Rating: 
Summary: What's beneath the surface here?
Review: Besides Moby Dick, none of Melville's works have been dissected and debated as thoroughly as this story, and for good reason. Although this is a forum for review and not debate, I would still like to pose a challenge to prospective readers: There is a real/mythical (depending on your point of view) event being rewritten here, with 19th century sensibilities and textures. Can you spot what it is?
Rating: 
Summary: Billy Budd Review
Review: Billy Budd is unlike any book I have ever read. The way it is written is very unique and elaborate. There are some aspects about the story I liked, however it had some weaker points.
Even though it is only 90 pages long, it is packed with complex sentences and ideas. It seemed to stray from the storyline occasionally and begin to ramble on about senseless things. The language and wording he used seemed unnecessary and irrelevant. Also, at times, it got somewhat boring to read. I read that the story parallels the story of Christ, and I would have to disagree. Christ sacrificed himself for mankind, when Billy never put others first at all.
What I did like about the book were it's characters. Melville used a minimal amount of characters in this book, unlike most books. Also, each character was deep, and they all seemed to be almost labeled. Billy, being the extremely innocent 21 year old, was nearly flawless. What I liked about him was that his one fault proved to be fatal, indirectly. Billy stuttered and had trouble speaking when under pressure, which drove him to lose his temper and accidentally kill Claggart, and for that he was hanged. Claggart, to me, seemed somewhat psychotic. He hid his anger and malice, and because of this, he suspected others did also. He hated Billy for no reason, just that he thought Billy was conspiring against him. Vere was a kind man, except for the fact that he let his work as a captain interfere with his morals, like when he sentenced Billy to be hanged.
Melville wrote this story with the main idea being good versus evil, and I liked that. He wrote it with Billy as good and Claggart representing evil, and this aspect was one of my favorite parts to this novel.
All in all, I thought the book had a good idea, but it was presented in the wrong way. There were parts I loved and parts I could not stand, so I give it a three of five.
Rating:
Summary: Billy Budd Review
Review: Billy Budd is unlike any book I have ever read. The way it is written is very unique and elaborate. There are some aspects about the story I liked, however it had some weaker points.
Even though it is only 90 pages long, it is packed with complex sentences and ideas. It seemed to stray from the storyline occasionally and begin to ramble on about senseless things. The language and wording he used seemed unnecessary and irrelevant. Also, at times, it got somewhat boring to read. I read that the story parallels the story of Christ, and I would have to disagree. Christ sacrificed himself for mankind, when Billy never put others first at all.
What I did like about the book were it's characters. Melville used a minimal amount of characters in this book, unlike most books. Also, each character was deep, and they all seemed to be almost labeled. Billy, being the extremely innocent 21 year old, was nearly flawless. What I liked about him was that his one fault proved to be fatal, indirectly. Billy stuttered and had trouble speaking when under pressure, which drove him to lose his temper and accidentally kill Claggart, and for that he was hanged. Claggart, to me, seemed somewhat psychotic. He hid his anger and malice, and because of this, he suspected others did also. He hated Billy for no reason, just that he thought Billy was conspiring against him. Vere was a kind man, except for the fact that he let his work as a captain interfere with his morals, like when he sentenced Billy to be hanged.
Melville wrote this story with the main idea being good versus evil, and I liked that. He wrote it with Billy as good and Claggart representing evil, and this aspect was one of my favorite parts to this novel.
All in all, I thought the book had a good idea, but it was presented in the wrong way. There were parts I loved and parts I could not stand, so I give it a three of five.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best novels ever written.
Review: Billy Budd was a beautiful peice of work displaying both light characteristics,Billy Budd and also the dark, Master Dalms. It had a excent manner of drawing pictures in my mind as if I could have actually been there. It also depicts law, and justice. It made me fall in love with Billy's saintly character.
Rating: 
Summary: very wordy despite the length
Review: Billy Budd, a story set in the sea is said to be one of the best short books of all time. The truth, is that the number of pages has no reflection on the length of this very hard to get through story of jealousy. I am inclined to say that for those of you who are forced to read this as I was, should seriously consider buying cliff notes and renting the movie. My candid opinion is this: Billy Budd is just a mess of words thrown together and it is a shame it had to be written by the same author of the classic Moby Dick.
Rating: 
Summary: Billy Budd, Sailor
Review: Billy Budd, Sailor is an extraordinary novel. I can see why it is called one of the best short stories of all time. The story is about a sailor, of course, named Billy Budd. He is on a boat during the Napoleonic Wars. He is accused of plotting mutiny by the ship's master-at-arms, John Claggert. Billy Budd eventually gets so mad at the injustice he is receiving that he kills Claggert. Consequently, he is sentenced to death by Captain Vere.
