MOBY DICK

Moby Dick runs in various modes, and Jonathan Epstein, while overall an excellent narrator, handles some better than others. He is best at rendering Ishmael’s curiously jocular voice—and clear and deft in handling historical, factual, and technical information. But he is too restrained to do full justice to the roaring bluster of Melville as action writer or tragic dramatist. While he conveys the sense of mystical and philosophical passages, he can veer too far into “poet voice,” the affected semi-chant that obscures all other expression. Overall, he has an immediately likable voice and manner and brings to this long book an unflagging thoughtfulness and energy. The perfect narrator for all Moby Dick’s varied modes might not exist, but Epstein’s rendering is admirably listenable, intelligent, and engaging. W.M. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2021]