Book Review of
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
From the author of Mayflower and Valiant Ambition, the riveting bestseller tells the story of the true events that inspired Melville’s Moby-Dick.
Winner of the National Book Award, Nathaniel Philbrick’s book is a fantastic saga of survival and adventure, steeped in the lore of whaling, with deep resonance in American literature and history.
In 1820, the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale, leaving the desperate crew to drift for more than ninety days in three tiny boats. Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents and vivid details about the Nantucket whaling tradition to reveal the chilling facts of this infamous maritime disaster. In the Heart of the Sea, recently adapted into a major feature film starring Chris Hemsworth, is a book for the ages.
Grace's Review
This book will definitely make my top book list of 2017! I loved the insight and details about whaling which is a subject I have read little about. The story of Essex inspired the famous story Moby Dick. It talks a lot about the grueling work at sea. The warning on this book is that it describes in detail the measures men take when they are starving. I am so glad I was able to read this book and gain a great knowledge of human nature, whaling, and life at sea.