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Moby Dick  By  cover art

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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What listeners say about Moby Dick

Average customer ratings
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    3,115
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, EXCELLENT reading!

I've been trying to read Moby Dick for years. I would read a few chapters and then drag off and not be able to finish. This reader changed my whole experience with the book. Moby Dick is, of course, a wonderful book, but the reader added a whole new dimension. He brought the characters to life, which gave me a whole new perspective on their personalities (especially Ishmael). This perspective made the plot, subtext and interplay of the book so much more lively and exciting. Even the "boring" parts involving "all you need to know about whaling." Thank you thank you thank you so much, dear reader. You have a great talent!

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128 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Well Done William Hootkins

I love this book but have found most of the unabridged audiobooks of Moby Dick difficult to listen to. This is a long book with parts that are not exactly high drama - so Hootkins' "overacting" is really good at pulling us through those long arcs. It is certainly the best Moby Dick audiobook out there. I would go out on a limb and say it's actually one of the best audiobooks I've ever heard (my Audible library has over 300 books). I wish each every audiobook was this good.

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111 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Book I Have EVER Read

Since joining Audible a year ago I have chewed through the classics and contemporaries like a wood chipper.

That being said, I say this:

Moby Dick is not just a great book, it is the best book I have EVER read.

None too familiar with it before tackling the read, I'd always for some reason thought it would be stuffy, dusty, old world reading. Nay, my friend. It was saucy, salty, and American.

The subject matter is absolutely riveting to the imagination. The deep inner thoughts of the characters are poetic and stirring. The manic, unresting, hungry intelligence of Ishmael illuminates a world I'd have never known existed, the intimate inner workings of an industry, and the beauty of the experiences had by men who might be dismissed as uneducated and rough. The stories are so spectacular, so grippingly entertaining, I'd often stop what I was doing while listening, hands stilled in their motions, and half smiling and wide eyed, waiting to hear what came next. And sometimes all I could say was, "No, freaking, way."

Treat yourself to Moby Dick.

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72 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Classic in every respect

Would you consider the audio edition of Moby Dick to be better than the print version?

The reading of this book is a performance! I've began looking up book specifically read by William Hootkins. The store is rambling and fragmented at times, you sense Melville has a destination but is in no hurry to get there. His side bar chapters of sailor stories and whale descriptions were like commercials for products I didn't want to buy. But it was all part of the lush tapestry he was weaving so I didn't mind. Overall I loved it! I'd give it a 10>

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The reader is great

Great story brought to life by a fantastic reader. His pace is slow enough so that you dont miss anything, and he really brings the characters to life...

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Would you listen to Moby Dick again? Why?

Obviously Moby Dick is one of the classics, but William Hootkins brings it to life in the most extraordinary manner. I've heard a few different narrators do bits Moby Dick but Hootkins is monster. His range of voices is stunning and he manages to sustain it over 20 hours.

Have you listened to any of William Hootkins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time I've heard William Hootkins narrate anything, but I would take a punt on almost any book that had him as a narrator.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

William Hootkins is brilliant!

This recording makes Moby Dick come alive. Hootkins truly understands Melville. I've never been this impressed by a narrator.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

On William Hootkins and the White Whale

In case you didn't know, William Hootkins is Red Six "Porkins" from the scene in Star Wars when the X-Wing fighters attack the Death Star. He gets blown up because he doesn't pull up. He is also in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Batman and most importantly he one of the best narrators of all time. I have not listened to any of his other narrations, but I call him one of the best based on this one reading of Moby Dick. I love it. I don't think there are many equal performances - maybe Jeremy Irons for Lolita, or Stephen Fry for Sherlock Holmes. I also like William Hurt in The Sun Also Rises and John Rowe in Remembrance of Things Past. Rosamund Pike is good in Pride and Predjudice. Moby Dick the book is mysterious and gets under your skin. Its kind of like some other classics: at first you think, what's all the big fuss, but then you go hmmm, why can't I stop thinking about this, and then it becomes your favorite. I highly recommend this book.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bravo!!!

Excellent narration, which is not obvious from the sample. I'm glad I bought this version!! Very enjoyable listening!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Hast thou seen the White Whale?

Although Melville can be long winded, this narrator makes the trip worth it. Great listen.

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10 people found this helpful