Benito Cereno Audiobook

" It's Melville, so it's dense, but the suspense and unraveling of the mystery is worth it. "

" Melville's ability to paint vivid psychological portraits of his characters is uncanny. Captain Delano's hubris and resultant ignorance is a vivid reminder of how foolish it is to give heed to stereotypes and assumptions. While the scenario here may be dated, or at least seem foreign, the moral is just as applicable today as ever. "

" This book moves in the same way as the craft that Herman Melville describes in such detail, each creek from the deck and streak of dust from the helm leaves us questioning. A sway of the waves, and our suspicions are jolted and just as we hit the water, all seems to be revealed. Over all I enjoyed this book, the details of the ship and the english, just like any older english, only added to the mystery. And when you've finished the book, and you've gained your sea legs, you'll have to read it again and decipher the clues yourself. Or just dive into Moby Dick, if you've taken your Dramamine. "

" Benito Cereno is the most complex treatment of the brutalities of and incoherences of the human condition. Despite the seemingly conventional moral weights assumed by the point of view of the narration, Melville opens up a spaces of profound philosophical and ethical ambiguity, and, in doing so shreds any preconceptions or simple moralizing. Atlantic Slavery-that greatest of crimes-is interrogated, but in layering multiple levels of victimhood, one puts down the story asking even larger questions about about humanity's endless self-deception. "

" It's 1/5th the length of "Moby Dick" and about 1/5ht the quality, too. Read about the White Whale instead. "

" I suppose the laborsome Moby Dick is a must read, if only because it is an important book, but if your view of Melville is that of tedious attention to (boring) detail, I would highly encourage giving Benito Cereno a chance. I haven't read a novella this riveting in a long while - is it a dark comedy? The closest thing I can relate the experience of reading this book to is watching the movie Fargo, which although seems incongruous will make perfect sense after you read it. "

" love love "

" The only Melville that I ever truly enjoyed. "

" A sea captain happens upon a ship plagued by an unknown assailant. Has the crew been decimated by plague, scurvy, or rebellion? "

" Currently reading with my daughter for her Summer reading assignment. Good thing I'm reading it on my Kindle (r) so that I have the dictionary app handy!! But seriously, good so far!!! "

" valuable but boring "

" Didn't like it. It's just that simple. I read a little bit of "The Good Captain" by Jay Bushman, which was based on "Benito Cereno" & I enjoyed "The Good Captain" much more than "Benito Cereno." Now I see why this text has basically been forgotten. "

" An easier-to-swallow work of Melville, though, true to his name, never lacking for deeper study. "

" What if Herman Melville's problems with race in Moby Dick were the entire point of the story instead of the periphery? "

" LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE. "

" Had to read this for Fiction 2 class. Was okay anyway "

" I've included this book solely for "The Paradise of Bachelors & the Tartarus of Maids," which is a story even better than its title and is too often overlooked in preference for "Bartleby" and "Benito Cereno". "

" If you like Mutiny stories you'll enjoy this one. Captain Delano was forced into analyzing his situation based on little to no clues. From the point of view of Psychology this was interesting. "

" Without having read Moby Dick, I venture to say this is the best of (minor) Melville. "

" Masterfully-written and haunting -- a lament over how we cannot, when all is said and done, ever truly understand the thoughts of another, and a deep undermining of authority. "

" "Benito Cereno" is powerful in so many ways, but I have to admit that I slogged through it rather unwillingly. English class, naturally. Also - though this was exactly the point - the racism made me cringe in many places! Now... essay time. "

" Slow, well-crafted story of evil and slavery and rebellion and deceit. "

" I was excited about this after reading Bartleby, but I thought it was kind of a borefest. "