Moby Dick

By: Herman Melville

Narrated by: Pete Cross

Length: 23 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Widely considered one of the great American novels, Herman Melville's masterpiece went largely unread during his lifetime and was out of print at the time of his death in 1891. Called the greatest book about the sea ever written by D.H. Lawrence, Moby Dick features detailed descriptions of whale hunting and whale oil extraction as well as beautiful, incisive writing on race, class, religion, art, and society.

The story, loosely based on a real whaling shipwreck, features the unforgettable, vengeful Captain Ahab, who obsessively hunts a great white whale who bit his leg off below the knee.

Public Domain (P)2018 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Classic w/excellent narration

A classic story that has stood the test of time. But it’s the tide of narration that rushes this version to the top.

Perfect story, excellent narration.

This was so thoroughly enjoyable, I might listen to it again. Pete Cross did an exceptional job of narrating this book.

A wonderful great classic book

This book is a must. The narrator was superb and brought the story to life. I have always wanted to read this classic but thought it would be too daunting a chore due to its length and the year it was written in. Thank goodness for Audible and a wonderful narrator. I loved how he changed his voice for each character and how he read it with such an animated voice. I listened to this book at least 2hours a day due to its length and the story. I wanted to see how it all ended. I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed! I give the narrator A++++

Great but Flawed

As other reviewers have noted, Pete Cross does a great job with ishmael's "voice" which constitutes roughly 80% of the novel. However, some of the side characters sound like muppets. He seems to reserve his worst voices for small, bit parts like the innkeeper, Elijah, or the Pequod's owner captains (truly awful almost quit at this point). Most of the other characters are adequate with the notable exception of Capt Ahab himself. His portrayal here mistakes gravel for gravitas and volume for vehemence.

I enjoyed the book but ultimately felt this particular recording was amateurish.

Excellent

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The narration was great. Thanks for such a great performance.

Incredible classic, amazing narration.

It goes without saying that this is a long one. However, the authority that the author comes from, including personal experience on a whaling ship, mixed with the diversity of narrative styles used, along with the fantastic narration can make it a quick listen.

A Wonderful Rendition

A top-notch performance of a classic. I will definitely be looking for more audiobooks read by this actor.

I Am Not the Same

When I decided to get into audiobooks, I thought I'd start with Moby Dick. I'd never read it, but I knew it was a classic. After carefully searching for an unabridged version, I landed on Pete Cross's narration.

He took me on such an incredible journey. I fell in love with the crew, and Ishmael's many tangents went from odd to charming to beloved. Cross gives each character his own voice, and I could always tell who was speaking. He fills Ishmael's ramblings with passion and kept me hooked throughout the lengthy novel.

I did not know how the novel ended.

After finishing, I had to go stare out of a window for a solid half hour. Pete Cross's incredible performance had drawn me in so completely...I felt lost at sea once it was over. Every time I recommend Melville's opus magnum, I make sure to mention Cross's narration.

Strange voices for characters

A previous review mentioned that this was the "true voice" of Ishmael, and I'd agree with that - The bulk of the book is narrated in this voice, and that's where Pete Cross shines. It's the voices for other characters in the story that are the problem. For some reason, Cross always does high pitched, goofy voices for them.

Stubb sounds like a cartoon weasel, and Ahab sounds like a hipster on talk-like-a-pirate day. The entire rest of the crew has some sort of silly voice like this, and it heavily detracts from the story. In particular, the majority of their dialogue takes place during important or intense times - whale chases, dealing with Ahab's monomania, etc. Hearing Starbuck say "(Pull, my boys!) Sperm, sperm’s the play!" in a high pitched, whispery voice makes the entire thing sound, well, pervy. Maybe that was his intent, but I doubt it.

Not too long ago I came to chapter 73 - "Stubb and Flask kill a Right Whale; and Then Have a Talk over Him." and groaned out loud. I knew the whole chapter was going to be ruined. And I was right.

I'm well over halfway through, and while I'm thoroughly enjoying the book itself, the narration is a real problem. It can be difficult to convince myself to finish it at times, and I'm almost dreading Ahab's final conflict with the whale, all because of the narration. This recording may be the "true voice" of Ishmael, but it's definitely the "false voice" of Ahab. And Stubb. And Starbuck. And Queequeg. And so on and so on.

P.s. I apologize for the harshness of the review - Pete Cross is quite good about 80% of the time when he's reading for Ishmael and his meditations on life, the universe and everything. It's just these character voices Cross comes up with... they completely clash with the characters themselves and the events happening around them. Without these voices, I'd give his performance 5 stars easily.

Edit: I gave up on this one.

wonderful narration

Pete Cross's performance was stunning. He made the story come alive- all 24 hours of it. I highly recommend this audible version!