Moby-Dick

By: Herman Melville

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Most informative an engaging work

The reader cannot help but feel engaged in the adventure. The author’s use of language and references to literature, religion, history and mythology are exceptional. Though he takes the reader on many rabbit tracks, they are interesting and informative. The narration is exceptional.

WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

The narrator was terrific. Nashville's writing styles are varied throughout the book. His descriptions are so vivid, of sailing, whaling, the characters including MobyDick. The themes about human nature, vengeance, insanity, friendship, race etc are fascinating. This book is a great reminder that our knowledge is limited and we lie to ourselves about reality and our selves. I was hooked from the beginning when Ismael the narrator says that when he senses , "the drizzly November of his soul" he goes to see.

The best

Muller + Melville = Magic. A breathtaking performance to match a breathtaking story. Even the whaling chapters weren't that tedious with Muller's voice. And the narrative chapters, especially the symbolic and dramatic final chapters, were rendered with the right touch of drama, intensity, and pacing.

This is the one to listen to.

Other recordings of this pinnacle of American literature fall flat in comparison to Muller's reading. Despite some mispronounciations, he perfectly, brilliantly, captures the rhythm and music of Melville.
It's a real treat to listen to this.
It's a great way to revel in the text if you already love it, or a very supportive portal to get past some of the difficulties the book can present.
BTW I have to comment on how hilarious it is to give the "story" of Moby Dick stars as is required by the review process. That's like giving the sunset stars.

Rich with intellectual and literary insights

While the main chapters describe the “action” of the plot, (and it’s truly a whale of a tale,) the antiquated chapters on whaling are essential and should not be skipped. They contain the most beautiful intellectual, literary, and historical reflections and insights, and elevate to work from a period potboiler to one of the greatest works of American literature.

Frank Muller is amazing.

This book is one of my favorite books and I didn't think it could get any better, however Frank Muller elevated it to levels I didn't think were possible. he has a perfect voice and performance for it. 10/10

Frank Mueller made it special for me

Outstanding work. Melville is an artist with each and every sentence. My favorite book. Excellent.

20 hours of build up

The performance was great with unique voices for each of the main characters. The build up was tedious and ended with the expected conclusion. The last 5 chapters might be worth another listen.

Glitches with recording

I enjoyed the story and narrator, but there are constant recording glitches where lines repeat over and over, lines just going silent and stuttering text. Infuriating.

Great book but choose another version

I have nothing to add to the discourse on this classic except it was much funnier than I expected. I laughed aloud a few times. And the narrator is great, I’ll definitely look for his name on other titles when choosing my next selection.

But the audio was flawed and often skipped including in critical places. I thought perhaps it was just my issue but have seen others comment the same.