Moby-Dick

By: Herman Melville

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Its famous opening line, "Call me Ishmael", dramatic in its stark simplicity, begins an epic that is widely regarded as the greatest novel ever written by an American. Labeled variously a realistic story of whaling, a romance of unusual adventure and eccentric characters, a symbolic allegory, and a drama of heroic conflict, Moby Dick is first and foremost a great story. It has both the humor and poignancy of a simple sea ballad, as well as the depth and universality of a grand odyssey.

When Melville's father died in 1832, the young man's financial security went too. For a while he turned to school-mastering and clerking, but failed to make a sustainable income. In 1840 he signed up on the whaler, Acushnet, out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. He was just 21. A whaler's life turned out to be both arduous and dangerous, and in 1842, Melville deserted ship. Out of this experience and a wealth of printed sources, Melville crafted his masterpiece.

Public Domain (P)1987 Recorded Books, LLC.

Critic reviews

"Master narrator Frank Muller makes the most of his astonishing theatrical talents and vast experience to perform this tale of extraordinary drama. Muller uses emphasis and pauses to bring clarity to the visual depictions of life on the high seas, as seen by the doe-eyed Ishmael as he is led by the maniacal Captain Ahab. Listeners will hear the depth of emotions in Muller's voice as he paints the stark and shattering visuals of this classic story of revenge and, ultimately, survival." (AudioFile magazine)

Great Classic

I have been wanting to "read" Moby Dick for some time, but just haven't had the time. Audio is a great way to experiance this classic. Frank Muller made this book come alive...and that is hard to do, because a reader can get bogged down in some of the natural history chapters...but not Muller...I absorbed every bit of it!!!!

Skips A LOT

Great narration on a classic, but the audio skips quite a few times, which is quite disappointing

Listen at 90% speed

I enjoyed it deeply but would recommend listening to it at around 90% speed. I think playing it a little slower gives the heavy foreshadowing of the book greater weight and gravity

Important read but prosey

I am glad I listened but prose isn't my favorite medium, especially not in such a quantity.
It start out great. Ishmael meets a friend and they get to the whaler. But it starts to drag, with chapter upon chapter of prose, about the human condition, the righteousness or the whaling profession, on and on.
I would have liked more first person from Ishmael, about his past and what events shaped him, and more about Ahab and what, other than the obvious, caused him to go so crazy.
this is widely regarded as the finest novel to ever be penned by an American author, and it is a masterpiece. I will listen again but before, I am going to actually read it. as with other novels of such a length, I have found that it increases my understanding.

Glad i read it

said to be one of the books over needs to read before you die. that said the story is told in the same way the MCU laid out the movies before End Game.

Greatest book of all time

A true masterpiece of art, science, anthropology and poetry. Amazing narration. Perfect inflection and pacing.

moby-dick

struggled to finish . story was very good . lots of different thoughts to ponder . the story was alot different than I imagined . will have to listen to it again . don't think I took everything in that the book had to offer

Why did I wait do long

fantastic tale. beautifully produced voiced. At times one will need to take a break after a long section detailing some detail of whales but every word goes toward building up the end

Sensational Book

I happily learned about the life of early 1800's sailors on a whaling ship. The detail is wonderful & colorful. This type of book is easier for me to listen to than actually reading it. Rather long book but interesting enough to stick with it to the end.

a classic worth re-experiencing

Masterful use of English, and especially well-performed by Mr. Muller. This is a true American epic that captures the history of whaling. the prose is as sharp as any harpoon.