Moby Dick

Title: Moby Dick
Author: Herman Melville
Published: 1851

I never thought I'd be sorry to have read a non-abridged classic.

First, it amazes me that it's taken nearly a year for me to read this book. Part of it was the business of life in general, especially the whole part where we adopted three children ages three and down. But that cannot be my only excuse. I found it painful to read.

The beginning was great. Funny, even. I laughed at the meeting between Ishmael and Queequeg, and it gave me an enthusiasm for the rest of the book.

There were several chapters which did showcase Melville's talent for comedic writing, but they were lost amongst the chapters so full of detail that I lost interest. I dreaded reading it. By the end there were many times where I was reading on auto-pilot, skimming along in hopes that something would happen. Of course the symbolism was lost on me. I stopped paying attention.

To anyone who is going to tackle this beast, choose an abridged version.