Moby Dick

By: Herman Melville

Narrated by: Alan Munro

Length: 26 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

Moby-Dick is widely considered to be the Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story details the adventures of the wandering sailor Ishmael and his voyage on the whale ship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon learns that Ahab seeks one specific whale: Moby Dick, a ferocious, enigmatic white sperm whale. In a previous encounter, the whale destroyed Ahab's boat and bit off his leg. And Ahab intends to take revenge.

Public Domain (P)2013 Trout Lake Media

Heed the advice

How could the performance have been better?

I didn't understand what the other reviewers were talking about when I listened to the available sample for this reading, so I purchased it... but a few pages in, it struck home that the book is read with a complete lack of attention to the actual content of the text.

There's plenty of inflection-- but it's the same inflection, over and over, regardless of punctuation; it turns Herman Melville's long, full, beautiful sentences into endless abrupt, normal-length sentences that are unrelated to each other. The narrator's reading makes it nearly impossible to synthesize what is actually being said. For that reason, this audiobook is absolutely not for someone "reading" the book for the first time.

22 of 22 people found this review helpful

Boring!!!! OMG!

Any additional comments?

I don't typically write reviews. I don't find myself to be very eloquent, however, I must comment on the narration of this audiobook. The reader, to put it in modern terms...sucks! He is very boring and mispronounces a lot of words, especially naval terms. The reader sounds like a human computer. He puts emphasis on the wrong syllables and pauses in the wrong places. I think Siri could have read the book much better! I could not listen to him for more than a couple of hours, so I cannot comment on whether the story is actually any good or not. I am going to download this book from a different reader like Frank Muller in hopes that it will be a more enjoyable listen.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Worst narrator

What would have made Moby Dick better?

I don't think the narrator understood what he was reading. It was awful.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mr dick

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I don't think the narrator understood what he was reading. It was awful.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Awful version. . .

What would have made Moby Dick better?

Moby Dick is a classic - indisputable - this audio version is awful though. Its painful to listen too, the voice actor sounds like he went to Shatner's School of voice acting. The audio pulled me out of the story every time I tried to listen to it.

Any additional comments?

Do not get this audio version, try another one.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Yes, bad narration

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Ha! Well, I'd tighten up the writing some, maybe add a boy wizard... That captain is really a downer.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator has a lovely resonant voice, but he seems to be coming upon the words for the first time as he reads them. He mispronounces some fairly common words as if he doesn't quite know where the story is going from one phrase to the next.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Terrible narration. Not even worth the $0.69 I paid for it.

I couldn't make it more than a few minutes in, the guy pauses between words for absolutely no reason.

Do not buy this version, do yourself a favor.

It's not even worth 69 cents.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Bad Narrator

I bought this edition without reading reviews. I only listened for about 30 minutes, then bought a different version. Don't take my word for it, look at the other reviews. Great book, just try another.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I CANNOT LISTEN TO THIS NARRATOR!

WORST NARRATOR EVER! BEWARE BEWARE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! BEWARE ANYTHING READ BY THIS INCOMPETENT MAN!

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great voice, bad narration

When I listen to the sample, I immediately noticed that the narrator has one of those amazing, booming voices that rattles around inside your head. But after having made it through the entire 25+ hours, I found his style extremely sleepy. His use of accents is impressive, but he keeps the same tone and attitude throughout the entire book, even as the drama is ratcheting up. So even in the climactic final chapters, It feels as if you’re being read a bedtime story.

As for the book itself, what can you say? It’s Moby Dick. Lots of beautiful imagery, but I could have skipped a few of those chapters on whale anatomy.

amazing story

I loved the book, but the reader needed a bit more animation to make the necessary hook with the listener.

AVOID!

Would you try another book written by Herman Melville or narrated by Alan Munro?

Alan Munro comes very close to managing to spoil this exceptional novel. I actually came on to double check the narrator was a real person and not a computer program. Clearly he is reading the book for the first time as he narrates but even so his failure to use intonation correctly is spectacular! He repeatedly places emphasis on the wrong part of the sentence which mangles meaning and utterly spoils the experience by jarring with the listener. Like all audible narrators he also feels obliged to employ a series of terrible accents for characters. Do read this wonderful book but don't let Alan Munro read it to you.

What didn’t you like about Alan Munro’s performance?

All of it. He places intonation in the wrong place consistently and as such distorts the authors intent. Truly the worst narrator I have ever heard.

Did Moby Dick inspire you to do anything?

Yes I went whaling afterwards, what do you think?

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Poor

I spent the first chapter trying to work out if the book was being read by a human or a computer, the speech marked with a lack of intonation and misplaced pauses. Then I turned it off in disgust.

A great book, utterly ruined. The first book on Audible that I've been truly disappointed with.

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

Sounds like metal mickey

Quality is very poor.
Sounds like the story is read by a robot
Very disappointing

Thaar she blows

Well this one does not blow at all . A bit of a tomb to be honest but well worth the perseverance .the rich and interesting characters all demand your attention . The action when it comes is honest brutal and engaging . The writing style took a little getting used to, however it added to the feel of the book so much that by the end I could not have imagined it written any other way .

A world classic, but...

I’m afraid the narrator is not a good reader. Like reading a shopping list. The voice becomes a buzzing in the ear. Such a shame.

Gave up after one chapter

The story of course is a classic. But this narrator has the oddest style, pausing constantly at random points in a sentence as though he understands the words but not the meaning. I downloaded a different version and it is far superior.

The book is amazing. The narration is far from it.

Alan does a great job of making a fantastic piece of writing sound like the ramblings of an old man after a very long session at the pub. I wasn’t at all impressed or entertained. I severely hope his other narrations aren’t like this one.

The book is a classic, read it and you’ll see for yourself. This audiobook however isn’t.

Awful narration

Would you try another book written by Herman Melville or narrated by Alan Munro?

I'm not sure if there's something wrong with the audio or it's the narrator. There are pauses where you wouldn't expect and the pitch rises and falls in a strange way. It's a bit like a computer or William Shatner having a particularly peculiar moment. It's impossible to listen to the story because you're too busy trying to work out what the hell is going on with the narration style.

Classic tale, but narrator was poor, lacked emotio

No emotion in the narration. Made a great book seem boring which was a shame.

Moby Dick

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book would suit someone who had nothing better to do and was looking to be bored silly.

Would you ever listen to anything by Herman Melville again?

Never

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Alan Munro?

It is not the narrator at fault it is the story

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment, anger, boredom.

Any additional comments?

I struggled though this book because I thought it could only get better, I was wrong.

1 of 8 people found this review helpful