Rating: 
Summary: A suberb, atmospheric book of biblical proportions.
Review: A suberb, atmospheric book of biblical proportions. It is a journey through Melvilles obsession, as well as Ahabs, and presents a robust and romantic metaphor on oligarchy and the power and influence that psychopaths in charge exert over their crew or army. Fury like Ahabs has an almost indominatable force. Men like this have lead many unwilling accomplices to their graves. If it was't a whale it would have been something else, a mountain, a country, possesion, endless wealth, the lust to usurp and dominate.
I loved Melvilles rambling passages about whales.
Rating: 
Summary: The Problem of America
Review: We should dispense with the Great American Novel business that usually clouds the real issue about the literary value of this book, along with others like Twain's "Huckleberry Finn". Moby Dick is a difficult book: difficul because, like America, it tries to make sense of many things all at once. We're confronted by Ishmael, the philosopher struck by wanderlust; Queequeg,the highly-civilized savage; Ahab, the American Faustus; Starbuck, the moralist who is torn by a temptation to blow Ahab's brains out with a musket and the desire to turn him away from his revenge plot; and finally, the silent yet pervasive character after whom the book is named, the White Whale himself, who seems to be some sort of deity whose motivations are unfathomable, like the depths he inhabits. It is next to impossible to find a satisfactory treatment of all these characters at once. Keep in mind that these are just the main characters; we haven't even started talking about the others yet. Where should we start judging a book? By what standards? It would take a lifetime to figure out all the hidden real-life implications within the book. It is vanity to think we have exhausted all the avenues of criticism that this book has to offer
Rating: 
Summary: Most awful, horrendous, and boring book I have ever read.
Review: Reading Moby Dick was like torture- I would have rather been writing a 500 page report. At least I could have written it on something interesting. Moby Dick is a 500 page account of the same whale, the same people, the same trip, and the EXACT SAME THING over and over again.
I recommend this book if you have an incrediably boring life to begin with that couldn't get much worse and a lot of time on your hands.
Rating:
Summary: Great nautical story but often tortuous
Review: "Moby Dick" is a powerful story of the obsession of Captain Ahab to commandeer the use of his crew and ship to wreck vengeance on the mighty beast Moby Dick; I only wish Melville had kept it at that. It seems that Melville couldn't decide whether he wanted to write a dark, brooding novel of obsession and destruction, or rather a scientific treatise on whales and whaling. The digressions seemed interminable. I recommend future readers simply skip them; you won't miss much and some of what he says is quite wrong (e.g., whales are NOT fish). I suppose a modern editor would have cleaned that up for him and prevented the novel from suffering from its reputation of being boring (not at all deserved). One last point, the final climactic scene where everyone (except Ishmael) drowns as the ship sinks is quite unbelievable
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Summary: Captain Ahab versus Moby Dick - lessons in Taoism.
Review: Captain Ahab sure could've benefitted from some of the principles of Taoism.
His obsession with chasing and slaughtering Moby Dick offers
readers great insights into the typical principles of Western
European philosophy which Melville was undoubtedly criticizing
in "Moby Dick". The author is warning the world of the destructiveness
and insaneness of the search and conquer attitude that was so prevalent
during his time. Whether through colonization or industrialization, Melville is
forewarning the powerful nations of his time of their irrational and
unnatural pursuits. Only when we achieve a sense of peace and harmony within
ourselves and with nature, can we lead healthy and happy lives. If Captain
Ahab had been one with Tao, he would have realized that the great white
whale that took his leg, was only obeying it's natural instincts. He, and
other whalers, were the ones violating the whale's natural habitat. The consequences of this battle with nature, as Taoists know, are destined to be dire.
Unfortunately for Captain Ahab, he never learned or accepted these Taoist principles
in his worldly travels.
Rating:
Summary: Heave to! and read this awesome whaling adventure!
Review: If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then Moby Dick deserves the title of classic. Upon its publication, Moby Dick alienated many of its readers; authors since have tried to capture his messages' meanings and somehow get the general reading public to understand what he had to say. Hemingway figured it out in his Pulitzer-prize winning "The Old Man and the Sea." Peter Benchley focused on the terror of the hunt in "Jaws" a popular spin on Melville's whaling classic. And of course, Verne pitched in with "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." After reading Moby Dick, I'll never be able to look at a physical object in this ambigous world and be able to say with all certainty what exactly it is I'm looking at.
Rating: 
Summary: Like choking down a week old doughnut
Review: I read classics now and then, but this one was disappointing. The storyline is very good, but Melville is wordy, and gets caught up in dull, 20 page digressions. (Ex. difference between a humpback and a narwhale). All in all, I'm glad I read it, but it was real work at times
Rating:
Summary: Oh moby-god save me -- I too, love Ahab Tender Chicken!
