A good read. Any suggestions?

laika said:
Bearing in mind it's probably 20-30 years since I read Moby Dick ... I don't think "a lot of fun" would be a phrase I'd use. The endless minutiae of whaling might be great if you find that fascinating as doubtless some will but for people who came just wanting a good yarn rather than a whaling lesson it's a bit of a yawnfest.

Not a novel but I would recommend that any of the ancient mariners here who have never read the rime of the ancient mariner to do so:
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
(and if you enjoy that move on to the slightly more compact Christabel and Kubla Khan, neither of which are remotely boaty)
Click to expand...
I think that is the heart of the matter. A lot of people, and I think most male readers, are looking for a good yarn, which is fine by me if well written. Moby Dick, as I said, hardly has a story, and this I think is why so many people get bored with it. However, MD is often referred to as The Great American Novel because it seems to embrace everything in its pages, to exaggerate slightly. As well as Melville's own experience, it covers the American character, its diversity, and has a lot of religious references which I probably only learned from the footnotes. Trying to plough through what appears to be a very annoying book is why I call it fun.
 
Many thanks to all - masses to get on with there. I must admit I had no idea we had a book forum on YBW - note to self: RTFM!

As for Moby Dick, wasn’t my intention to ‘dis’ it - it’s obviously a towering work. On a side note, It’s interesting that Led Zeppelin’s track Moby Dick is similarly considered a bit of a slog, what with its tediously long drum solo. Perhaps that’s why they named the song thus. My uncle, who is lucky enough to have seen them at the height of their powers, said that the inevitable drum solo was when everyone went for refreshments and/or the toilets.
 
Last edited:
fredrussell said:
I’m looking for recommendations for well written nautical fiction. So far I’ve done Endeavour (obvs), The Wager by David Grann, The Terror by Dan Simmons, Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor, To the Ends of the Earth (trilogy) by William Golding and a couple of others that have slipped my mind. I’m slightly less into the naval battle type stuff but not totally opposed to it, and I’ve tried twice to read Moby Dick, and not been grabbed by it, though not sure why - I’m a bit of a bug hugger - a nut-job hunting a whale not right up my street perhaps.
Fiction preferably, but if you want to recommend non-fiction I’d be grateful for that too.
Click to expand...

Hard to beat John Masefield's Nautical fiction. Two novels written by the laureate:
The Bird of Dawning, and also Victorious Troy.
 
I too have twice tried Moby Dick and given up and I don't often not pursue a book to the bitter end.

'The Perfect Storm'. Great book, crap film.
 
Another +1 for Patrick O’Brien (Aubrey / Maturin). I’m on my 3rd go round of the series. I saw someone mentioned The Sea Wolf by Jack London. I happened to pick this up in the cafe at Oare Creek while my kids were playing games on my phone. Read the first 20 pages or so and promptly found a Kindle version so I could finish it. Quite an amazing book which I’d never heard of.
 
mrming said:
Another +1 for Patrick O’Brien (Aubrey / Maturin). I’m on my 3rd go round of the series. I saw someone mentioned The Sea Wolf by Jack London. I happened to pick this up in the cafe at Oare Creek while my kids were playing games on my phone. Read the first 20 pages or so and promptly found a Kindle version so I could finish it. Quite an amazing book which I’d never heard of.
Click to expand...
I am also on my 3rd go round, now on ‘the Yellow Admiral’. I felt bereft on finishing them the first time round. What on earth would Aubrey and Maturin do, without O’Brien to write about them?
 
Another multiple voyager with Aubrey and Maturin here!

Currently on my nth cruise with Hornblower. I think I prefer these adventures but reserve the right to change my mind!

One thing I do like to do when reading Hornblower is spread out the charts. Google Maps is sufficient most of the time and cross reference the locations which, I find, adds to the story.

However, I’m currently stuck on a navigational problem in “The Commodore”.

The Nonsuch - a ship of the line - plus squadron, arrives in the Baltic via Helsingør on a mission of political sensitivity and then sails west about Saltholm rather than east about in the wider channel.

I can only think that the reason is to prefer to run the gauntlet of the known hostility of the Danish batteries on both sides rather than risk testing the Swedish position (unknown as to whether Sweden is neutral or hostile at the time).

If the wisdom of this forum could enlighten me on this point I should certainly consider raising a virtual glass in tribute.
 
A.T.Mahan is probably best know for "The Influence of Sea Power upon History: 1660-1783" but I greatly enjoyed reading his "From Sail to Steam: Recollections of Naval Life".

This is a fascinating account of the author's career in the United States Navy during the period of transition from sail to steam.

Not only does it show the author's deep understanding of his profession, and of the men who had the privilege of serving with him, it is a very readable book, full of anecdote, and enlivened by his dry dry sense of humour.

He must have been a popular and well-respected officer.

And, it's free-of-charge from Project Gutenberg!

The Project Gutenberg eBook of From Sail To Steam, Recollections Of Naval Life, by Capt. A. T. Mahan.
 
benjenbav said:
Another multiple voyager with Aubrey and Maturin here!

Currently on my nth cruise with Hornblower. I think I prefer these adventures but reserve the right to change my mind!

One thing I do like to do when reading Hornblower is spread out the charts. Google Maps is sufficient most of the time and cross reference the locations which, I find, adds to the story.

However, I’m currently stuck on a navigational problem in “The Commodore”.

The Nonsuch - a ship of the line - plus squadron, arrives in the Baltic via Helsingør on a mission of political sensitivity and then sails west about Saltholm rather than east about in the wider channel.

I can only think that the reason is to prefer to run the gauntlet of the known hostility of the Danish batteries on both sides rather than risk testing the Swedish position (unknown as to whether Sweden is neutral or hostile at the time).

If the wisdom of this forum could enlighten me on this point I should certainly consider raising a virtual glass in tribute.
Click to expand...
I thought the position was made clear in the book, that was indeed our hero’s thinking.
 
Chiara’s slave said:
I thought the position was made clear in the book, that was indeed our hero’s thinking.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Yes indeed. Virtual glass raised.

But then a few days later he deliberately chases a French privateer into Swedish waters where he destroys it, thus provoking repercussions. Why on first entering the Baltic he didn’t go east about Saltholm and save the bother of a relatively narrow channel that was covered by hostile batteries still remains a little bit of a puzzle.
 
fredrussell said:
I’m looking for recommendations for well written nautical fiction. So far I’ve done Endeavour (obvs), The Wager by David Grann, The Terror by Dan Simmons, Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor, To the Ends of the Earth (trilogy) by William Golding and a couple of others that have slipped my mind. I’m slightly less into the naval battle type stuff but not totally opposed to it, and I’ve tried twice to read Moby Dick, and not been grabbed by it, though not sure why - I’m a bit of a bug hugger - a nut-job hunting a whale not right up my street perhaps.
Fiction preferably, but if you want to recommend non-fiction I’d be grateful for that too.
Click to expand...
Yes couldn’t get in tomobydick either
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top