Sep 22, 1999 a magnificent, vast, and enthralling saga, sena jeter naslund s ahab s wife is a remarkable epic spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. Ahabs wife is a breathtaking, magnificent, and uplifting story of one womans spiritual journey, informed by the spirit of the greatest american novel, but taking it beyond tragedy to redemptive triumph. Ahabs wife was a main selection of the book of the month club, chosen by time magazine as one of the top five novels of 1999, selected by book sense as one of the top five books of the year, chosen by the new york. Ahab seems to be consumed with revenge and has an urgency to chase the whale. Books similar to ahabs wife, or the stargazer goodreads. This is destined to be remembered as one of the mostrecognized first sentences in literaturealong with call me ishmaeland una spenser, the transcendent hero at the center of ahabs wife, may well become every bit as memorable as. An epicscale, brilliant and compelling saga, inspired by a brief passage in moby dick, chronicles the. Since she was a child, naslund was annoyed by the scarcity of women characters in america s canonized literature.
From the opening linecaptain ahab was neither my first husband nor my lastyou will know that you are in the hands of a master storyteller and in the company of a fascinating woman hero. Buy a cheap copy of ahabs wife, or, the stargazer book by sena jeter naslund. The protagonist, and primary narrator, is una spenser whose bookish mother named her after the heroine of the faerie queene, whom we. Download or stream ahabs wife by sena jeter naslund. Beautifully written, it would take over 40 hours of narrating to read in its entirety. Goodreads members who liked ahabs wife, or the stargazer. As you can probably surmise from the above, i didnt like it quite as much as i was hoping. It was this house and all that was in it, and i was alone at the tiller, reading the stars. A companion to herman melvilles mobydick, in which una spenser tells the story of her life, and discusses her loving marriage to captain ahab before the white whale took his leg and drove him into madness.
Oct 01, 2000 ahab s wife is a breathtaking, magnificent, and uplifting story of one woman s spiritual journey, informed by the spirit of the greatest american novel, but taking it beyond tragedy to redemptive triumph. The author of ahabs wife does include what is probably her own agenda. Ahabs wife captain ahab was neither my first husband nor my last. Sena jeter naslund is the new york times bestselling author of five novels, including ahabs wife 1999 and abundance. I love historical books, characters and places that is what drew me to the book. An epicscale, brilliant and compelling saga, inspired by a brief passage in moby dick, chronicles the life of captain ahab s wife. Told with wisdom, suspense, a modicum of dry humor and horror, and a vigorous stretching of the truth, ahabs return charts an inventive and intriguing voyage involving one of the most memorable characters in classic literature, and pays homage to one of the greatest novels ever written. Unas later marriage to ahab a passionate and intellectually satisfying. This is destined to be remembered as one of the mostrecognized first sentences in literaturealong with call me ishmael. Her new novel, ahabs wife, grew from a stray reference in herman. Selected by time as one of the five best novels of 1999. A novel i read in high school, the red tent by anita diamant, had the same kind of basis took a minor biblical character and told her life story, and i loved that book wholeheartedly. The protagonist, and primary narrator, is una spenser whose bookish mother named her after the heroine of the faerie queene, whom we first meet in her.
I strongly feel this is better appreciated if one has already read mobydick, as there are other characters, not just captain ahab, here. And books, like quilts, are made, one word at a time, one stitch at a time. A winner of the harper lee award and the southeastern library association fiction award, she is the author of eight previous works of fiction, including ahabs wife, a finalist for the. Ahabs wife by sena jeter naslund, 9780060838744, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Naslund, ahablike, has taken on an overwhelming quarry in pursuing.
Ahabs wife was a book i actually owned in paperback and kept meaning to read. Ahabs wife is a novel on a grand scale that can legitimately be called a masterpiece. I recommend this book for those who like historical fiction. Throughout ahabs wife, una makes reference to the works of great writers such as william shakespeare, john keats, and homer. Ahab s wife captain ahab was neither my first husband nor my last. The book failed it wasnt taken seriously until many years after melville s death. I typically had read either science nonfiction books or science related thrillers written by men. I will get right to the book for today, ahabs wife or, the stargazer 2000 by sena jeter naslund. Download ahabs wife audiobook by sena jeter naslund. But great as her debt to melville may be, ahabs wife stands alone, intact and vital. It has been said that one can see farther only by standing on the shoulders of giants. Sena jeter naslund may be one of the most ambitious writers of the 19th century.
