It is a long, long, very tedious book. Padded out with detailed descriptions of whaling. It would have made a good novel at half the length, or better yet a short story. It was based on a true story where a whale, also with the name of Moby, overturned a small whaling ship. SPOILER ALERT. The idea that on such a tiny vessel as a whaling ship, a second crew could have been hidden for months and months is ridiculous!