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Binding: Unknown Binding
Label: Editions for the Armed Services
Manufacturer: Editions for the Armed Services
Book Pages: 351
Publication Date: 1944
Publisher: Editions for the Armed Services
Studio: Editions for the Armed Services

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Not quite a portrait of the artist as a young man
Review: I am approaching the writer Melville with little prior knowledge about the man Melville. Apart from the Whale, read 30 years ago, I knew only Typee before taking up Omoo. Omoo is of course a sequel to Typee. While Typee's core theme is the narrator's life in captivity among an intact tribe of 'savages' in the Marquesas, Omoo continues his adventures as an island hopper, a sailor involved in a mutiny, a jailbird, a farm worker...
All is told with a light hand, in short chapters. Interspersed are thoughts about colonialism and missionaries and about the fate of the native population of the islands. There is lots of ethnology on mainly two exotic tribes: the population of the whaling ships, and the people who live on Tahiti. The attacks on the missionaries seem to have been toned down a bit in view of criticisms at home. The sequel was less well received than the first book.
What strikes me as curious about Omoo is the extent to which the author hides behind a mocking and sometimes self-ironic tone. He is not much given to reflections about himself, or at least not to sharing those with us. What do we conclude about the character of the hero? Obviously he has some problems integrating in his various social environments. He is always the outsider. He runs from his first ship, is an exotic guest in Typee, runs away, joins half-heartedly in a mutiny on his second ship, stays apart from the jail crowd and 'walks away' from prison, doesn't like the work on the potato farm, escapes from some unclear danger in the next village... Would one extrapolate so far, does it seem likely that he will succeed in settling down to any longer term project? He seems unsteady and shallow, aloof without much depth to offer. The story itself is fairly simple, the author does not appear to have a message above the adventure narration and a few rather superficial thoughts on the evils of civilization. In other words, one hopes he will grow up some time. Let's see.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Beginning Melville - a charming start to a literary career.
Review: The word that keeps coming to mind as I think about this book is "charming". Melville was in a good mood when he wrote "Omoo", no doubt enjoyed looking back on a very pleasurable period of his still-young life. While it is true that "Omoo" wasn't nearly as successful as "Typee" had been, it is still an impressive work for a young man in his mid-twenties.

I enjoyed his portraits of the people he meets, and especially of his doctor friend, "Long Ghost". His descriptions of Polynesian life and the historical context are quite interesting. And it's funny: Melville had very good sense of humor, displays it throughout "Omoo".

While the book is mainly a picaresque story of adventure, recounting the details of daily life in an exotic setting, and is a much happier book than "Typee", there are a few scenes that preview Melville's later narrative power. Here is the "Julia" in a tropical Pacific gale:

"Under such a press of canvas, and with the heavy sea running, the barque, diving her bows under, now and then shipped green glassy waves, which, breaking over the head-rails, fairly deluged that part of the the ship, and washed clear aft."

And here is a glimpse of the brooding quality of his later work:

"But my meditations were soon interrupted by a gray, spectral shadow cast over the heaving billows. It was the dawn, soon followed by the first rays of the morning. They flashed into view at one end of the arched night, like - to compare great things with small - the gleamings of Guy Fawkes's lantern in the vaults of the Parliament House. Before long, what seemed a live ember rested for a moment on the rim of the ocean, and at last the blood-red sun stood full and round in the level East, and the long sea-day began."

But these are very isolated examples. By and large, "Omoo" is a great contrast with Melville's other books. It is a light, easy, and amusing read. Highly recommended for Melville fans.

Helpful critical works on Melville:

Newton Arvin - "Herman Melville"
D.H. Lawrence -"Studies in Classic American Literature".
F.O. Matthiessen - "American Renaissance"

Note: This particular edition is from the Northwestern-Newberry Edition of Melville's works, and is an MLA Approved Text. As such, it is authoritative, but it lacks an explanatory introduction, which may be a slight drawback.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Omoo does wander
Review: This book can be read on its own even though it is the sequel to TYPEE. There are 82 short chapters that cover life on a whaler and various experiences on the island of Tahiti as well as surrounding islands. We get a feel for life on a whaler and for life on the islands and how foreigners, especially missionaries, influenced the natives for the worse.

Omoo means a rover or one who wanders from island to island. Thus the title fits the feel of the narrative, but also points out a shortcoming as the book roves too much. We are taken from situation to situation a bit too abruptly. There are many characters and events that are introduced, but usually only on a superficial level. I would have liked more in-depth analysis from Melville as many of the characters were just that--characters. Also there are many, for me, unknown nautical terms used that made the reading hard work.

However, enough of the stories give you the sense of being "omoo", especially in a time vastly different from our own, that I recommend the book, even with the many sections that make you plod.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Melville's second novel...
Review: is an excellent travel memoir (partially fictionalized) in the same vein as Typee.

Typee struck me most by its pictorial quality and sumptuous imagery. In Omoo, however, Melville shores up his powers of characterization, creating a fine supporting cast of individuals.

If you are only familiar with Melville's later work, you will be surprised by the wry sense of humor Melville flashes throughout. Detailed descriptions of practical jokes, drunken brawls, and cultural faux-pas will make you smile, and sometimes laugh out loud. Certain passages are actually a riot!

Also, in this novel (as compared to Typee), Melville's intrusions into the narrative are less glaring than they are in the previous novel. Yes, some of the diversions take the steam out of the narrative, as in Typee, but these diversions oftentimes give necessary exposition to illuminate characters' motivations.

The beginning of the novel effectively captures the claustrophobic atmosphere aboard a whaling ship, and the crew are indeed a motley lot.

Though you do not have to read Typee before you read Omoo (although the first page of Omoo is, literally, a continuation of the last page of Typee), I recommend you read both in conjunction. Be prepared to absorb a beautifully rendered atmosphere, describing the life of two roving beachcombers in the South Pacific in the early 19th century.

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