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Moby Dick

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Moby Dick

By: Herman Melville
Narrated by: Anthony Heald
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About this listen

 The outcast youth Ishmael, succumbing to wanderlust during a dreary New England autumn, signs up for passage aboard a whaling ship. The Pequod sails under the command of the one-legged Captain Ahab, who has set himself on a monomaniacal quest to capture the cunning white whale that robbed him of his leg: Moby-Dick. Capturing life on the sea with robust realism, Melville details the adventures of the colorful crew aboard the ship as Ahab pursues his crusade of revenge, heedless of all cost.Public Domain (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Sea Adventures Adventure Heartfelt

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Critic reviews

"The greatest of American novels." ( Atlantic Monthly)
"[A]n intense, superbly authentic narrative. Its theme and central figure...are reminiscent of Job in his search for justice and of Oedipus in his search for truth." ( Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature)
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135 chapters of inventive, sometimes complex, language. The story everyone knows is probably less than 20% of the book but the other 80% is rich in whaling lore, human insights and world-building.

Something I never really picked up from my own readings of the book is how funny it is; the clarity and acting power of Anthony Heald really showcases this aspect - as well as the drama and intense excitement of the more familiar passages.

The second listening took me nearly a month as I purposely took the time to savour the book and, as some of the chapters are very short and stand-alone, it's great to be able to dip into and briefly re-visit Melville's world - and discover new facets of this amazing fable and parable.

Melville's Epic Masterwork Brought to Life.

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Really struggled to finish this classic despite getting really into it early on. The middle third is slow, but tolerable. The final third of the book is incredibly dreary. It's filled with needless detail about characters or objects which barely glance tangentially off the plot before disappearing again into irrelevance.

Starts well but it's sooooo slow!

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The quality of Melville’s prose is dazzling, and Anthony Heald’s delivery masterful. The story has you gripped, from the very outset through to its bitter and inevitable end.

A masterpiece

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Beautiful writing. Very poetic. It's like walking through a series of old paintings. Suspense is slowly built up, in the most masterful way, culminating in the actual chase. A book, which truely deserves its legendary status.

A classic, absolutely deserving of it's renown!

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I had high hopes for this classic and unfortunately it was very disappointing. What started off well quickly turned into random facts and heavy detail into whales and the like which literally lost the plot. Only listen if you’ve read the book or have a LOT of time to focus and can stay awake whilst the narrator goes back and forth between the plot, the author’s notes and the numerous descriptions whaling.

A classic maybe but a tad too long and boring

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fantastically told by the narrator, really made the story come alive! would listen again and did to the last chapters!

narrator

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Beautiful prose yet very heavy and truly tough to follow.
I'll have to read this again closer to my sixties.
Took me over half a year, on and off, to finish this book.

A touch too tough and too long!

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A beautiful book, beautifully orated.
This is elite level writing, a show off artist, MELVILLE is a genius.

Moby Dick, a true classic

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What an amazing narration, the best I've heard so far, absolutely nails it down

Perfect

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I enjoyed listening to this book and would recommend it. The narrator had a nice voice to listen to.

very well read

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