Delbanco traces Melville's growth from bawdy storyteller through the spiritual preoccupations building up to "Moby-Dick," and the profound disillusionment of later works as he charts a life that left little evidence in its wake.
I enjoy biographies. This one is difficult to follow without careful (read that as slow) reading. I couldn't keep track of whom the author was speaking: father, son, mother's father, etc. It reads like a dissertation. I also like spice in my introduction. That said, I will continue to read to see if my opinion changes.
I appreciate the upfront presentation of the who, what and where; and think that if you follow along closely, the author gives a very clear picture of who's who in the family tree( Which happens to be very important to the biography).Being a fan of Melville's (especially, "Billy Bud") I will continue reading excerpts from this pre-published manuscript.
I'm a relatively new "fan" of Melville. After reading Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund, I was inspired to explore more of Melville's work. This biography seems to be rounding the picture nicely. I look forward to reading it when it is available.
