Totally riveting- disturbing, but so worth reading.. one of my all time recommendations; especially if you are from New England

A most exciting story which inspired Moby Dick - all of it is true. There are pictures of the actual people who were involved as well as interesting information on Nantucket, whaling and the era in which it transpired. ONe of my favorite books of all time!

In August 1819, the Essex set out from Nantucket on another whaling adventure. This journey, however, was far from normal. In November 1820, the ship was rammed by a sperm whale and sunk. This book tells the story of the 20 man-crew and their quest to travel overseas (more than 2000 miles) to reach the safety of South America. Of the 20 men, only eight survived to tell the tale of three months adrift in the South Pacific. The Essex tragedy was Melville's inspiration for Moby Dick.

The book was somewhat dull to begin with and I nearly gave up a few times, but once the whale struck, it seemed like the pace picked up and you had to keep reading to learn the fate of these men. Some of the descriptions in the book are quite graphic (carving up the whale, the physical condition of the men), yet I kept reading. One has to be amazed at how these men survived this incredible journey in three small whaleboats.

I am grateful for the maps in the book (pages 46-47 for the voyage of the Essex and page179 for the voyages of the whaleboats) but found their location in the book annoying. I referred to them a great deal so I could get my bearings as to where the boats were located -- they should have been in the front of the book for easy access.

Overall, an incredible tale of adventure and survival.

Good gripping story that will keep the reader's attention. Well worth the read.

An excellent book - well-researched non-fiction, but written in an entertaining, grab-your-attention manner.
In it, my ancestral cousins from Nantucket get their boat stove in by a whale, make some very ill-informed and unwise decisions, and spend a lot of time sailing around the ocean, resorting to cannibalism, and dying. Fun!
It's the incident that Herman Melville (not a relative of mine) based 'Moby Dick' on.
When I was little, I read a great many books on whaling and such (family history and all), but this book, I felt, really helped give a more up-to-date and accurate perspective on it.
Recommended for anyone with an interest in the subject.

YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME THIS BOOK IS SO FASCINATING!!! READ IT! Just for the history of Nantucket and the whaling industry of the 19th century alone are worth the read, but the main story of insane, angry sperm whale, cannibalistic cousins, sea survival 90+ days in tiny uncovered whaleboats, lost lost lost lost lost lost, makes this one of my very favorite new reads. This is the story that inspired Moby-Dick. This is the story that inspired me. This is the story that will probably, unless you are lame (!!) will probably inspire you. Inspire to do what you may ask?! I don't know!!! Inspire you to never do drugs? No, not really. Inspire you to stop littering? Perhaps. Inspire you to read Moby-Dick if you haven't yet? Yes! Inspire you to never eat at Arby's or Wendy's again!? A THOUSAND TIMES YES!!.
All jokes aside. Nathaniel Philbrick has done and amazing job of writing/researching this story and his reference notes are outstanding. He gives you so so many more avenues to explore. If this book has any kind of a similar effect on you as it did on me then you are opening a Pandora's Box of Adventure, Survival and Out of this World Explorations on the High Seas!

"A boy has to make a decision about what he's a-gonna do with his life. Some boys gotta make that decision sooner then others, but you, your mammy done made that decision for you." -A. Wynrentin, future author of the book, Size Says It All: America and the War on Size.

What a great read. While there is a huge amount of historical facts...whale information...navigation information..etc. this story is about the fate of the crew of the Essex and their heroic and tragic last voyage. It was a spellbinder for me and I often had to interrupt my husband's 24hour news addition to read him interesting parts. I cannot list the book until he reads it...now he is hooked on the story. Not for romance fans but highly recommended.

Fantastic book, I had no idea of the real story and really enjoyed learning about the history behind it.

Amazing book. True tale of old whale fishing.

Fascinating account of a whaling ship and the survival of the crew at sea after an attack by a whale.

Read All Book Reviews of "In the Heart of the Sea The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex"

Fantastic Read!I never thought a book about the whaling trade and the sea could be SO GOOD!Thoroughly interesting and well researched..I wonder if all his books are this good? 5 Stars for me!

not the best work from this auther. Mayflower is much better

I'm a big fan of survival-at-sea stories and this is a good one.

This is an amazing book filled with interesting facts about the Essex disaster. No detail is really spared regarding the sinking of the boat and the peril that the shipmen went through. This book will leave you questioning whether or not the whale meant to harm the ship or if it was purely an accidental hit. Regardless, the book will keep you riveted.

I found this book very boring. It is written like a history book not as a smooth story. It is filled with great information but I couldn't get into it with constant random facts and quotes that felt out of place, but relevant if you are looking for a broad historical view. A good read for someone that loves historical facts, or is very interested in what happened to this ship but not a good choice for the casual reader.

it took a little while to get into, but it was pretty interesting

Interesting historical account of the Nantucket Island whaling industry and the sinking of the whaler Essex in the early 1820s. This event was apparently the inspiration for Melvilles's Moby Dick.

Could not put this book down. Very interesting.

Based on actual events (I think).

This book changed my life.

Read All Book Reviews of "In the Heart of the Sea The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex"