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Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday: Audiobook Narrators

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and this week's prompt is...

Top Ten Audiobook Narrators

I have only found a fondness in listening to audiobooks only early this year. Thus, I've only known a handful of audiobook narrators. Here they are in the order of my encountering them:

David Suchet


My first audiobook is Agatha Christie's Sad Cypress, performed by none other than David Suchet himself! He was the perfect narrator for this particular book; or could it be perhaps, because it was my first experience? Anyway, I enjoyed Suchet's clear voice, sharp articulation, and he gave each character a unique and fitting personality by various intonation and accents. However, I sampled his narration of Evil Under the Sun the other day, and found him read it rather too fast.


Cherry Jones


Cherry Jones is the most perfect choice to narrate Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series. She did justice to every single book with such enthusiasm and earnestness that I felt like swept into the Ingallses' home when I read Little House in the Big Wood. Her voice is clear and soothing, with good articulation and perfect intonation for the story.


John Lee


I have attempted to listen to Ken Follett's World Without End a few months ago. It's been years since I've read  Pillars of the Earth. John Lee's narration was perfect for this story. His voice is crisp, with nice articulation, and consistent pace of narration. It was the book that I've had problem with; it's too violent for my taste in the first 100-ish pages, and I didn't think I would be able to listen to the remaining 900-ish; so I abandoned it!


B.J. Harrison


B.J. Harrison is by far my most favorite narrator. He was perfect in narrating von Arnim's The Enchanted April. Since I have listened and read the book simultaneously, I knew for sure that Harrison's narration enlivened many of the book's scenes. His voice is pleasant, soothing, with perfect undulation. Good news is, that he has narrated lots of books (which I've found in Scribd).


Leighton Pugh


I encountered Leighton Pugh when I listened to Zola's The Ladies' Paradise. At first the audio was quite difficult to enjoy, Pugh's voice is quite heavy, and his accent's sometimes rather thick. But I kept going on; and I'm glad I did, because once I was used to, it's easy to follow his narration. His French accent is flawless, and his pronunciation is nice.


Hugh Fraser


I think you'd guess easily whose books Hugh Fraser narrated for most - yep, Christie's! I first listened to him in N or M? And I was quite struggled as I've expected. Fraser's British accent is thick, and his reading pace is inconsistent. He could blurbing some words so fast in a sentence, that I didn't quite catch what he said, though I've adjusted the speed to the minimum 0,8x. It's rather unpleasant, but I guess I must adapt, for he narrated many of Christie's I've wanted to listen to.


Judith Boyd


I'm currently listening to Agatha Christie: An Autobiography, narrated by Judith Boyd. Her voice is soothing, and what I like most is her sharp articulation. Normally my audiobook speed setting is 0,8x. It's the most comfortable way to enjoy the audiobooks before sleep. But I made exception for Boyd's narration; her voice is so clear and her pace is steady, that I've adjusted the speed to 1x. One thing I can do without is her high pitching voice whenever she gets to an exciting passage. It's a bit unpleasant.


Kate Winslet


I have found a delightful audiobook series of Enid Blyton's The Faraway Tree, narrated by Kate Winslet. I always love Winslet's voice; her accent is so pleasant to listen to, and she has that sort of gleeful voice which ought to make you smile. I am currently listening to the third book right now, and have enjoying it so far. She would be one of my favorite narrators at the end, I'm sure!

I have been enjoying only those eight audiobooks so far, so the next two narrators are the ones I haven't got to listen to, but wish very much to:

Dan Stevens


Don't you think Dan Steven's is the sexiest male voice on earth? Or is it just me? 😋 I would love to listen to audiobooks that he's narrated. But so far, I haven't found one which I really want to read. Well, I'll be waiting patiently...


Tilda Swinton


Last but not least, back when I was doing a thorough reading of Moby Dick, I came across one chapter narrated by Tilda Swinton. And I remember wishing her to narrate the rest of the chapters. She has a clear voice and sharp articulation, that it made me, whose English is a second language, understood the whole sentence quite effortlessly. I wish to come across a good book narrated by her in near future!

Have you listened to these narrators? Who's your favorite? Or who would you like to narrate one of the books you wish to listen next?

22 comments:

  1. I recognize several of these names! Only I know them from popular TV shows or British TV adaptations. :)

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    1. Great actors are the best narrators, aren't they? Well.. some of them at least.

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  2. I bet Kate Winslet would be a wonderful narrator.

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    1. She is! I'm thoroughly enjoying Enid Blyton's The Faraway Tree at present.

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  3. David Suchet is great! I am currently listening to his audiobook of the Bible, and it's helping me focus a lot.
    I also really like Dan Stevens in Beauty and the Beast. If you find a good audiobook of his, let me know. :)

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    1. Oh Dan Steven's narrated quite a handful of good books. Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express & And Then There Were None; The Illiad & The Odyssey (Robert Fitzgerald translation); Casino Royale; Ken Follett's Fall of the Giants, and I think Frankenstein too.

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  4. David Suchet has such a great voice! These are some of my favourite audiobook narrators!

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    1. And his characterization is quite spot on, isn't it?

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  5. Great list. I didn't realize Dan Stevens did audiobook narration, and one of them is a Ken Follett book. I'll have to check it out. Here's my list: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2023/04/25/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-audiobook-narrators-princeharry-zararamm-jamesearljones/

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    1. That, and a few Agatha Christie's, Homer's, and Roald Dahl's! I might consider re-reading The Odyssey just to listen to his voice! 😜

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  6. I didn't realize that so many actors also narrated audiobooks. I am just learning about wonderful audiobook narrators.

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    1. It is exciting, right? And make sense, because who would be best voice the different characters in a book, than actors? I wish you'd found great many more good audiobook narrators in future!

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  7. I didn't realize all of these actors had done narration. Very cool.

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    1. They are the sure guarantee to liven up good books, aren't they? ;)

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  8. I'm fairly new to audiobooks as well. Other than Winslet, I haven't ever heard of any of these narrators. It's always nice to find new ones to love, isn't it?

    Happy TTT!

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    1. It is! The most exciting moment is during the sampling. The first one minute is when you know whether they're worth listening to or not.

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  9. I have never listened to an audio book, but I've heard that the right narrator makes a big difference! Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

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    1. Totally agree. Sometimes a narrator could bring a book to another level compared to if you're reading the printed book.

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  10. I loved reading the Faraway Tree series when I was a kid, it would be so cool to hear Kate Winslet narrate them!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/04/25/top-ten-tuesday-417/

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    1. Of, Winslet IS delightful to listen to. Do try the audiobook!

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  11. Hugh Frasier is my top favorite!

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    1. He narrated quite a lot of Christie's both novels and short stories. I'm so glad that there're so many Christie's audiobooks to choose from!

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What do you think?