In the Heart of the Sea

The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award, Nonfiction, 2000

The ordeal of the whaleship Essex was an event as mythic in the nineteenth century as the sinking of the Titanic was in the twentieth. In 1819 the Essex left Nantucket for the South Pacific with 20 crew members aboard. In the middle of the South Pacific, the ship was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale. The crew drifted for more than 90 days in three tiny whaleboats, succumbing to weather, hunger, and disease and ultimately turning to drastic measures in the fight for survival.

Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents, including a long-lost account written by the ship's cabin boy, and penetrating details about whaling and the Nantucket community to reveal the chilling events surrounding this epic maritime disaster. An intense and mesmerizing read, In the Heart of the Sea is a monumental work of history forever placing the Essex tragedy in the American historical canon.

©2000 Nathaniel Philbrick (P)2000 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"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)

Mesmerizing true story

Where does In the Heart of the Sea rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorites. And now I will re-read Moby Dick, which is one of the greatest novels ever.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favorites

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

Scott Brick was an excellent reader. He isn't one of those readers who over-dramatize and put too much expression in the reading. He is clear and appealing.

Any additional comments?

What an amazing story. And there is a wealth of information about whaling and ships and Nantucket and more, that is integrated into the story so that our historical understanding is much enriched by the author's thorough research.

Too many citations made this a shorter story

This is an interesting tale of the true story that inspired Moby Dick. A fascinating glimpse into the whaling culture of 19th century Nantucket, and a harrowing naval saga of survival. Narration was solid.

My only criticism is that at least 90 minutes at the end are lost (to me) in citations. If I wanted to pursue original source and reference material, it is doubtful I'd do so from an audiobook. Be aware of this if you purchase it.

Incredibly wonderful tragedy

This is the rare book that once starred cannot be put down. When I finished I felt like I had lost a member of my family. I hope the upcoming movie will be half as good.

Outstanding!

Loved it. Could not wait to get back to it each day to learn more about this epic story. Thinking about it now, I will probably go back over it again before much time has passed.

very interesting storyline!

I liked the story and found it interesting and informative. as with all survival stories it can drag on a bit, but it gives you a taste of the feelings the survivors had to deal with!

performance was great by the way!

Wow!....what an adventure

Besides an amazing true story, it was a great peek into the hardships of life in the 1800's.

Good story except for some unnecessary digressions

What did you like best about In the Heart of the Sea? What did you like least?

This story has many interesting points that are worth considering even at this late date, and I think the author does this quite well. Yet, I do take exception with at least a couple of comments he made. First, the mention of the ignorance of the sailors about the whale does not seem to jive with what Herman Melville wrote in Moby Dick. Although it was their business to carve up whales and they went about it in a business like manner, surely they had some understanding of the anatomy of the whale including the size of his reproductive organs. Really, the mentioning of this organ and its size by the author is just typical of our sex crazed times. Totally out of place and unnecessary. Second, the author goes to some length to explain how painful it is to suffer dehydration and starvation. But, as he noted, as one approaches the end, all the pain starts to go away. Then, amazingly, he comments how the various supporters of euthanasia in America consider this a painless way to die. Did I miss something?! Yes, it is not very painful at the end but what about all the suffering involved to get to that point? It seems clear to me that such digressions are politically motivated and have no place in a work like this.

Can't wait for the movie

The book is great! I absolutely loved the story. I am stunned about the Essex and am interested to see how the movie handles pieces of the text. My only complaint is that the recording is really sloppy. The change in volume and intonation when the narrator must have stopped and restarted is so obvious it almost sounds like a different narrator and it is jarring. Even so, listen to the book or read it because the book is so interesting.

Fascinating survival story!

I thought this was an excellent book! The detail about the life of a Nantucket whaler was incredibly interesting to me, and I thought the narrator did a great job!

No audio issues here!

The real-life inspiration for Moby Dick. A way to connect to history through the people who lived it! Philbrick is a master of his craft! I'm a bit heartbroken that I have none of his works left to read. I'm eagerly awaiting the next release.