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When bad narrators kill good audiobooks
So, it’s obvious (or should be) to anyone that knows me that I’m obsessed with audiobooks. I usually have one (or five – but who’s counting?) loaded on my iPhone and far more than that on my iPad. I remembered that I had two credits at Audible.com waiting for me to use them so tonight, I picked up two more (Life After Joe by Harper Fox and The Witness by Nora Roberts). I haven’t listened to them yet, but I’m hoping that they’ll turn out better than my last three audiobooks did…
I picked up To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt a while back because I’d heard rave reviews of it (either that or it was from HaBO on SmartBitches.com and I couldn’t help but grab it since so many of those books are so hilariously bad-sounding that I feel as though I have to read them for the sheer entertainment value alone… but I digress). The basic idea of the book is that this chick proposes to a viscount since he needs and heir and she needs not to be an old maid. She’s secretly been in love with him for years, but she doesn’t want to get her heart broken, so she tries to keep him at a distance. Typically this is exactly the type of HR that I’d read. Somewhat cheesy, but cute and I love the idea that the mousy girl can get the hottie guy every once in a while. But the woman who narrated the book… oh my goodness. I don’t know if I didn’t like her accent (which is rare for me since I obsess over British accents and routinely perfect mine in the mirror while I’m getting ready in the morning – shut up, you know you do it too!) or maybe it’s just because she has a higher-pitched voice than I’m used to and the tone got on my nerves. Whatever the reason, I couldn’t get past her voice and really listen to the story, so I ended up putting the audiobook down about an hour into it. If you want to hear a sample, click on the title of the book to be taken to Audible’s page – I couldn’t figure out a way to save and embed the sample.
I was asked to review Unraveled by Gena Showalter a while back, but I’d never read Intertwined, the first book in the series. So I got theaudiobook to listen to while I was cleaning the house and on my way to and from school. Since I’m so busy, I might as well kill two birds with one stone, right? Yeah… The narrator was female, which didn’t bother me (this time) as much as the cadence of her voice. She emphasized the wrong words and syllables (which now makes me think of Mike Myers in A View From the Top – “You put the wrong emPHAsis on the wrong sylLABle!”) I was able to plow through about two hours, maybe three of this one, but when I realized that I had no idea what was going on after I ignored more than I listened to, I figured it was time to put the book down. Eventually I will go back to reading the books because I love Gena’s work and I think the idea was a really good one, but the narrator kind of scarred me.
I’m currently reading (listening to) Unveiled by Courtney Milan. The premise of the book is really good, and I’ve been pulled into the story, but I keep getting knocked out again by the narrator’s voice. It’s not the same person who did To Seduce a Sinner, but she sure sounds similar. Is it because she sounds so upper crust British that this is how the producers think people should have sounded back in 1800s England? Cause I think I’d rather listen to a man (like Hugh Laurie!!) read if that’s the case. This narrator is shrill and sometimes I have to turn the volume down on my iPhone – which is bad, since I have minor bilateral hearing loss and occasionally it’s difficult for me to hear things well. I’ll keep listening for as long as I can, but I have the print book as a backup in case I end up unable to finish the audio version.
My two most favorite narrators are Phil Gigante (who narrated the male parts of the Fever series and all of the Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning) and Jim Frangione (who narrates the Black Dagger Brotherhood books by JR Ward). They have these deep, sexy, expressive, amazing voices that when listened to will make you want to do anything for them, as long as they keep talking to you (especially Phil when he does his Dreamy-Eyed-Guy voice — I would walk over burning coals if he asked me to using that voice).
So, is there a lesson to be learned when buying audiobooks? Yes. Always listen to the sample. And if you find a good narrator, it’s okay to stick with them — provided you’re interested in the books they’re reading, of course. 
4 Responses to When bad narrators kill good audiobooks
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AAD2013
I haven't purchased an audiobook yet (knock on wood) that I haven't loved. Mostly because I buy the books I already have and love and want to read again. And I listen to the sample over and over before I decide if it's something I can listen to. Some I can tell right away if it will be a hit or a miss. I'm sad that some of the series I love, (like the Elder Races by Thea Harrison or the Breeds by Lora Leigh) I won't be able to listen to because the narrator's voice annoys me. I prefer listening to a male narrator. I LOVE Robert Petkoff who narrates the IAD. Talk about someone who talk me into walking over burning coals? If he did it using his Scottish "Lachlan" voice, I 'd lay down on them. lol I also love Jim Frangione now, but it did take me a little bit to get use to his voice. I also love Sean Crisden. He narrates a lot of m/m audiobooks.
I have found few women narrators that I can stand. Hilary Huber narrates the Midnight Breeds series by Lara Adrian. I don't mind her voice. Also Barbara Rosenblat narrates the Aisling Gray series, and she is hilarious! But those are about the only two female voices that I can listen to. The only audiobooks I will take a chance on and purchase without having previously read it, are audiobooks with a male narrator.
I haven't bought an audiobook myself but I have listened to them at the school I work at. We read an S. E. Hinton book and the author totally does NOT fit. I get so annoyed with the sound of his voice when he's changing from one character to another. I either have to sit with my fingers in my ears or just leave the room, it's that annoying to me. There are other audiobooks that we have the kids follow along with that aren't quite as annoying but still not anyone I want to listen to when it's a book I'm really interested in or already read. I'm just not brave enough to buy an audiobook myself just to be disappointed.
Pingback: Do good narrators make audiobooks great? | Mama Kitty Reviews
Recent technology has encouraged the proliferation of free audiobooks that take works from the public domain and enlist volunteers to read them. Audiobooks also can be created with text to speech computer software, although the quality of synthesized speech may suffer by comparison to recordings by a human voice.;:..*
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