It feels like a biography, but it is pure fiction, fun, exciting, beautifully written and of course, epic. I could barely finish ahabs wife today is the next installment of the literary wives series click to see details. Immediately immersed in this world, the reader experiences a brilliantly written, vibrant, uplifting novela bright book of life. Ahabs wife audiobook by sena jeter naslund, maryann plunkett. If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller. Ahab s wife is a novel on a grand scale that can legitimately be called a masterpiece. Ahabs wife audiobook by sena jeter naslund, maryann. She is flawed, which is in large part what makes her interesting. Being a wife appeared to involve doing for your husband and being what your husband expected. Sena jeter naslunds novel ahabs wife is very much like a romance novel with an english degree. Apr 14, 2016 which probably set my expectations a little too high, which isnt really fair, but between that and a killer first line, captain ahab was neither my first husband nor my last, i was really excited to read this book. Inspired by a masterpiece, it is a masterwork in its own right.
Top ten tuesday is a weekly linkup of book bloggers hosted by the. Sena jeter naslund has created an entirely new universe with a transcendent heroine at its center who will be every bit as. Ahabs wife, or the stargazer by sena jeter naslund goodreads. I recommend this book for those who like historical fiction whether or not they have read moby dick. Shes wearing a conservative black dress, a silver bracelet shaped like tiny fish, and a necklace of silver clams, a sort of understated sea theme that helps promote her book. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet. Captain ahab was neither my first husband nor my last. Captain peleg describes ahab s wife to ishmael as that sweet girl, resigned girl. At once a family drama, a romantic adventure, and a portrait of a real and loving marriage, ahabs wife gives new perspective on the american experience. The cargohold of this book is packed with heartbreaking struggle and. Nor does the 666 page book bear any underlying resemblance to melville s masterpiece. Inspired by a brief passage in mobydick, sena jeter naslund has created an enthralling and compellingly readable saga, spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic.
Sena jeter naslund has created an entirely new universe with a transcendent heroine at its center who will be every bit as memorable as captain. Una was the traditional wife to both kit and ahab, but it seems as if she may be more independent with her relationship with ishmael at the end of the book. How does it enhance, deepen, and expand ahabs wife. From those two lines of text, sena jeter naslund sorry. From national book awardwinning, new york timesbestselling author louise erdrich, a profound and enchanting new novel. Talk of the transcendentalists like ralph waldo emersonand.
Unfortunately, i felt every single one of those pages. Get a free ebook by joining our mailing list today. A book by a female author without twists and turns was an eye opener. Shipwrecked, she marries one of the survivors, then falls in love with captain ahab, a man obsessed with a white whale.
Im holding out that someone will release it for us. Ahabs wife by sena jeter naslund overdrive rakuten. How does una reconcile the inevitable animal within p. A bold and intriguing fabulist novel that reimagines two of the most legendary characters in american literaturecaptain ahab and ishmael of herman melvilles mobydickfrom the critically acclaimed edgar and world fantasy awardwinning author of the girl. If you are the publisher or author of this book and. An epicscale, brilliant and compelling saga, inspired by a brief passage in moby dick, chronicles the life of captain ahabs wife. Ahabs wife, or the stargazer books the austin chronicle.
Sena jeter naslund has thoroughly imbibed the spirit of herman melville, and that spirit permeates every scene of her novel. What is the effect of drawing on all these other books. Ahab s wife gets to meet nathaniel hawthorne, for example. At once a family drama, a romantic adventure, and a portrait of a real and loving marriage, ahab s wife gives new perspective on the american experience. Book awards book club selections books by author books by series coming soon kids books new releases teens books this months biggest new releases. I wanted to like this book but i just couldnt get myself to.
