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Summary: Thar She Blows! One of the Greatest Survival Sagas!
Review: What does it mean to be indomitable? This book displays that wonderful human quality in a remarkably effective way. The next time you consider giving up, just imagine yourself on the trackless sea in a small boat from the Essex.This story has to be one of the most astonishing survival tales in recorded history. Before I say more, let me caution you that this story (and parts of this review) is not for those with weak stomachs. After their ship is disabled by an attacking sperm whale, the survivors find themselves on three open boats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean over 2,000 miles from their targeted landfall in South America. With luck, they will make it in 30 days. They soon find themselves in a stall as the winds fail to cooperate, except to provide severe storms that threaten to capsize the boats. Soon, all the food is encrusted with salt and everyone is suffering with severe dehydration. Then things start to get worse! I won't go further, but you have an amazing story of survival ahead of you. Two of the few survivors of this terrible ordeal later committed their experiences to writing, which provide great resources for this well-researched book. At another level, the book is also extremely interesting because these experiences were important influences on Herman Melville's writing of the American classic, Moby Dick. The book makes that connection for you, including how Melville came to learn the story. At a third level, the book is a fascinating history of whaling around 1920. If you are like me, you will cringe when the whalers devastate island after island . . . as well as the whale population. But that's not the limit to their willingness to use nature to their own advantage. The ultimate irony is that the survivors went the wrong way. Those from Nantucket did not know about Tahiti and Hawaii, and chose not to go in either of those directions -- either of which would have provided more rapid safety and comfort. The primary reason they chose not to go in these directions is because they feared running into cannibals. Soon the survivors were studying the remains of dead shipmates with hunger. And then it gets worse. So, you have three different kinds of books to read here, anyone of which could be enormously enjoyable to you. Get ready for the trip of your life! Land ho!
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Summary: An amazing, horrifying true sea tale
Review: This is the true story that inspired Melville to write "Moby Dick". A Nantucket whaleship, the Essex, is rammed by a sperm whale in the Pacific, thousands of miles from land. The crew escape in 3 whaleboats, and begin a voyage that is both inspiring and terrifying. Afraid of supposed cannibals on the islands to the west, they resolve to sail south and east, to the shore of South America, fighting both the prevailing winds and their own meager supplies of food and fresh water. I will not spoil the ending of this ordeal with further details, suffice it to say the reader is in for a recounting of both tragedy and perseverence that easily ranks with such modern classics as "The Perfect Storm" and "Into Thin Air".
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Summary: BLUBBER!
Review: A truly extraordinary account of the Whale Ship "Essex", the tragedy of it's sinking and subsequent effect on her crew. The analysis of the social structure and hierarchy in the Nantucket community was particularly interesting. A good read!
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Summary: All-consuming and fascinating
Review: History, whaling, sailors, cannabalism-- not topics I'd usually choose to read about. But this book was much more than the sum of its parts. Philbrick's research was indisputably thorough and the result is an incredible true account of man's determination and will to survive. Not only is there history here, but there are characters that we come to know and respect. Philbrick was adept at adding a psychological perspective to events and conditions which added depth and insight to the reader's own thoughts and conclusions. A tightly written, gripping account. As others have said, you'll be up all night reading this one. Highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Proof Positive that Truth is Stranger than Fiction
Review: Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is a novel far more widely praised than read. Those of us who have cracked the covers on this daunting work have more often than not become utterly entranced with its detailed depiction of the whale trade at its apogee. One could not help but wonder how Melville, no mean sailor himself, had managed to create a world as deep as the sea which inspired it. The answer has arrived with Nathaniel Philbrick's "In the Heart of the Sea." The Nantucket whaleship Essex and the misfortunes which befell it following its encounter with an enraged sperm whale in the trackless Pacific Ocean inspired Melville's timeless novel. Whereas "Moby Dick" reaches its climax with the destruction of the Pequod by the great white whale, the suffering of the men of the Essex begins here, stranded thousands of miles from hospitable land with meager provisions in boats suited only for short jaunts. Their tale of perseverance, survival, and redemption rivals that of the Wedding Guest in Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." If the recent success of the blockbuster movie "Castaway" has whet your appetite for stories of epic struggle for survival, you will devour "In the Heart of the Sea." If, on the other hand, you follow the outgoing President's habit of purchasing books because they look nice on the shelf and impress down-on-their-luck former beauty queens, I should point out that the jacket of this book is quite attractive and may suit your tastes as well.
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Summary: Well researched, occasional distraction
Review: Excellent account of survival at sea, and a wonderful summary of the history of Nantucket whaling industry. I found the author's occasional preoccupation with the sailors' race to be distracting - he seemed to rationlize and almost apologize for the thoughts of 19th century men as if they were aware of, but chose to ignore, moden civil rights. Less opining on that subject would have made the book more appealing.
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Summary: Good supplement to Melville's Moby Dick
Review: I enjoyed reading THE HEART OF THE SEA as a supplement to other great novels based on fictional and non fictional sea disasters, such as MOBY DICK. THE HEART OF THE SEA is a good historical documentation of life of the whaler, and the hazards of the sea. I did not find the author's writing style to be particularly inspirational, rather it was flat with descriptions that did not evoke true passion for the individuals that endured such tragic circumstance. I am going to read ISAAC'S STORM next, as it was mentioned in an earlier review on this site.
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Summary: An Accurate FASCINATING True Yarn
Review: Mr. Philbrick has accompished the greatest of acheivements, that being a historical novel which makes you feel as if you, the reader were floating on the sea with the survivors of the whaleship Essex. (Pardon the run-on sentence :-). This is not only a book for all ages, it is one FOR the ages. To say I was overwhelmed and taken aback would be a terrible understatement on my part. This ripping tale of 1800's whaling is a modern masterpiece that in my opinion, should be required reading for all high school students. I do fear however that Hollywood will intervene at a point in the near future and attempt to re-tell this tale. I would suggest any reader captivated by "In the Heart of the Sea" to view a History Channel presentation of History Lost & Found, The Essex. I believe we should not do diservice to the lives of these brave men by putting a Hollywood spin on their story. (Mr Philbrick might disagree as the royalties could prove quite lucrative). Let us leave this history where it belongs, through the pages of a book. In this readers' opinion, this book, in particular is the best place to start your education of the subject. Fabulous, Stunning reading and I will guarantee a "one-sitting" finishing!
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Summary: A splended historical account, though a bit dry
Review: In the early nineteenth century, the whaleship Essex sailed from Nantucket for the final time. The ship encountered a giant sperm whale in the middle of the ocean. The whale attacked the ship, disabling it, sending the men into the whaleships, where most of them would live, and die, for eighty-odd days. This is a rich tale of courage, starvation, cannibalism, and racial politics. Nathaniel Philbrick's account of the ill-fated Essex is thick with history. Philbrick has meticulously researched his book, evidenced by the extensive notes and bibliography. Still, In the Heart of the Sea lacks the heart of Erik Larson's excellent Isaac's Storm, in my mind the book of the year. For all of Philbrick's keen facts and thoroughness, his writing is often academic-sounding, and he does not boldly follow historical tangents as Larsen does so well. Don't get me wrong, In the Heart of the Sea is a remarkable book, well deserving of the National Book Award. I think, however, that Larson deserved it more.
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Summary: Not taught in 9th grade American History
Review: This was a hard one to put down. In vivid but tight language, the story of the Essex is gripping and the details of the culture of whaling and the hard life at sea are intriguing and informative. In the end we get to see how religion, social position and greed play together to tell the grim sort of story we rarely acknowledge as part of our American history. Well worth the time and suitable for non-historians for its high adventure. It made me want a big steak.
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