WHITE-JACKET: OR, THE WORLD IN A MAN-OF-WAR

Is Herman Melville funny? Well, not very funny, but there are more laughs in this audiobook classic than in MOBY-DICK. Rob Vlock's narration captures the wit and passion of this lightly fictionalized story of a voyage from Callao (Peru) to Norfolk in a U.S. Navy frigate. The story is a military counterpart to Richard Henry Dana's TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST, set not too long before the Mexican-American War. Melville tells us all we could want to know about life aboard a man-of-war, and Vlock--despite a limited range of voices and some jarring mispronunciations--brings it to life admirably. The skills of a strong narrator and a master novelist make this an intriguing experience for listeners. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2022]