Favourite audio book narrators and thoughts on audio books

10 years ago

Do you have any favourite voice actors or audio book narrators?

I like to listen to audio books while I do crafts and household tasks and have listened to a number of them lately.

There is such a difference a reader can make to the presentation and enjoyment of audio books.

For example, I got hold of an audio book of Georgette Heyer's These Old Shades, read by actor Cornelius Garrett. When he performs the actual narration he is great, and his interpretation of Leonie (the heroine) is passable, but he renders Rupert and Fanny (the hero's siblings and important supporting characters) as over-the-top slapstick characters and the voice of Fanny is especially coarse and grating, not at all like the high-bred lady she is. But it was his performance of the hero, Justin, that really grated. In the book it is remarked on several times that he has a smooth voice and often speaks without apparent emotion or with a sneer, but Farrett gives him a grating, quivering voice that makes him sound about 90 years old (and frail), whereas the voice I imagined for him is something similar to Alan Rickman at his most unctuous. Overall it was listenable but not outstanding.

I also listened to Naked in Death by J.D. Robb, read by Susan Ericksen, who gets most of the voices just right, even when she doesn't manage to get southern USA accents quite right and renders all more exotic accents in pretty much the same way as vaguely middle-European.

Rob Inglis's reading of The Lord of the Rings is very good, except for the singing parts, which all seem to be rendered under the same tune, but because I listened to Martin Shaw's reading of The Hobbit before Inglis's, I prefer Shaw's reading of that book.

Jenny Agutter does a very good job of Pride and Prejudice and Ian Carmichael gives an excellent reading of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. I couldn't complain about either.

All in all, however, I tend to prefer female readers because I feel they generally tend to be better at rendering male voices than male readers are at rendering female voices. I also prefer for books with British characters to be read by someone with an appropriate British accent, and for books with American characters to be read by Americans. I tried to listen to a free audio book of Sherlock Holmes stories I found through Project Gutenberg, and gave up because I found the reader's American accent didn't fit the characters and background of the stories (I expect I would prefer an American to read the American part of A Study in Scarlet and The Valley of Fear, however).

How about you? Do you like to listen to audio books, and do you have any preferred or favourite narrators?

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Comments (13)

rosefolly
10 years ago
I listen to a few now and then. I would agree that Rob Inglis did an excellent job with LotR, and also that I did not care for the singing. I found it bearable but not enjoyable. My recording of The Hobbit is also by Inglis, and similarly good. However Martin Shaw's reading of The Silmarillion was one of the finest readings I have ever heard. I would listen to just about anything he chose to read.

In my experience British readers do not get the various regional American accents very accurately, and it grates my ear. On the other hand, I would imagine that American readers are similarly dreadful at UK regional accents, and I expect that drives British listeners crazy.

Rosefolly
annpan
10 years ago
Netla, thank you for the tip about "These Old Shades" I shall avoid that one! I do have some audio versions of favourite books which I have not listened to yet. I bought them from time to time in case I got a recurrence of an eye problem and couldn't read.
I used to listen to radio readings of books and the narrator was very important to my enjoyment. The wrong kind of voice can be very off-putting, as you agree!
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How wonderful to find this site, though I must admit that it took me some time to find one that discusses this subject. The reason I sought it out was because I have been listening to audiobooks for years and they have brought me many hours of pleasure. Like you, though, I find that a book can be absolutely ruined for me by a poor narrator. I can be distressed by an irritating voice as much as the next person but what I find truly disturbing is when words are mispronounced. It is difficult for me to believe that narrators who are considered to be professionals, do not take the time and make the effort to research the pronunciation of unfamiliar words. Another pet peeve, though a minor one, is when a narrator uses the accent of a particular language for a character who is speaking that language. A french person speaking french does not have an "accent" unless that person is french and speaking english. It sounds foolish and often the narrator is difficult to understand in his/her attempt to illustrate the fact that the character is speaking in a language other than english. Other than that, what joy to be able to "read" while doing laundry, vacuuming, working in the yard, etc. :)
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norar_il
10 years ago
Our NPR station has a guy, Dick Estell, I think his name is, read on a book every evening. The guy talks like he's explaining the story instead of getting any emotion at all into it -- almost a monotone. I avoid him like the plague.

As for others, I don't know the names of the readers, but I agree you can either love or hate the readings. The man who does James Lee Burke's books is excellent. I'd rather listen to him than read the book myself and that is not common for me.

I listened to "Benediction" by Kent Haruf the other day and the reader whined all the way through the story. I guess that was his idea of how old people talk. As an old person, I resent it!!

Thanks for the heads up about Martin Shaw. I love him on British mysteries (Judge John Deed and George Gently)and will keep an eye out for books read by him.
junek-2009
10 years ago
A must is "Tulip Fever" by Deborah Moggah, the reader is Rula Lenska, she is just wonderful

Also two of my favourites are audios' of "Doc" and "Sisters Brothers".
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
10 years ago
I could go on and on about narrators, I've listened to thousands of audio books and do have some decided favorites, but I completely agree with you on Cornelius Garrett and These Old Shades. He ruined the book!
annpan
10 years ago
Bumble, do you have any recommendations for Heyer audio books?
netla
Original Author
10 years ago
Annpan, I have heard that the Heyer audio books (from Naxos) read by Richard Armitage are very good. Unfortunately they are abridged.
merryworld
10 years ago
Mr. Pip read by Susan Lyons. It must be a few years since I listened to it, but it has stayed with me.

Also, The Alchemist read by Jeremy Irons. I could contentedly listen to that man read the the phone book.
yoyobon_gw
10 years ago
I thoroughly enjoy any of Bill Bryson's books read by him.
They never cease to make me laugh.
iris_gal
10 years ago
I adored Lisette Lecat's reading of Tears of the Giraffe.

I agree about Ian Carmichael's voice. I can listen to The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (dvd), without watching, over and over, mainly for his voice. Shall look for Jenny Agutter, Rula Lenska, Susan Lyons, Jeremy Irons and Bill Bryson. Good post!
Kath
10 years ago
My experience of audio books is limited to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I'm currently listening to the fourth one.
Davina Porter is an excellent narrator. I'm not sure she's spot on with the one American accent she does, but the English and Scottish ones are great, and her pronunciation of foreign words is very good too.
phoebecaulfield
10 years ago
I've been reading audiobooks almost exclusively since 1982 through the US National Library Service's Talking Books program, and all of their narrators are top-notch.

Very occasionally there is someone with an accent I find harder to follow but the problems created by unusual accents are never so severe that I stop reading a book.

My impression of commercial audio books is that they tend to be jazzed up with (a) background music and (b) narrators who assume different "voices" for the various characters.

I prefer just the book, read in a straightforward way. But I do wish sometimes that the readers would make it clear where a quotation begins and ends, maybe by saying "Quote" and "End quote."
phoebecaulfield
10 years ago
I've been reading audiobooks almost exclusively since 1982 through the US National Library Service's Talking Books program, and all of their narrators are top-notch.

Very occasionally there is someone with an accent I find harder to follow but the problems created by unusual accents are never so severe that I stop reading a book.

My impression of commercial audio books is that they tend to be jazzed up with (a) background music and (b) narrators who assume different "voices" for the various characters.

I prefer just the book, read in a straightforward way. But I do wish sometimes that the readers would make it clear where a quotation begins and ends, maybe by saying "Quote" and "End quote."

Favourite audio book narrators and thoughts on audio books

Comments (13)

rosefolly

annpan

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Favourite audio book narrators and thoughts on audio books

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