Moby Dick

De: Herman Melville

Narrado por: William Hootkins

Duración: 24 h y 49 m

Resumen del Editor

"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.

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?"

Exceptional performance

Best performance of a audiobook i have ever heard. I had not read the book before listening.

Gets a bit dry

A full chapter on different whale species followed by a full chapter of the circulatory system of whales ( slight exaggeration) is a bit much for me

A classic but slow getting to the point

The reading performance was outstanding. But of the 24 hours of the reading, there was almost no mention of the title whale. the long-awaited confrontation took place in the last 30 minutes. The book however, is a Fine treatise on whaling, seamanship, and both the physiology and physiognomy of the whale.

Incredible Performance

You know this book is a cornerstone of modern literature. Melville's achievement is awe inspiring. Pure unadulterated poetry.

But what you really need to know is that William Hootkins gives a performance for the ages. I cannot imagine how someone understands every word of a text like this so well as to deliver it with such insight and life. Things that would take three or four close readings to appreciate are evident on the first listen. Among them, the sensational humor and self awareness of Melville.

Some reviews contend that you need to commit to getting through the boring early chapters to get to the heart of story. This is wrong. The poetry and the humor and the rich use of language are abundant from the very beginning. And Hootkins sees it all and brings it out for you. I cannot recommend this highly enough. By far the best audiobook performance I have ever heard. Thank you Herman and thank you William.

A mighty typhoon of metaphor and language!

A vast, wonderful novel that, in my college days, I sacrificed to Cliff notes. Thankfully, my loss has been more than redeemed by the tour de force reading of Mr. Hootkins. What more to say of this immense and stirring tale? The modern reader may remain reticent about the long and sometimes detailed narrative, but to him or her I cry "Avast and fear ye not!" This is a classic better listened to than read... and I guarantee the performance of Mr. Hootkins will immerse you in a veritable Shakespearean Ocean of drama, vocabulary and prose!