In the Heart of the Sea

The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: Scott Brick

From the author of In the Hurricane's Eye and Valiant Ambition, the riveting and critically acclaimed bestseller and a major motion picture starring Chris Hemsworth, directed by Ron Howard.

Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson star in a film based on this National Book Award–winning account of the true events behind Moby Dick.

In 1820, the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale, leaving the desperate crew to drift for more than ninety days in three tiny boats. Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents and vivid details about the Nantucket whaling tradition to reveal the chilling facts of this infamous maritime disaster. In the Heart of the Sea—and now, its epic adaptation for the screen—will forever place the Essex tragedy in the American historical canon.

Critic reviews

A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century

"Fascinating...One of our country's great adventure stories...when it comes to extremes, In the Heart of the Sea is right there."—The Wall Street Journal

"A book that gets in your bones...Philbrick has created an eerie thriller from a centuries old tale....Scrupulously researched and eloquently written...it would have earned Melville's admiration."—The New York Times Book Review

"Spellbinding."—Time

"[Told] with verve and authenticity...a classic tale of the sea."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Nathaniel Philbrick has taken one of the most horrifying stories in maritime history and turned it into a classic....One of the most chilling books I have ever read."—Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm

Riveting

I don't listen to much non-fiction, preferring to lose myself in someone else's world. This book was recommended by a colleague and it sounded interesting so I got it. WOW - I couldn't stop listening to it. This is real life better than any fiction. An amazing story, set in the history of whaling, and Scott Brick was the perfect narrator for this book.

Good story, horrible audio

Interesting story but the production value / quality of the audio is absolutely terrible. The volume and clarity of the narrator varies wildly even within chapters. Better to read this in book form vs audio.

Fascinating

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. A great, true story full of interesting historical detail (such as the drug habits of Nantucket Quaker wives, racial relations of the time, etc.) and information about navigation by dead reckoning, the physical and psychological effects of dehydration and starvation, cannabalism, whaling and much more.

It's amazing to think that the events recounted in this book happened less than 200 years ago.

Audio & Editing is Fine

I was hesitant after reading reviews on the editing and sound quality, but a friend said he didn't notice any. I listened to the book with both ear buds and on the car stereo and found the audio top quality.

Why didn't I know this story?!

I'll admit, I'd never have picked this up without someone repeatedly prodding me to do so...but I'm really glad I did. I mostly read/listen to sci-fi/fantasy, so I'm skeptical about anything non-fiction...if I wanted non-fiction I'd watch the flippin' news (is about how my poor attitude would respond...) - but this story is good...hard to put the feeling into words - kind of intriguing and horrifying...on many levels. Not just the...main tragedy part - but what makes someone want to do this...the normal things they do...that they don't consider tragedies...from the catching and processing of whales, to the stuff that happens on the islands (like the Galapagos)...my god...

If you already know the story of the Essex, there probably isn't a ton of new info - but still worth the listen. If you don't know the story that was part of Melville's inspiration for Moby Dick, you should probably pick this one up!