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Moby Dick

By: Herman Melville
Narrated by: William Hootkins
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Publisher's summary

"Call me Ishmael." Thus starts the greatest American novel. Melville said himself that he wanted to write "a mighty book about a mighty theme" and so he did. It is a story of one man's obsessive revenge-journey against the white whale, Moby-Dick, who injured him in an earlier meeting. Woven into the story of the last journey of The Pequod is a mesh of philosophy, rumination, religion, history, and a mass of information about whaling through the ages.
Public Domain (P)2005 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.
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Featured Article: The top 100 classics of all time


Before we whipped out our old high school syllabi and dug deep into our libraries to start selecting contenders for this list, we first had to answer the question, "How do we define a classic?" The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might guess, though there’s a lot to be said for the old adage, "You know it when you see it" (or, in this case, hear it). Of course, most critically, each of our picks had to be fabulous in audio. So dust off your aspirational listening list—we have some amazing additions you don’t want to miss.

What listeners say about Moby Dick

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Start on Ch 7, 2:12

Start on Ch 7, 2:12 to hear the first lines of the book. Performance is beautiful. Glad I figured out how to find the start.

It’s like someone cut the deck of cards in half and started it Ch 47 to end. Then 1-46 (I hope). So glad to find the start.

Enjoy.

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7 people found this helpful

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A one-of-its-kind book, extraordinarily narrated

Having already read the printed book, this was an audio-book re-visit. William Hootkins has done such an amazing job here that it really changes the experience. So many passages of the book left a mark on me.
I cannot emphasize enough just what a great job this narrator does.
Moby Dick has got to be one of the best pieces of English literature right there. Just the first chapter alone is priceless. One of the best, most intriguing introductions to a story I have ever read...
... and the end of course, is even better.

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2 people found this helpful

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My one and only Audible review

Who am I to judge this Amercan classic. I own over 100 audible books. The perfomance is by far the best of any book in library.

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Finally made it all the way through this "classic".

The reader made the impenetrable parts of the story clearer and made the fun parts joyful.

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excellent performance

the narrator did a great job utilizing enough voices to engage. well written. I enjoyed the audio book more than the written version.

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Pick this one, it's stunning.

If you've only ever known William Hootkins from his Porkins character in Star Wars, you will be shocked by his impassioned reading, right from the beautiful opening chapter. Here was clearly a man who knew the book inside out. This was my first time reading Moby Dick and I can't imagine a better or more entertaining guide.

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The Classics are so worth it!

Give this a listen!!! This is a masterful novel from one of America's best novelists. I have to admit that just like Ismael, I too was drawn to the sea (although in the Navy, not as a whale hunter), and for somewhat the same reasons. What actually amazed me was that Herman Melville captured what it feels like to be at sea for extended periods of time so well--frequently I found myself in awe of his narrative because I felt the same way at sea.

This novel does not move at the same pace as a modern novel, so be patient. But it is so worth the wait!

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Epic

Large, sweeping tale with countless eddies and under currents. Still processing it all. Challenging at times, breath taking at others, definitely worth its place as one of the great American novels. Narration seemed off to me at first but once a few chapters in, could not imagine a better performance. Bravo!

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Masterful Performance

The performance was nothing short of genius. I could never make it through Moby Dick before - so grateful for talent like this reader.

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Amazing and very manly book!

I loved this book. The narrator is great. I plan to listen again. 5 stars all the way.

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