Review: What more could you ask? Page after page that you don't understand all about everything that surrounds you. Poor Ahab. Poor you. How do you catch a fish? Even a little one would suffice. This guy's after the biggest fish in the universe, but in the meantime, you learn everything you ever wanted to know about the kind of people who put the world on the map -- seaman. (How'd YOU get there in the first place? Yacht sank?) Oh, by the way, if you are a woman, it's all about men. If you're a man, it's all about men. Perfect. Best of all, the hero floats away on that mysterious islander's coffin you could dig up looking for water and survives. Good luck
Rating:
Summary: Call me Crazy, but I love this novel
Review: Like so many great works of art, Herman Melville's 1851 "Moby Dick" is a universe unto itself, the relentlessly rolling, salt-thrashed universe of the Pequod, a seabound whaler. I would advise any first-time reader of "Moby Dick" to give himself plenty of time to get through this book, cetology and all, say 4 to 6 weeks. It's also a good idea to have a passing knowledge of maritime terminology: to know the bow from the stern, what a bowsprit is, a capstan and a shroud. Because Melville was a sailor for so many years, he assumes his professional jargon will be understood. He was also a well-read man, and "Moby Dick" is filled with historical and mythological references. (Quick! Who was King Porus?) It's best to keep a one-volume encyclopedia handy. The story itself is populated with mysterious characters: Ishmael is the narrator who never fully reveals himself -- and who recounts scenes he couldn't very likely have seen. Then there's Bulkington, the mariner who is only seen from a distance, but who receives his own special apotheosis,then disappears. Captain Ahab's wife is described as "a sweet, resigned girl", but the Biblical Ahab's wife Jezebel was a scheming pagan. Does Ahab have a dark family secret? The first time Ahab himself is mentioned, the Pequod's owner calls him "a grand, ungodly, god-like man", and his long-awaited first appearance has all the drama of a Shakespearean entrance. (He's been compared to Lear and Prospero, not to mention Marlowe's Doctor Faustus.) And when the title creature appears, he's more than a whale, he's a world. Ahab against the world -- it's a theme that inspires one dazzling chapter after another: Chapter LXX, Ahab's Aristotelian contemplation of a severed whale's head. Chapter LXIV, the cook's strange sermon to voracious sharks. Chapter XCIV, with its mind-boggling homoeroticism. Chapter CXXXII, with its beautiful comparison of sky and sea. The language becomes quite rich. Here's Ahab at the height of his obsession: " ... supper he never touched; nor reaped his beard; which darkly grew all gnarled, as unearthed roots of trees blown over, which still grow idly on at naked base, though perished in the upper verdure." Readers have called "Moby Dick" difficult, bizarre, and boring. Is it difficult? Yes. Is it bizarre? Actually, it's probably one of the most bizarre books ever written. Is it boring? Only if you're not willing to accept the literary conventions of a hundred and fifty years ago, before there were telephones, radio, movies and television. The long descriptions and digressions are a part of the universe Melville created in "Moby Dick". If you're bored with slasher thrillers and political potboilers, you'll be fascinated by this masterpiece of American fiction.
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Summary: A gripping classic on the high seas
Review: Opening with the famous line "Call me Ishmael", so begins this classic tale of one man's obsession with a noble, beautiful, yet highly intimidating beast of the seas, the white sperm whale Moby Dick. Set in the 1850's, this story tells of Captain Ahab and his passionate quest to get his revenge on the whale which severed his leg on a past sea-voyage. The story is told by Ishmael, who along with his newly-found friend Queequeg, embark on this most fateful journey. This book really expresses the heart and soul of men who spend many years of their lives away from their loved families and friends to pursue and kill the proud sperm whales of the deep blue. When reading Melville's description of life at sea, you really get a feeling of a sad dignity to the whaleman's life as he travels the globe. This novel isn't so much about a whale, but about one man's intense sorrow and desire for vengence and the lengths to which he'll go to acheive his victory over a foe which seems almost to exist solely to torment him. It's a book rich with commentary on the depths of one's soul. Although this story is told by Ishmael, much of it is written more by an omniscient narrator. Certainly, there are many scenes which are described in detailed which Ishmael's character certainly couldn't have been present for. In fact, Ishmael himself hardly seems to play much of a role in the events within the novel. But, he does spend many chapters describing the sperm whale, such as it's dimensions, eating and travelling patterns, the various goods its body produces, etc. He speaks of this so much at certain points it's almost a little too much. But, he gives wonderful details which suggest Melville really did some in-depth research for this novel. I can certainly see why this is a classic. It's so very well-written and reading it made me wish so much I had this type of literary talent. The descriptive language is very beautiful. The characters all seem so real, particularly Captain Ahab, who's seems to be burdened with a good nature, but heavy heart. Although the novel may seem a little slow or long at some points and the lengthy description of the Sperm Whale can become tedious, it's well worth wading through these low points to enjoy this wonderful tale. I think this is really a great book and certainly worth reading.
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