Today is the next installment of the literary wives series click to see details. This is a book about the fictional wife of ahab in the book, moby dick. The adventures of una spenser who went to sea disguised as a cabin boy. Ahabs wife, or, the stargazer book petoskey district. The recent success of books like ahabs wife, wind done gone, march, pride and prejudice and zombies, etc. Sena jeter naslund s homage to melville is steeped in his work and at the same time explores a world that melville left largely uncharted.
It is an epic tale of una spenser, wife of captain ahab of moby dick fame, and her life before and after her marriage to ahab. Ahabs wife there did seem to be a small boat upon that sea, but that boat was myself. Captain ahab was neither my first husband nor my last, says una spenser, the. Nothing in naslund s previous fiction the disobedience of water, p. She is currently distinguished teaching professor and writer in residence at the university of louisville and program director. Ahabs wife, or, the stargazer book king county library. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. I have not only read the book, by i enjoy reading books about this book too.
Nothing in naslunds previous fiction the disobedience of water, p. I know its unfair but her name pisses me off has created an entire book about the wife of captain ahab. Ahabs wife, purports to be the first person narrative discourse of, not surprisingly considering the title, ahabs wife, one una spenser. Sena jeter naslund has created an entirely new universe with a transcendent heroine at its center who will be every bit as memorable as captain ahab. Ironically, ahabs wife, which reworks the great whaling novel from a female, liberal, protestant point of view, is already positioned to be a best seller.
I must qualify that by saying that my life is crazyhectic right now. The protagonist of ahab s wife bears no resemblance to melville s character in any way. Jeffrey ford is one of the few writers who uses wonder instead of ink in his pen. Didnt realize it was written in 1999, it seems like it was just written. Ironically, ahab s wife, which reworks the great whaling novel from a female, liberal, protestant point of view, is already positioned to be a best seller. Dont just read ahabs wife and think that you have somehow gotten close to that other tale. Writing a book, i thought, which men often do, but women only rarely, has the posture of sewing. In ahabs wife, sena jeter naslund has taken less than a paragraphs. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience.
In ahabs wife, author sena jeter naslund takes a barelymentioned, never seen character and gives us her whole life. More than 700 pages, this story follows the life of una, a child in kentucky in the early 1800s enduring a childhood with an abusive father who rants bible verses and cannot show love to her. Ahabs wife using a stray reference in moby dick, a novelist creates the story of ahabs wife. Inspired by a brief passage in moby dick, it is the story of una, exiled as a child to live in a lighthouse, removed from the physical and emotional abuse of a religionmad father. Tell us what you like and well recommend books youll love. Ten books i really love but feel like i havent talked about enough. The author of ahab s wife does include what is probably her own agenda to provide a feminist counterpoint and in this novel, she also includes reallife characters at the time of mobydick which gives parts of this novel a historical fiction flavor. This is a beautifully written novel and would be perfect for a book club discussion. Inspired by a brief passage in mobydick, sena jeter naslund has created an enthralling and compellingly readable saga, spanning. Sena jeter naslund, quote from ahabs wife, or the stargazer. In moby dick ahab refers to that young girlwife i wedded past fifty, and sailed for cape horn the next day, leaving but one dent in the he marriage pillow. She becomes involved in fighting slavery and in womens rights. Ahabs wife, sena naslunds epic work of historical fiction, honors that.
A companion to herman melville s mobydick, in which una spenser tells the story of her life, and discusses her loving marriage to captain ahab before the white whale took his leg and drove him into madness. Ahabs wife, or, the stargazer book by sena jeter naslund. However, frannie seemed to defy these traditional roles. The book failed it wasnt taken seriously until many years after melvilles death. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. A magnificent, vast, and enthralling saga, sena jeter naslunds ahabs wife is a remarkable epic. Download or stream ahab s wife by sena jeter naslund. Ahabs wife is a novel that uses a brief mention of mobydicks captain ahabs wife back at home in nantucket, and from this builds a slow burn of a back story around her.
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