Though I read an abridged version of Moby Dick when I was young, this is the first actual Melville I've read. Billy Budd is a great story, and Melville has an unrivalled way with words.

My two favourite excerpts are probably

"His duty he always faithfully did; but duty is sometimes a dry obligation, and he was for irrigating its aridity, whensoever possible, with a fertilizing decoction of strong waters."

and the description of captain Starry Vere: "But considerateness in such matters is not easy to natures constituted like Captain Vere's. Their honesty prescribes to them directness, sometimes far-reaching like that of a migratory fowl that in its flight never heeds when it crosses a frontier."

The other reviews of this book on Librarything are overly negative. While it is true that you will likely encounter many words you don't know (or have only a passing familiarity with) and the syntax will appear foreign, one would have to be either lazy, stupid or merely ungrateful to not appreciate "Billy Budd." ( )

http://sarahbbc.wordpress.com/2009/01... ( )

I had to read Billy Budd for school. That is not really a deal breaker for me, but I just did not get the point of the story and it really seems like it is suppose to have a point. ( )

This is a great work of fiction that emphasizes the majesty of truth. ( )

Very difficult story to read, with Melville often distracted from the task at hand. However, if you can persevere the fabulous story manages to shine through the verbose prose. ( )