‘A classic…one of the most chilling books I have ever read.’ (Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm) Winner of the 2000 U.S National Book Award for Non-fiction, In the Heart of the Sea brings to new life the incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex and the inspiration for the climax of Moby-Dick.
Philbrick easily narrates a tale, an event that is as mythic in its own century as the Titanic disaster in ours. It is by no means a mere simple historical memoir. In 1820, the 240-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage for whales. Fifteen months later, in the farthest reaches of the South Pacific, it was repeatedly rammed and sunk by an eighty-ton bull sperm whale. Impeccably researched and beautifully told, this extraordinary ordeal of ordinary men faced against the Earth’s biggest mammal, depicts the ultimate portrait of man against nature.
‘The novel is long-winded at times, which affects the imagery and the pace of the story. This is especially noticeable in the beginning when the first chapter describes the life of Nantucketeers. Although interesting, some readers may wonder why so much information is needed…
The novel reviewed by Ebony Bell
By Nathaniel Philbrick
