About the book
‘A smart gender-flipped version of Moby Dick’ Daily Telegraph
‘A clever and original skewering of a classic’ i News
‘A brilliantly written reordering of Moby-Dick’ Philip Hoare
Call Me Ishmaelle reimagines the epic battle between man and nature in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick from a female perspective – perfect for fans Madeline Miller, Percival Everett and Barbara Kingsolver
In 1843, in a small village on the stormy Kent coast, Ishmaelle is born. She grows up swimming with dolphins and eventually – desperate for a life at sea – she disguises herself as a cabin boy and travels to New York.
As the American Civil War breaks out, Ishmaelle boards a whaling ship led by the obsessive Captain Seneca, a Black free man of heroic stature who is haunted by a tragic past. Here, she finds protectors amidst the bloody male violence of whaling and discovers a mysterious bond between herself and the mythical white whale Moby Dick…
‘One of the most valuable writers in the world’ Deborah Levy
‘Guo has gender-flipped this intimidating text with bravura and style… Call Me Ishmaelle takes us on a courageous journey: it’s no aping of a classic, rather a vision of a young woman sailing out to discover not a whale but her own self. And in that, it happily succeeds’ Daily Telegraph
‘An astonishingly ambitious undertaking . . . you’re in the hands of a genuine storyteller’ New York Times Book Review
Editions of Call Me Ishmaelle
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781784745608
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781784745615
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781529929997
- EBook
- ISBN 9781529930009
Read an Excerpt
‘A smart gender-flipped version of Moby Dick’ Daily Telegraph
‘A clever and original skewering of a classic’ i News
‘A brilliantly written reordering of Moby-Dick’ Philip Hoare
Call Me Ishmaelle reimagines the epic battle between man and nature in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick from a female perspective – perfect for fans Madeline Miller, Percival Everett and Barbara Kingsolver
In 1843, in a small village on the stormy Kent coast, Ishmaelle is born. She grows up swimming with dolphins and eventually – desperate for a life at sea – she disguises herself as a cabin boy and travels to New York.
As the American Civil War breaks out, Ishmaelle boards a whaling ship led by the obsessive Captain Seneca, a Black free man of heroic stature who is haunted by a tragic past. Here, she finds protectors amidst the bloody male violence of whaling and discovers a mysterious bond between herself and the mythical white whale Moby Dick…
‘One of the most valuable writers in the world’ Deborah Levy
‘Guo has gender-flipped this intimidating text with bravura and style… Call Me Ishmaelle takes us on a courageous journey: it’s no aping of a classic, rather a vision of a young woman sailing out to discover not a whale but her own self. And in that, it happily succeeds’ Daily Telegraph
‘An astonishingly ambitious undertaking . . . you’re in the hands of a genuine storyteller’ New York Times Book Review
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Call Me Ishmaelle about?
‘A smart gender-flipped version of Moby Dick’ Daily Telegraph
‘A clever and original skewering of a classic’ i News
‘A brilliantly written reordering of Moby-Dick’ Philip Hoare
Call Me Ishmaelle reimagines the epic battle between man and nature in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick from a female perspective – perfect for fans Madeline Miller, Percival Everett and Barbara Kingsolver
In 1843, in a small village on the stormy Kent coast, Ishmaelle is born. She grows up swimming with dolphins and eventually – desperate for a life at sea – she disguises herself as a cabin boy and travels to New York.
As the American Civil War breaks out, Ishmaelle boards a whaling ship led by the obsessive Captain Seneca, a Black free man of heroic stature who is haunted by a tragic past. Here, she finds protectors amidst the bloody male violence of whaling and discovers a mysterious bond between herself and the mythical white whale Moby Dick…
‘One of the most valuable writers in the world’ Deborah Levy
‘Guo has gender-flipped this intimidating text with bravura and style… Call Me Ishmaelle takes us on a courageous journey: it’s no aping of a classic, rather a vision of a young woman sailing out to discover not a whale but her own self. And in that, it happily succeeds’ Daily Telegraph
‘An astonishingly ambitious undertaking . . . you’re in the hands of a genuine storyteller’ New York Times Book Review
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Call Me Ishmaelle?
Fiction > Fiction: literary and general non-genre > Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
Where can I read a sample of Call Me Ishmaelle?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781784745608
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Call Me Ishmaelle?
Xiaolu Guo
Who is the Publisher of the book Call Me Ishmaelle?
Random House
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Call Me Ishmaelle is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781784745608) and paperback(ISBN 9781784745615) and paperback(ISBN 9781529929997) and ebook(ISBN 9781529930009)
Where can I buy Call Me Ishmaelle online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Call Me Ishmaelle from below
Where can I buy Call Me Ishmaelle?