Moby Dick

Somehow, I guess I was just blessed, I never read "Moby Dick" in high school.  And no, it's not because I skipped the assignment.  I was never assigned it as a book to read.  Having now read it (listened, actually) I can say in all honesty that I would have more than likely skipped the assignment in school.

Do not get me wrong, "Moby Dick" is phenomenal.  Exceptional.  Well, the narrative was.  The tale of revenge upon a beast by a bitter man was one of the best stories I've ever read.  It was suspenseful, deep and very metaphorical.  The religious allegories and allusions made it all even more interesting to me.  I didn't understand them all and would love to have the opportunity to read it again so I could get a better grasp on them all.

However, I will never read "Moby Dick" again.  Why?  Because Mellville needs to learn how to focus!  Yes, it's all about whales, but, frankly, I don't need to know every aspect of every whale in the oceans. I mean, there is a whole additional book about whale classification right in there!  Also, Ishmael tells a whole separate narrative about Moby Dick in the middle of the book.

If the book had fewer tangents and stuck to the tale it was trying to tell, I would have enjoyed it much more.  Alas, I lost most of my interest and all of my desire to try it again.