In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (Movie Tie-in) Audiobook

" A great history of whaling, Nantucket, the story of the Essex and mankind's ability to survive at all costs. Much better than movie. Anyone that enjoys sea tales must read. "

" Whoah! This was crazy. If you want some nonfiction that seems unbelievable then take a read! I also appreciated the research that the author undertook to resell the story. "

" This is by far the best non-fiction book I have ever read. Philbrick is a novelist in a nonfiction writer's body. It was an on the edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. "

" an interesting story of the ship, the history of nantucket and some ecology mixed in as well. "

" Yikes - Nantucket history and the gory work of whale hunting with some Shaker history and cannabalism in the mix. Makes you think twice about Nantucket red and all thse cute wahle signs! A work associated history with early American New England ships and industry got me into this. It's a very good read and terific writing, but pretty gritty. This factual tale is the basis fro Melville's Moby Dick, which in turn gave us a jumping off for Ahab's Wife. The last being a personal favorite. "

" This is the greatest survival story of all times. The story of the Essex is what Melville based Moby Dick on however the real story starts after the whale ship sinks. Facinating stuff... "

" I wanted to like this but the first chapter was almost painful to get through. I understand the need to set up the environment and describe a little bit of what life was like in this bit of New England history, but it bored the socks off me and felt mostly irrelevant. I expected to read about the last voyage and survival of the crew of the Essex. What I got in the first part of this book was a history of New England. As I said, it was expected a bit, but there was no real flow to it. The history was presented as little tidbits that just rambled from one to the other with little rhyme or reason. Not sure why but I was very put off by the writing style and organization of the story and didn't feel it was worth going any further. "

" Maybe living in Boston gave me a different viewpoint for reading this book, but I really enjoyed learning about the whaling community of Nantucket. So much so that I'm halfway through Moby Dick. "

" This book is wonderful. Once I started I couldn't put it down. "

" I like non-fiction, but I'm not sure I've read a non-fiction book I couldn't put down before. This is an amazing, well-told story. "

" Another great literary non-fiction title. Read anything by Philbrick and you'll be happy. "

" This somehow made whaling and Melville trivia interesting, and simultaneously made me want to learn sailing and have a fear of being eaten by people I don't like. Seriously fascinating. "

" I do not recall learning about the Essex but founding the book to be very interesting including how race seemed to factor in the deaths of the men. Did not know Moby Dick was based on this tragedy so now feel compelled to read Moby Dick. "

" Listened to this one via audiobook...a case where the real story is probably more interesting than the fictional account (Moby Dick) that it inspired. Very engaging, very factual, and quite revealing. "

" I found it interesting to learn details about whaling in the 19th century. If you liked Moby Dick then you should read this book, the story upon which Moby Dick is based. "

" Loved this book, and read it twice. Fantastic insight on the lives of whale ship sailors and how whaling contributed to the industrial revolution. Also a fascinating study of isolation and starvation. "

" loved this book. very exciting to read about Nantucket history, the personalities of the crew, and the fate of the shipwrecked crew "

" I read this on the back of The Perfect Storm several years ago when I was clearly in a nautical frame of mind. A thoroughly gripping historical tale of courage, great seamanship and a lesson in how to stay alive by drinking the blood of parrots. "

" Wow, written from a journal lost for many years. Amazing story. "

" The true story of Moby Dick. Favorite part involved human bones being broken and the marrow being sucked out by the starving whalemen. "

" Reading (listening to it actually)now in preparation for book club Sunday night. firs tnon-fiction book in a while. "

" Thrilling. Shakelton-like story "

" An amazing story of extreme hardship and survival (well, for some anyway). I kept food and drink handy at all times when I read this story. If you like this type of story consider reading Skeletons on the Zahara. "

" How far can one stretch the limits of human endurance and can one live with oneself aftering eating your shipmates. These questions are answered but I thought the book was rather dusty and dry. "

" great historical rendering of whaling industry and the people of the the time..entertaining "

" Been a few years since I read this. Highly recommend. Great adventure book and its true!! "

" this book made me thirsty! "

" Interesting book! I asked my dad if I could borrow Moby Dick and he gave me this book as well. The sinking of the Essex by a whale is where Herman Melville got the idea for Moby Dick. "

" A very interesting historical read that went well with my steady diet of Patrick O'Brian and the the Aubrey - Maturin series.The real story was the foundation of Moby Dick. "

" Fascinating historical account of whaling "

" Fantastic! Cannibalism, whaling, shipwrecks! "

" Enjoyable read, it's amazing how the crew survived in open boats in the middle of the ocean. I guess the cannibalism had something to do with it though...yum! "

" Tremendous spirit of two officers who lead boats. Amazing what men can indure. Unreal what happens to the body during extreme deprivation. The whale intelligence is another whole dimension. "

" Didn't think I would like it, but it was surprisingly interesting. Nothing like a good (true) tale of survival cannibalism! "

" A great read! Great lesson in the history of whaling. "

" There were times when it dragged, though it was necessary to explain the whaling process. "

" I thought this book was very exciting. In addition to the stranded/shipwreck aspect, it gave a good idea of what it was like to work on a whaling vessel in the early 1800s and a good picture of life on Nantucket at that time. "

" Great historic perspective into the whaling industry, old Natucket culture and a horrifying true tale of survival at sea. "

" good, but hard to recommend. try to read quickly through the parts about cannibalism. "