Very uneven recording quality and reader quality. Also a puzzle why a story so important to the development of American novels has so many English, Irish, and Scottish readers who can’t pronounce “Pequod”…

...and stayed for all the rest! Thanks for all of this. It was a treat for the ears and imagination.

The first chapter is beautifully read by Tilda Swinton. I can't overstate that. Her performance, like all of her performances, brings out all the life and wonder of the source material. The Whale is one of my very favourite things in the entire world, and I never knew how much I wanted to hear Tilda Swinton read it to me until I heard this. To be fair, she could read me the phone book and I'd be enthralled. Unfortunately, she only reads the first chapter. They have someone different reading every chapter for some inexplicably stupid reason. The producer obviously knew that Tilda Swinton was the absolute best choice to read this, so they put her first in the hopes that you'd stick with it. It didn't work. I've listened to this first chapter a dozen times but I can't stand to listen much further. They do have a few readers that I like, but the fact that they have someone different reading every chapter is anti-logical and distracting. It's an absolutely stupid exercise that should never have been approved. I would have given them any amount of money if they'd just stuck with Tilda Swinton, but they had to do something senseless and stupid.

Excellent audio, great voices, thank you for pursuing one of the greatest stories I have had the privilege to know.

As one might expect from an audiobook where a different person reads every chapter, some readers do a better than others. A few stumble over some of the words, and I am surprised how many mispronounce forecastle (it's always dangerous to assume an English word is pronounced how it looks). So far there has only been one truly horrendous chapter by some guy who seemed to think that we'd rather listen to his experimental music than Melville's prose (we wouldn't). Most are quite well done and some of the readers are both well-known and surprising. I certainly didn't expect Benedict Cumberbatch, and John Waters even less. If you've always wanted to read "Moby Dick," but couldn't get into this, this might be the answer.

The amount of labor and love put into this is unfathomable, and so far I have greatly enjoyed the reading. The only things that have been bugging me so far are how some readers sound as engaged as a kid getting a rock for his birthday, and that some slosh and smack saliva around very very loudly, but the latter can't be helped and is understandable. All in all, this is a FANTASTIC listen!

By breaking it up into individual chapters, this infamously gigantic book is made a lot more digestible. You can glean a lot more entertainment value from it as well. Most of the readers are full of personality, and actually add to the story in their interpretations.

Anyone else getting errors on their subscription? Mine keeps warning to me check my network and access privileges, but other podcasts are working fine. I'd love to make sure I am keeping up with this amazing project. I'd rate it higher if it worked more consistently.

I can not believe that I actually sat and enjoyed 2whole chapters of this Moby Dick. I have tried reading it before, Way in the pass, when I thought it Was a duty of some sort. But my duty only lasted till somewhere Before page60. Now here I am truly and amazingly Enjoying this read!!?? Please keep the Chapters coming, Sea Mattie Ps all "I did spell check". Peggy knows that she is still enjoying This Big Moby Dick Read! From Chapter 1 till now I have not missed one reading. What a writer! He had it all, especially when it came to the great art of painting with words How sorry i would have been to miss This read. Now Old Peg knows what all the fuss Has been about. To die and not to have heard this beautiful book would be the same As not to know Charles Dickings And all his wonderful people.

I read this in college, but I appreciate it so much more now. I believe that by hearing one or two chapters at a time it is easier to appreciate Melville's genius. His knowledge was broad and deep, and his thoughts on race, religion and some other issues sound modern to me. I can see now why someone called him an American Shakespeare. Before hearing this, my favorite of his works was Bartleby the Scrivener-- which I still love. But Moby is majestic.

I read Nina Martyris's blog about this Moby-Dick Big Read and think it's a brilliant way to approach this big long book. By hearing different voices reading each chapter I find that I'm more focused and therefore get a lot more out of this. Also there is a fantastic documentary available on PBS describing how whale oil was once as important to the world as petroleum/gas/oil are now. One aspect Melville's book shows us is the monetary greed, and the resulting inhumanity.

A masterpiece made easy to digest. This book should be read by all, but its sheer volume makes it more likely to be a doorstop or step stool for most households. The Big Read brings you along with daily chapters just long enough to whet your appetite. As for the different narrators, I love the variety that each brings. If you plan to sample this recording, be sure to give it a few chapters to hear the different readers.

I just finished listening to Chapter 9, The Sermon, a Shakespearean rant. Melville was protean, a wide ranging genius. Listening to the first nine chapters, you can hear the range of his genius for comedy, stinging political satire, irreverance and a kind of crazy reverence. His characters, even the minor ones, live and breathe. You can see their warm breath smoking the cold air of the mid 19th century. I'm heading for China tomorrow and my fondest hope is that I'll be able to continue listening while I'm there.

Why so many British chapter readers? It's an American story, by an American author, isn't it? I would much rather hear American accents reading this novel.

A lovely way to explore this wonderful book.

Man that guy's got talent!

Just listened to the third chapter. It was wonderfully read and laugh out funny. Can't wait to hear the next chapter.

I' m not much of a classical novel reader but I'm enjoying this greatly. Who knows maybe this will inspire me to broaden my reading. Thanks so very much.

I really enjoy hearing the personality of each of the readers. They bring a unique element to each chapter.

Such a great idea. I love the different interpretations of the text by each reader. Four chapters is further than I've ever gotten in Moby Dick (apologies to my tenth grade English teacher) -- here's hoping I can keep it up. PS: I do wish we could see the daily art here on the podcast too. Maybe it can be put in place of the album art?

Brilliant!

Wonderful realization of a brilliant idea.

There's only been one episode, but it'll be a fun way to listen to Moby Dick, probably. It consists of: -A very brief intro to the effect of "This is the Moby-Dick Big Read" -The chapter being read -Nothing else If I can handle 15 minutes a day of Moby Dick being read by a celebrity, I think I can handle a minute of introduction or commentary. I understand Stephen Fry will be a reader, and it seems like he could take a minute and tell me what he thinks of the chapter. I wouldn't start fast forwarding or yelling at my iPod to get to the point. Still, you get a little bit of the actor's personality in each one, so there's that. Keep it up though. Brilliant idea.

Tilda Swinton's reading of Moby Dick is fantastic. I can't wait for the next chapter!