Moby Dick

By: Herman Melville

Narrated by: William Hootkins

Length: 24 hrs and 49 mins

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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2005 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

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.

A story about obsession--brilliant narrator

I think that some miss the point of this book--I don't think it's about Ahab and the white whale. Rather, it's about Ishmael's obsession with whales in general. If you look at it that way, then you won't be looking for the book to get on with the Ahab story. It's also really, really funny at times. The narration is excellent, fabulous, splendid, and other superlatives. He brings out the humor in the book that one would likely miss in reading due to the differences in language style. I'm glad I listened, but by the end I was definitely ready to move on to something else. There are a couple of short chapters that seem out of place and could be removed in an abridgment, but I'm afraid that most of what would get abridged would focus the book on Ahab and the whale, and I really don't think that's the point of the story--just the backdrop for Ishmael's obsession.

Short Review, but it says a lot.

I am a highly educated literature lover, but I have NEVER been able to get through this book on my own. Hootkins' performance was the answer. Actually, it increased my appreciation of the written text and has caused me to revisit it many times since. Because of Melville's use of alliteration throughout, It's almost mandatory that a serious reader explore this book as a spoken performance. It may be cliche, but I owe William Hootkins (RIP) much gratitude for bringing this story to life for me!

I can't believe I finally finished it!!!

I've tried many times over the years to read this book but it is so tedious and dull through the whole middle of the book that I've never been able to come close to finishing it. This narrator is amazing though. He reads it with energy and gets all the emotion right. He is the reason I was able to do it finally. Truthfully you could read/listen to the first 20 and last 20 chapters and miss nothing. All of the action is in the beginning and end and all else in between is painfully slow.

Good book but a bit confusing

This book is very much worth the listen to. Although I did get a bit confused with the different timelines. I didn’t do background research on this book before listening all I knew was that it was a classic in which everyone said, “it isn’t really about a whale.” But, this book is very much about a whale and I understand there are deeper layers to it. However, I did get lost when the book would go into so much detail about the ship and mechanics of the work, maybe this is because I know nothing about ships or because the book is aged. I did enjoy the listen for the philosophical aspects and it was impressive to see such a long and well written book taking place on a ship!

Absolutely fantastic reader

Moby Dick is a weird novel with a very slow pace, but it's also beautiful and moving. The reader on this performance really brings the text to life, with wonderfully-rendered characters, and a very intimate voice when speaking as Ishmael. I wasn't able to finish Moby Dick when I tried reading it, but this audiobook is really fantastic, and a great way to enjoy a monumental American novel.

A Classic Tale Absorbs and Warns Us

Like many old people, my mother included, I read Moby Dick at school many years ago. I have just read it again, and again am amazed at the beauty of the writing and the thrill of the tale. What a fantastic book this is —with a stark warning for our country, as we go plundering and warring across the world, as we always have.

Masterful Performance

The performer really brought this book to life. Though it has a tendency to drag on at times his reading style keeps you hooked.

A whale of a tale

I remember reading this in high school and loving it. Still a great story. Still love it.

Excellent Reader and stellar performance!

Where does Moby Dick rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've not listened to many audiobooks, so take that for what it's worth. This was entirely enjoyable, perfectly (in my not-so-informed admittedly opinion) narrated and very much worth the time invested.

What did you like best about this story?

The story and subsequent literary meanderings of H. Melville aside, the narration was gripping and very, very well done.

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

I have not as I'm quite new to this.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"the white whale wants to be your friend... right?"