inquisitiveness and research fails a bit here, not exploring the psychology of why men would so freely admit to the greatest of taboos. The Notes section of the book is highly detailed, and shows the depth of research and knowledge Philbrick brings to this work. This is just a sample of things he discusses, things to explore: early 19th century sailing, seamanship, and whaling; sperm whale behavior and anatomy; classic historical instances of disaster and survival cannibalism; "gastronomic incest" and "stomach masturbation;" Nantucket wives' use of opium and, uh, male anatomical surrogate devices; Samoan obesity, its relationship to ancient South Pacific exploration, and the advantage of being fat in a starvation situation; World War II starvation studies; "modern feral communities;" Japanese cannibalism cookbooks, and; the numerous links to "Moby Dick." Philbrick evaluates his sources, giving credence to some while dismissing others, providing justification for his conclusions. One is struck while reading the Notes that this second narrative is actually a jumping-off point for any number of adventures. This is a part of the book distinct from the straightforward story of the Essex, and a fascinating place to look for more things to explore, most of them non-fiction. The Notes serve to expand on some of the issues and stories Philbrick touches upon in the main narrative, but wisely has chosen not to burden the story with. The citations of available books and publications are considerable, which could lead the reader in any direction, either fiction or nonfiction, scientific, biographical, historical, sociological, anywhere. The book contains a number of highly useful maps and drawings. There is a detailed diagram of the ship to explain terms. The maps are particularly useful to gain perspective on the immense distances these sailors traveled. There also are 16 glossy black and white plates, with drawings, photographs, documents, and maps illuminating the story. There is a useful ten-page select bibliography. This is a bit redundant, given the Notes portion of the book, but it does provide a number of references and related materials which are not cited directly in the narrative or Notes. At only seven pages, the index is disappointing, not nearly as detailed as it should be. It fails to reference the book adequately, omitting a number of names, places, titles, and ideas. For example, Philbrick makes mention of the 1996 film "White Squall" and the Piers Paul Read book "Alive," yet neither is referenced by title in the index. I note one niggling detail: Philbrick cites Read's "Alive" (and lists it in his select bibliography) and notes that it is about a Uruguayan "soccer" team. It was actually a rugby team, not a soccer team. This may be a minor mistake of fact by the author and/or editing team, or it may be that Philbrick has not delved nearly as deeply into his sources as his extensive notes and bibliography otherwise indicate. All in all, this is a highly enjoyable book, first for its smooth and riveting narrative, and second for the unexpected trove of additional paths to explore. Despite my one speculative, marginally negative comment above, I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Intense and Scholarly, an AMAZING read
Review: I'm just back from a visit to a whaling ship in the early 1800s. IN THE HEART OF THE SEA was passed along to me by a reading friend at work. This would not have been a book I would have picked up without her strong recommendation. It is one of the best written books I've read in a long time, a scholarly compilation of information as well as a journal and a notebook left behind by survivors of the whaling ship The Essex which was attacked by a whale. This is the same story that Melville adapted MOBY DICK from. Melville, however, only had access to the journal of the First Mate, and since that time a notebook kept by the cabinboy has come to light. The author, Nathaniel Philbrick, takes those, and thoroughly researches not only the time and the industry, but the history of Nantucket, including the lives of the women (who basically ran things as whaling might require a voyage of 2-3 years) and the peace loving Quakers, who became a rather blood thirsty lot when chasing whales. The book also includes a wonderful collection of maps and photographs. [Only the BEST armchair books include maps and pictures!] The extreme arrogance of man, to cast out into huge oceans (and I mean plural, for the whalers went right around the Cape) to take on these giants of the sea. Imagine - no GPS, no radios, no tracking, no instant communications. To go after these huge sea creatures in small boats with harpoons - and once they lanced the whale it was a merry ride, like a runaway carriage. The author skillfully knits the story together with lot of scholarly research into the effects of starvation, the plundering of the whale (very much along the scale of the buffalo) and the effects on the people who live through this, the leadership or politics of the ships as well as the whaling island of Nantucket. Let me HIGHLY recommend, and ... interestingly enough the Spousal Unit LISTENED when I recommended that he should at least look at the pictures and diagrams ... and he just inquired if I "had trouble putting the book down" (and he is NOT a reader).
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Summary: In The Heart Of The Sea
Review: This incredible account of the whaling ship "ESSEX" is something you will feel and live as you read it line by line. This horrifying account is beyond my wildest imagination as to what these seamen experienced during this voyage. Exceptionally exciting.
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Summary: Highly Recommend, A Page Turner
Review: I have read all the accounts of the Essex demise and this book gives balance to both Owen Chase's account and that of Captain George Pollard. I had a hard time putting this book down. One is amazed of what these men did to survive. I will not give away any details but I assure you, you will be mesmerized. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a tale with the right mixture of history and adventure. Being a regular of Nantucket for the past 30 years, I was enchanted of the accounts of life on the island in its glory years and life on the high seas. A page turner, you will love this book!
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Summary: my very own BOOK OF THE YEAR!
Review: A friend loaned me the book and RAVED. I took it along on a car trip to Vegas... not really expecting much (i'm not really into books about the ocean and fishing). I read it aloud to my hubby on the way back. he was soooo into the book that he pulled over after the sun started to set to buy a flashlight so i could continue.
The book was extremely descriptive. I must say that I had been bordering on the edge of becoming a vegetarian for some time. This pushed... no SHOVED me over the edge.
The book has raised so many interesting questions... my husband and I have marveled at the adversity these men faced...
I can honestly say this book has changed my life.
I haven't eaten meat in months.
AWESOME BOOK!!!!
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