Ahab's Wife

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books I've Read
Review: Truly this is more a tale of life and female survival as much as a tale of Ahab's wife. Excellent read and highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Self-indulgent and implausible
Review: My book club read this book after hearing good thing about it and we were sorely disappointed. The prose is overwrought. The character of Una is far too good to be believed, and the events of her life are like a fairy tale -- for example, she marries Captain Ahab and all of a sudden she is incredibly rich! How convenient! She bumps into Margaret Fuller in Boston and Margaret Fuller instantly recognizes what a special person Una is and invites her to Fuller's salon! Puh-leese. The author places this novel in the early 19th century but her heroine has incredibly progressive ideas on race relations, feminism, marriage, sex and homosexuality that are simply implausible. Plus she makes surprisingly good investments! The constant parade of notable 19th century personages is tiresome as are the author's constant literary allusions. She appears to be showing off her erudition at the expense of her character's believability and the reader's patience. And the length of the book is wholly unnecessary. I recommend that you spare yourself this pseudo-feminist self-indulgent tripe and read a good biography of Maria Mitchell, the real-life Nantucket astronomer who Una befriends in the book. Your time will be far better spent.

Rating:
Summary: A Must read!
Review: Why hasn't Naslund won a Pulitzer for this masterpiece? It is the courageous, life-affirming tale of Una...and her story is an inspiration to anyone, especially women. I have recommended this people to several people who have loved it and passed it on. You will too. It is a book worthy of history and literature classes for ages to come.

Rating:
Summary: Ahabs Wife
Review: This book is exceptionally well written, with: an exciting story, historical details of the nineteenth century, interesting characters, philosophical musings, and wit. As a woman it is easy to identify with the heroine, Una, and fun to see Captain Ahab and the whaling era in a different light.

Rating:
Summary: Good but....'Moby Dick' is so much better!
Review: The good first: A beautifully written book, almost poetic in spots. I always love to read about strong women characters, and the main character, Una, is definitely ahead of her time. I liked how the characters of 'Moby Dick' were fleshed out and given more indepth personalities.
The bad: I think that having read 'Moby Dick' and 'The Heart of the Sea' (book about the Essex) instilled a bias in me that could not be shaken as I read this book. 'Moby Dick' is so complex and wonderful to discover; a book with many interpretations. 'Ahab's Wife' doesn't leave any mystery. We are placed deeply within Una's own mind and travel her thoughts with her. I also didn't like how the author borrowed heavily from the true tale of the Essex when writing about Una's adventure on the Sussex. It was nearly verbatim to what I read in 'The Heart of the Sea'. What the Essex crew suffered was extraordinarily horrible. It bothered me that the author used the account of the Essex to sensationalize Una's life. I probably would've given this book higher marks if I hadn't read 'Moby Dick' and 'The Heart of the Sea', but I have, and so I recommend that the reader read them first before tackling this less satisfying novel.

Rating:
Summary: A Literary Soap Opera
Review: While this book is a compelling and well written read, it should be produced as a ABC movie of the week or on daytime TV. This book is melodrama in pure form. The author also gives the protagonist 20th-century thoughts in a 19th-century world. Una is not written for her time, but for our time. The author name drops famous people into the story, which serves the author's research well but tended to annoy me. It is highly unlikely she would meet Nathanial Hawthorne Margaret Mead or Maria Mitchell. But the worst fault of the books is that Una never has any flaws and unfortunately never develops as a character. I found myself wanting to finish the book but unsatisfied when I finished. There are better books to spend 600+ pages on.

Rating:
Summary: Ahab's Wife
Review: Don't be put off if you have never read Moby Dick. It really isn't necessary at all. Also I am a male and loved this book so don't think of it as a "woman's book". This book is true literature. There are numerous ideas and philosphical debates built in and yet the narrative keeps you from putting the book down. Its refreshing to see a modern writer strive for and accomplish what we would associate with "great literature of the past". This book is a true sleeper. It is the best book I have read in several years, and recommend it to any serious readers.

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorites From This Year
Review: I loved this book! I did not want it to end. The novel has a different feel for each of the phases of Una's life. It has history, romance, feminism, tradgedy, horror and adventure. What more can you ask for! I have recommended it to several friends and they have all loved it as much as I did. Do not miss this one!

Rating:
Summary: 2 stars instead of 1 for at least a good start
Review: AHAB'S WIFE begins beautifully. A young girl, Una, is sent to live with her relatives in a light house because she refuses to adhere to her father's religious beliefs. She soon disguises herself as a boy to go aboard a whaling ship. The beginning sets the stage for what could be a very deep book. I was disappointed that it turned out to be a book about Una's progression of husbands. She falls in love with a man who drowns, thus she marries his best friend. Her husband goes crazy and disappears. She then marries a kindred spirit, Ahab, who leaves her in a beautiful house for years while he searches Moby Dick (who was responsible for him losing his leg). After she learns that Ahab is killed by Moby Dick, she meets and cohabitates with her new neighbor. In retrospect, the story seems to be more about the progression of men in her life than anything else. The deepness that seemed possible at the beginning of the book is never realized.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: I am, at this point, two thirds of the way through this incredible journey - I am a 47 year old lover of books and believe that any woman - or man - who does not relish and savor this journey needs to do some of their own living! Every sentence is magical in it's definition - there is so much to be felt in this novel. If ever there was a girl/woman who managed to step so much out of the comfort zone of her time...Oh how I wish to partake in her journey. I have many times...still not enough - stepped away from my safe zone - the hardest steps I have taken! But the rewards have been as magical as Una's! It can happen and it will happen to you if you are fortunate enough to devour this novel and feel it as beautifully as it has been written.
Sena Jeter Naslund is a brilliant woman whom if I ever have the pleasure of meeting will be comparable to the meeting between Una and Margaret Fuller - without these women and their guts and brains the rest of us would still be knitting and cooking without a choice! Once "bound with invisible chains" women can now choose to cook, clean, manage and run the world if they choose - this is the power of Una - "Let them be sea captains!"
This is my first ever review yet I read a great deal and select many of the books from other reviewers on Amazon.com
I think it is a sad person who cannot relate to this character! To not walk away with more strength, resolve and intelligence than before reading it seem impossible to me.

Please take the time to both be educated and happier for reading this novel.