In the Heart of the Sea

The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

By: Nathaniel Philbrick

Narrated by: Scott Brick

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)

Great story - not great recording

Would you try another book from Nathaniel Philbrick and/or Scott Brick?

yes

What three words best describe Scott Brick’s performance?

His performance is fine, but there was no equalizing his voice so it was loud and then soft. Bad recording and bad transitions.

If you like Whaling, Shipwrecks, and Cannibalism

I loved Moby Dick and particularly enjoy seafaring and survival stories, so this novel hit many of my buttons and I totally enjoyed it. This was a very fact based retelling of an intense survival story. There is also quite a bit of information on the functioning and personalities of a whaling ship. Some say Moby Dick was inspired by this true life shipwreck story.

If you have not read Moby Dick, I would recommend reading this first. It gives enlightening perspectives that will improve that classic. If you have read Moby Dick (and liked it) you will likely enjoy this book as well.

It ends with a long section of footnotes that others may find boring, but I loved it.

The narration was good, but the editing and sound quality was messy. There were a number of jumps and repeats and the noise level varied from clean to annoying. Although I did not like the editing or sound issues, it did not at all ruin this book for me.

UNBELIEVABLE!

It is no wonder this received the National Book Award... This is, to put it as simply as possible, a MUST READ! You don't like history? No problem! You are not interested in whaling? No problem! This is a compelling relevant story of human nature, struggle, friendship, loss, pain, death, and whale oil. A true American story of EPIC proportions!

Essex Disaster Inspires Melville!

If you could sum up In the Heart of the Sea in three words, what would they be?

Inspiring Survival Story

What was one of the most memorable moments of In the Heart of the Sea?

Drawing lots while starving at sea to see who would sacrifice his life so the rest of the crew could live.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the whaling ship was rammed by a pissed off whale and eventually sank.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The actual story was spellbinding, but the last hour and a half consisted of author footnotes on his research. Tedious.

Quite Interesting

I love nonfiction books like this. I learned a whole lot about the 19th century whaling industry and, yes, about cannibalism.

The book "ends" at about 9 hours in. Thereafter it goes through, chapter by chapter, citing sources. Still a great read and worth the money. It's definitely a "driveway listener". If you've ever listened to a great audiobook while you drive you will know what that means.

This is a story you'll remember

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely. This was an amazing story and well written. I would recommend it to anyone interested in historical tragedies.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Scott Brick?

Yes. The narrator actually did a great job. The only issue I had with the narration was that the recording sounded tinny at times, the volume was inconsistent, and the audio clips were poorly edited. Sometimes the narration kind of jumped from one word to the next and it was very obvious that two clips had been edited together. It could have been smoother.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"By avoiding cannibals, they BECAME the cannibals!"

This would make an awesome movie.

I loved this book

If you aren't familiar with whaling or the Essex, this is a great story for you.

Incredible story

There were occasional hiccups in the recording but overall i would def recommend the book. Its quite an incredible story and non fiction

Book inside of a book.

In the Heart of the Sea is a book about a few different books written about Nantucket Whaling. I enjoyed it emensly because it coverd maritime history covering boat wrecks, life on the ships, and the science behind the survival of the few men who survived the Essex. Totally heroic, and deeply emotional, no matter what this book will move you. At the very least it will cause conversation. Totally worth a credit.

History revealed

I always enjoy Nathaniel Philbrick's books, especially the nautical stories. I also enjoy true history and real characters more than the fictionalized. The narative is well written and full though recounting events more than two hundred years old.