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)

Whale boat books just arent for me..

I listened to Moby Dick years ago, and found it rather slow going. So many details, about the wood on the ship and the knots in the rope, that things never got off the ground for me. And the' Heart of the Sea' felt very similar. Yes, both have similar source material, and both are written by very talented authors. I thought the quality of the dense commentary was certainly convincing. But I just did not get lost in the story, but felt stuck adrift in it. Maybe that is the whole idea, I don't know. Odd thing is, I LOVE Steinbeck. And he likes to slow cook a moment , and talk about a lizard crossing a road for pages. Im perfectly fine with his work, I really enjoy the pacing, but when it comes to Whale Hunters, it hasn't clicked. I assume because they are so destructive and hard and violent,that I don't really care when the tables get turned. Well, that was my two cents. I thought between the two, this book might be my choice over Moby Dick, as its a bit shorter and also sprinkles in some modern anecdotes.

Compelling True Story

I did not realize that this was true story. It’s been on my list for a long time, but I thought it was just supposed to be another version of Moby Dick, written in a more modern text. This was not at all what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The descriptions of the whaling broke my heart (I can’t believe we used to do this and that some countries still do), but I can appreciate the story as part of our American history and heritage.

Exciting and Informative

If anyone thinks that history is dull, read “In the Heart of the Sea” by Nathaniel Philbrick. This historian has the gift of relating an historic event as if it were a fictional adventure tale. Of course, the event which is the subject of this book, the last voyage of the whale ship Essex, which left Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1819 on a planned three-year journey to hunt whales in the Pacific Ocean, is an incredible adventure, replete with an angry whale which rams the Essex and sinks it, the journey of the 20 crew members in three small boats, the amazing rescue of some of them, the cannibalism of the survivors who drew lots to select crew members to execute and then eat. Herman Melville used the true story of the sinking of the Essex by an angry 80’ sperm whale, as his inspiration for Moby Dick. Along the way, Philbrick provides fascinating details of early 19th century whaling and life in Nantucket. This book was both exciting and informative.

Fantastic

What can I say. This book is a fascinating look at history, human nature and survival. Scott Brick does a great job bringing the story to life and I didn't notice any problems with the audio. Definitely worth your time.

Good story, inconsistent narration

Once the story got going, it was gripping.

The narration sounded like it was done in several studios with completely different setups, and the narrator sounded like he was telling the story to children.

superb true story

This book's exceptionally good writing is matched by a pitch-perfect narration. I did not want it to end. The bibliographic essay at the end is a real treat.

good story

very good story and helpful I listen this recorded voice very clear and good sound.

Slow starter, builds steam throughout

a good story. get through the first couple chapters and it gets better and better.

Shoddy transitions...

Amazing story... Good narration... For some reason there were very awkward transitions and cut-offs which made it seem like i was jumping ahead, but turned out to just be shoddy editing i guess.

Uneven Production

What aspect of Scott Brick’s performance would you have changed?

Scott Brick's narration was solid but the production was very uneven with changes in speed and quality, particularly noted at about the halfway point when he suddenly sounded like he had a slight dose of helium. I deducted a star for that issue, not for Mr. Brick's work on the story.