Everyone's entitled to their opinions, of course. I just found no redemption at all.
I agree that there was probably not much in the way of sunshine when it came to 19th century whaling vessels. I was fine with that portrayal, actually. But the author went way beyond an "accurate portrayal of the times" in my opinion. He was shoe-horning bizarrely grotesque minutiae (and not just about whaling) into every nook and cranny he could find.
All in all, though, I knew there were many people who took away something from the book they could appreciate. I respect the Man Booker longlist more than just about any other literary award (The Giller is right up there too). It made the list for a reason. But the bleakness, the misanthropy, and the grotesquerie just felt contrived, overdone and often unnecessary to me - a gimmick. I think McGuire's skills are good enough to not need a gimmick like that. *shrug*