Decision looming

April 16, 2020 1:17 PM

Which Moby-Dick audiobook should I get from Audible?
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

OMG I once drove across the country with a friend and Moby-Dick, read by Burt Reynolds! I would NOT recommend that one unless you are not serious about literature (I think it's abridged) or unless you want to spend the rest of your life, as I have done, blurting out "The White Wha-a-a-le" in imitation of Burt's pirate-y accent. But if you want a hoot you might find it enjoyable.
posted by Mngo at 1:27 PM on April 16, 2020 [4 favorites]

The Frank Muller/Recorded Books one is good, although since it’s the only one I’ve listened to I can’t vouch for it compared to any others.
posted by madcaptenor at 2:00 PM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

I listened to the one narrated by William Hootkins and I thought it was pretty great.
posted by fancyoats at 2:21 PM on April 16, 2020

I know the blue has mentioned it before, but I do like the big read - it can be a mixed bag, but the chapters are so short you won't be bothered for long. At least check out the 1st chapter (Tilda Swinton).
posted by Dmenet at 2:43 PM on April 16, 2020 [3 favorites]

This one, read by Anthony Heald, is streaming for free, if cost helps narrow it down.
posted by girlbowler at 2:47 PM on April 16, 2020

Don't forget to listen to Moby Dick Energy after each chapter.
posted by dobbs at 3:58 PM on April 16, 2020 [2 favorites]

Oh, and I also like the Frank Muller one.
posted by dobbs at 3:59 PM on April 16, 2020

Frank Muller all the way! I listened to a chapter a day for three months just recently and really loved it. I didn't expect I would want to re-listen but for some chapters like The Candles I played half a dozen times for sheer enjoyment. In the latter half of that chapter, Ahab has a tremendous speech. Muller makes it come alive. It's fascinating to hear him imbue Ahab with a certain majesty even as we hear the obsessiveness, and the mad rambling. In another favorite moment, there's a conversation between Ahab and the Carpenter. When you read the book, it can seem somewhat plain, but in Muller's hands, it's a comic delight.

I don't have much experience with audiobooks but I know for me the sound of the reader's voice makes a big difference. I did try William Hootkins and couldn't get into it. (But this was after I had been listening to Muller).

The Big Read is a real hodge podge. I dipped into it but didn't stay with it long enough to discover anything I really liked.
posted by storybored at 8:11 PM on April 16, 2020

Yeah, would not recommend the big read. There are some good chapters, but a lot of stinkers. And the people you think ought to be the best often are not.
posted by rikschell at 4:56 AM on April 17, 2020

Have you considered Libro over Audible? They currently have a promotion to get 3 credits for the price of one if you use the Switch promo code. They have multiple narrators, including the Muller, and you could compare without enriching Bezos.
posted by dobbs at 5:41 AM on April 17, 2020