Rated 3.5 out of 5
My first Melville. I found his style to be intentionally dense. I could publish a word of the day calendar from all the vocabulary I found myself needing to clarify. Stories ranked and rated: 1. Billy Budd - 4.5 2. Bartleby the Scrivener - 4.5 3. The Bell-Tower - 3.5 4. The Encantadas - 3 5. Benito Cereno - 2.5 6. The Piazza - 2 7. The Lightning-Rod Man - 2 It also includes an excerpt from Moby-Dick called “The Town-Ho’s Story”, which I’ll leave unranked, since one day I’ll read the whole book. Great title though