Ahab's Wife

I flew through the first half of this book – absolutely loved it. When the story took what I call the “icky twist”, I started to lose interest, though I did finish with an overall good opinion. I realize that, in order to be the kind of person to attract and meld with Ahab, Una needed to have dealt with some tough things, but the whole cannibalism thing wasn’t my cup of tea, nor were the issues that Kit and Giles dealt with afterwards. I thought it was completely unnecessary to allude to an intimate encounter between the two of them. Like I said, icky! I was glad when Kit ran away and Una could finally be with someone who matched her perfectly.

I love all the descriptions of color – they’re so rich. “The fragile colors of dawn” In fact, all of the authors descriptions seem full.

The situation between Una and her father was terrible and most of her recollections of him were very sad, but one thing she talked about stuck with me and is something I’d like to remember for myself! The golden gloves – pretending to put on the golden rule “Do unto others as you” (one hand) “would have them to do” (second hand) “unto you” (wrist buttons) as gloves. “Whenever you do wrong, Una, the gloves come off. You must then say the verse again and put them on with new resolve.”

The author put so many allusions (cynical!) to the Bible, Christian beliefs and random religious thoughts throughout the story, I can’t hardly begin to mention them all, but here’s one that I thought memorable:
After Una first climbed the Lighthouse: “From that moment, my appreciation of the Lighthouse changed from reverence for its imposing presence, as we below moved around it, to affection. It admitted me to its interior. With the work of my own legs, it elevated me. I shared the splendor of its view. Knowing the structure from the inside, I loved it and counted it more friend and father.”

Another quote: “Home? she chuckled. “I have made my home wherever I am. … And I advise you to do the same.” Una takes this advice to heart and does find a way to make her home wherever she is. Similar to the quote/idea that you liked, Aunt Annette!

The story went back and forth in time quite a bit, but it all comes together into a coherent picture. I like that the author lets us know why Una tells her story in the order that she does – her most painful moments first. I like that pretty much all the ends are tied up – we get to find out what happens to Susan, David, Una’s neighbors; and we can see pretty much how Kit turns out. And I love how the book ends, bringing Una and Ishmael together; a neat tie to Melville’s story (which she does throughout the book, of course). I’ve never read Moby Dick, but this story almost makes me want to – not quite, though, because I even lost interest in the excerpts at the beginning!