What I did not like about the story was that is was so hard to read. The story was written in 1924 so the language is different from today's vocabulary. The novel is full of words that normal people do not understand; however, there is a glossary in the back of the book to help the reader. If you look up all the words, the novel takes a very long time to read, but it is still very good. I would say the main downfall of this book is the burdensome vocabulary.
I really enjoyed the character Billy Budd. Even though he is falsely accused of mutiny, he always kept his head high. His one shortcoming ended up costing him his life. This character flaw was his quick temper. This was most evident when he killed John Claggert.
My favorite thing about the story would have to be the plot. If you look back at the plot, you would notice a resemblance to the story of Christ. When I noticed it was like the story of Christ, I was in awe. That is what made me like this story so much. Actually the novel is kind of scary. There is imagery created that relates the present day Billy Budd to the past story of Christ. The plot makes this story so powerful, so meaningful, and so suspenseful because you want to know if Melville will change the ending. The resemblance of this story to the one of Jesus brought up a question for me. Did Melville intentionally relate this to the Bible?
Furthermore, I also enjoyed the aspect of the storytelling that Melville left questions unanswered at the end of this story. Some remaining questions are: Why did Claggerts accuse Billy Budd? Was Billy Budd guilty or innocent of mutiny? I like that these questions were not answered because then the reader is left wondering. This increases the reader's imagination.
Rating:
Summary: Billy Budd, Sailor
Review: Billy Budd, Sailor is an extraordinary novel. I can see why it is called one of the best short stories of all time. The story is about a sailor, of course, named Billy Budd. He is on a boat during the Napoleonic Wars. He is accused of plotting mutiny by the ship's master-at-arms, John Claggert. Billy Budd eventually gets so mad at the injustice he is receiving that he kills Claggert. Consequently, he is sentenced to death by Captain Vere.
What I did not like about the story was that is was so hard to read. The story was written in 1924 so the language is different from today's vocabulary. The novel is full of words that normal people do not understand; however, there is a glossary in the back of the book to help the reader. If you look up all the words, the novel takes a very long time to read, but it is still very good. I would say the main downfall of this book is the burdensome vocabulary.
I really enjoyed the character Billy Budd. Even though he is falsely accused of mutiny, he always kept his head high. His one shortcoming ended up costing him his life. This character flaw was his quick temper. This was most evident when he killed John Claggert.
My favorite thing about the story would have to be the plot. If you look back at the plot, you would notice a resemblance to the story of Christ. When I noticed it was like the story of Christ, I was in awe. That is what made me like this story so much. Actually the novel is kind of scary. There is imagery created that relates the present day Billy Budd to the past story of Christ. The plot makes this story so powerful, so meaningful, and so suspenseful because you want to know if Melville will change the ending. The resemblance of this story to the one of Jesus brought up a question for me. Did Melville intentionally relate this to the Bible?
Furthermore, I also enjoyed the aspect of the storytelling that Melville left questions unanswered at the end of this story. Some remaining questions are: Why did Claggerts accuse Billy Budd? Was Billy Budd guilty or innocent of mutiny? I like that these questions were not answered because then the reader is left wondering. This increases the reader's imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Boo to Billy Bud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Boo to Billy Bud!!!! Billy Bud is without a doubt the worst book I've ever read. After reading it I can only say that Melville has stolen 2 hours of my life and I want them back. Booooo!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: The most boring book ever written.
Review: Despite the decent storyline behind all of the wordiness, Billy Budd is a complete waste of time. Because of the complex symbolism (which Melville obviously tried entirely too hard to create), a book that should take a few hours to read turns into a fall into an abyss of three weeks full of confusion and frustration. If you're looking for something to put you to sleep, as it did to me several times, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a book filled with action and less wordiness, I would advise you to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Billy Budd: Misleading and/or Deceiving
Review: Don't judge a book by its cover (or size). If ever this statement was true, it is now. At first glance, Billy Budd by Herman Melville looks like at quick easy read at only 80+ pages. Once you get through the first few paragraphs, you realize that you just might have bit off more than you can chew.The character Billy Budd seems to be a stand up guy. Though quiet, he boosts the morale of his shipmates with just his presence. Melville himself calls him the, "Handsome Sailor." He appears to be almost perfect in every way, although he does have one fault. He stutters when he is overwhelmed by many feelings he cannot express. I like this about Billy. It shows that he is human and does have imperfections. Another character, Captain Vere, is a little bit creepy for my taste. His obsession for Billy, whether it be sexual or not, is a bit strange. A specific instance of the odd obsession is in the scene in chapter 10 in the mess hall. It is the well known "spilled soup" scene. The detailed description Melville gives to a small section dealing with spilled soup on the floor is a bit extreme. I agree with most people saying that there is much homoerotic content in Billy Budd. Overall I give this book a low score. I do like the idea behind the story. A well liked sailor who doesn't cause trouble is set up by his commanding officers. Billy is portrayed as a hero to his shipmates. A young man, murdered because of his innocence. If it wasn't for the idea behind the story it would get a much lower rating.
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