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)

"Sea of Glory" Crushed "Heart of the Sea"

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes to some extent, I felt "The Survivors of the Chancellor" by Jules Vern was better and more in tune with in some way the agony and despair and plight even though the Essex survivors endured similar circumstances - as it was more detached and focused on facts albeit up to par with Philbrick's deep research of the material.

Would you be willing to try another book from Nathaniel Philbrick? Why or why not?

Yes, historical fact recreated continues to make me appreciate the ease of today's life in first world countries - while still feeling great disdain for TV like "Housewives of Orange County" or "Jerry Springer" or "Housewives of Atlanta" and "Judge Judy" - which I hope folks realize does not reflect the majority of America.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He is a great reader and can not be faulted, However "Atlantic" written and read by Simon Winchester wins out as he would given he has a true depth to his understanding of the material - I would recommend his other books as well "Crack in the Edge of the World"(SW), "Krakatoa" (SW) as well (these historical novels are also well researched and have a closer feel to "Sea of Glory" (NP).

Did In the Heart of the Sea inspire you to do anything?

Yes, to cherish the bounty we have in every day life more. And to still understand that some parts of the world have horrible governments, leadership, and poor outcomes for their citizens. However, people that want to can change their own circumstances - when they realize the change must come within and when they start faulting external causes of their problems.

Any additional comments?

These books will create a strong appreciation for things that most take for granted.

Great book, great reader, not great audio quality

The book was great, super compelling. The performance was good, but the editing was terrible. The end of each chapter was cut off and the sound was very uneven. This is such a good book, it's such a shame that the audio quality is so bad. Still worth listening to, but the publisher really needs to fix these files.

Essex Review

Good story. Excellent narrator.anxious to get more books by this narrator.good changes in voice for various characters. Diction was perfect.

The last hour and a half are references

Great book but the last hour and a half are references. You don’t need to listen to them.

amazing

What made the experience of listening to In the Heart of the Sea the most enjoyable?

Amazing and horrific description of death by starvation and thirst and the incredible things it can make you do

A whale of a tale!

Sorry, couldn't resist. This is a thoroughly researched and fascinating account of the sinking of the Essex, which was common knowledge among Americans until the turn of the 20th C. It's a tale of man vs. beast, man vs. man and man vs. environment; it's about the rise, fall and resurrection of Nantucket and an indictment of those towns that favor the establishment over the bumptious upstarts. It's the true story of Moby Dick, which is far more intense and action-packed than anything Melville wrote. The movie version is pretty good at showing the whale attack, but it doesn't show more than a fraction of the more than 3 months those men spent at sea, fighting for their survival. Well-worth a Summer read!

Thar She Blow!

Worthy of its National Book Award status. An excellent telling of the history of Nantucket whaling and the sinking of the Essex by the ramming of a vindictive, giant spam whale. Full of despair, hope, and survival, this book will leave a lasting impression.

You will never forget this story

My first book from this author and I felt mesmerized. He wrote very vividly about this tragedy and I have the utmost respect for him as a writer

LOVE IT

I loved it so much! Best sea tragedy/survival nonfiction I've read yet. Bonus, Brick is one of my favorite narrators.

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.