Rating: 
Summary: A good read
Review: I would highly recommend this novel. Jeter Naslund's prose is almost lyrical. While the book took a couple of chapters to really get into, once you're into it, it's very hard to put down. The shipwreck segment, and all that flows from it is especially powerful. I did feel that the incidents of Una interacting with famous people of the time period seemed a little contrived, however this does not take a lot away from the book's merits.
Rating: 
Summary: Walking around in Melville's world
Review: This is a fine entry in what's becoming an interesting little genre--imagining a character who would be 'the right woman' for some gigantic character of fiction. This may all have started with Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea, in which Rhys imagined herself into the head of Mr. Rochester's first wife, (the one who wound up locked in the attic for Jane Eyre to find). Then there's Mary Russell, the young thing who captures Sherlock Holmes in Laurie King's engaging series. Una Spenser, the heroine of this novel, is a well-imagined match for her second husband, Captain Ahab. There's a kind of high-class fictional fleshing out of a crush in these novels, where the smart little girls who sighed over these big, bad, anti-heroes, are finally getting -- through fiction -- to MARRY them. And guess what? Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Ahab appear as women who are thoroughly atypical for the times in which the stories are set, though perfect superwomen for our 21st century feminist taste. This is a very literate novel with a good, engaging story to tell. The research behind it has been excellent and thorough. The world it covers is large--and perhaps it gets even a little out of hand in being so comprehensive. Moby Dick (the comparison is after all invited) will forever remain a far greater novel, with its furious focus on the microcosmic Pequod and the intractable mind of Captain Ahab--whom I'll bet was never imagined by Melville as either the great lover nor the frustrated impotent that Naslund makes of him, 'dismasted'. Naslund does a great job of inventing a woman to walk around and view the odd corners of Melville's world. But but the inventor of the White Whale still holds the untarnished title of great American novelist for me, and Una, attractive as she is, is still a bit of an interloper in a world that a greater mind owns. On the other hand, three cheers for the beautiful illustrations by Christopher Wormell. They are something special!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully intriguing!
Review: So well written - to every last detail. A book that is hard to put down; I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next! It is so vivid and beautiful - I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Ahab's Wife
Review: I just finished reading Ahab's wife. It is a beautifully written book. Ms. Naslund's words flow across the pages. Even when she is describing a horrific event she paces the reader with her ability to describe, sometimes shock, and then return to a settled position. The historical figures woven into the narrative are a delightful way to place the story in the New England of the 1800's. I highly recommend the book.
Rating:
Summary: A story of a woman
Review: I loved the words, the story, the settings, the characters. I took my time reading Una's story and enjoyed it all the way through. I have often picked it up again just to read a few pages and be transported back to the people and places. I even bought mini white roses for my window, just like the ones that grew outside the lighthouse. The author has a way with words, they are like poetry. In the beginning it is a little difficult to get in to because it is so different from the casual writing style of most best sellers. I caution you not to look for a point, or try to anyalze the story...enjoy the story, and the main character's adventures as she journeys through life.
Rating:
Summary: Not to be missed!
Review: I loved this book. I don't usually write reviews but I wanted to add my "5-star" ranking to this book to help the average customer review.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Effort
Review: This is a great big sprawling work but it hangs together surprisingly well. Somewhat "attached" to Moby Dick it doesn't require you to remember any details of that book. The characters are unusual but believable. The descriptions of 19th C life and especially life on Nantucket were fascinating. Una is a great heroine and the writing is lovely. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Lyrical prose.
Review: I had a hard time starting and staying with this book, but it was well worth it! The writing is pure poetry. The thoughts are straight out of my head. The characters are very brave and very believable. The context is full of variety and veracity.
Love it.
Rating:
Summary: Slow-going at times, but a good read -- just like Moby Dick
Review: It took me a while to get into this ambitious book, but I was glad I stuck with it.Naslund covers the time period of "Moby Dick" from the perspective of the woman who spent part of that time as Capt. Ahab's wife. This book touches on all manner of subjects, including slavery, women's roles in the 19th century, sexuality, mental illness and religion. At times I wondered where Naslund was going with all this, and I got a bit tired of the main character's modern-day judgments on her situation. But overall this book is worth reading. At its base is a good story, and that story deals with all the peripheral issues in a way that will keep you thinking.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe it's because I'm an Eskimo...
Review: It's only protein! Get over yourselves! That was the most interesting section of the book, when Una goes on board a whaling ship, and they are sunk by a BLACK whale (Una works in the Crow's Nest and actually sees Moby Dick before she even meets Ahab). Silliness.
I will say it has one of the best first lines ever: Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last. Good line. Too bad the rest wasn't as engaging! Too many characters with too little characterization. And what's with that eagle at the lighthouse? I didn't believe that scene at all, and I should have stopped right there. It's a feminist treatise with some nice writing in between. The end made me want to gag.
All in all it made me want to read "Moby Dick". Nice illustrations. Give it fifty pages and see what you think. Some people in our book club loved it! Go figure.
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