Reading the 20th Century discussion

I love audiobooks, and always have one on the go (for when I run out of my numerous favourite podcasts) and found myself nodding vigorously in agreement when I read this comment from Susan (over on the Agatha Christie thread)...

Susan wrote: "I don't mind either audio books, podcasts or dramatisations. It depends. However, if someone is reading the book, I need to like their voice or, however good the book is, I can't listen to it!"

Again I am in complete agreement. The narrator, in particular, is often decisive in my enjoyment of an audiobook. Michael Jayston and Tom Hollander, who narrate some of the Smiley books by John le Carré are superb.

Likewise Simon Vance who narrated all 61 hours (!) of Alan Moore's wonderful Jerusalem was an absolute joy.

Conversely I have had to abandon some audiobooks because of an adverse reaction to the narrator. One example would be some of the early Bernie Gunther books. I got hold of an audiobook and the narration was atrocious and I ran screaming to a print copy. Thankfully the later ones have someone called Jeff Harding who is very good.

I agree Nigeyb. The quality of the narrator does matter. In my case, listening most nonfiction, what matter the most is the quality of the recording and speech. It helps when english isn't your mother language.

Very true! It is an obvious aspect of the experience - especially if it is a 12+ hour novel. Simon Vance is indeed wonderful!
Another of my favorite narrators is Juliet Stevenson. Among many other books (https://www.audible.com/search?search...) she did a wonderful version of Eliot's Middlemarch: https://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/M...

I've not heard Juliet Stevenson narrate yet but based on her prodigious acting ability I have no doubt that she is very good. I look forward to discovering how good. Thanks Haaze.


Marcus wrote: "In my case, listening most nonfiction, what matter the most is the quality of the recording and speech. It helps when english isn't your mother language."

I can well imagine. I should guess that listening to audiobooks in a language that is not your first, is a wonderful way of improving. My (non-English) language skills are not the best but I do enjoy watching French and Spanish TV and cinema, when it is subtitled, to pick up new phrases and improve my pronunciation.

Or just get some new swear words ;-)

I've never been one for audio books myself but occasionally hear a book serialised on the radio and not too long ago heard Michael Jayston reading Rogue Male and most excellent it was too.

I have to agree that Juliet Stevenson is wonderful, and add that Timothy West's reading of Trollope is sublime.

Jane wrote: "I have to agree that Juliet Stevenson is wonderful, and add that Timothy West's reading of Trollope is sublime."

Jane wrote: "I have to agree that Juliet Stevenson is wonderful, and add that Timothy West's reading of Trollope is sublime."

Hmm, I have had my eyes on West's Trollope renditions...
Good to hear from other readers on these matters. One thing that struck me the other day (as I was checking how many versions of a given novel was available on Audible) was the magnitude of it all. Twenty plus versions of some novels!!!!!! E.g. DIckens' Tale of Two Cities. I guess the company is allowing plenty of customer choice and it seems pretty clear that "readers" must prefer different voices. At least there is a lot of work for excellent readers in terms of recording audiobooks.

CQM wrote: "I've never been one for audio books myself but occasionally hear a book serialised on the radio and not too long ago heard Michael Jayston reading Rogue Male and most excellent it was too."

You might enjoy the audiobook version of Royal Flash which I recently listened to, it's narrated by someone called Colin Mace who, whilst not in the Timothy West league, was still pretty damn fine and did a credible Flashy.

I may well choose to listen to Flash for Freedom which is next in line on my Flashy readathon, also with Mace at the helm.

Haaze wrote: "Twenty plus versions of some novels!!!!!"

I had no idea there was that kind of choice. I must investigate further. Thanks.

There is a Nicholas Blake book that I wanted to listen to, but when I heard a sample I had to abandon that idea as the narrator was so slow and spoke his sentences in small chunks rather than flowing. So disappointing!

I definitely agree that the reader is all-important with audio books. If I find the reader just OK at the start, they often start to annoy me intensely after a few chapters - it's just hearing their voice for too long. Ruth, I had the same experience with a Nicholas Blake book and read it on paper instead!

I really loved listening to Richard E Grant reading A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie and would definitely listen to more readings by him - his voice is wonderful in itself and he did great voices for all the characters.

The reader really is important. I used to use LibriVox before we subscribed to Audible, and while I definitely appreciate what they're doing there, some of the readers are just so bad...

I haven't found any specific readers that I know I enjoy, but I do like when actors read because they do a good job. I don't remember if I've listened to any of Juliet Stevenson's readings, but I know we have some. I think she does a lot of the Jane Austen... Which is fun for me since the first thing I knew her from was the 1996 version of Emma.

Overall I can stick with a book, even with a poor reader (some of the LibriVox books I listened to..), as long as the book itself is good. I don't know if part of that is because I tend to listen at at least 2 speed and so the voice is a bit distorted anyway, or what, though...

Rory Kinnear and Jonathan Pryce are great and yes it’s always a bonus when the actual author reads the book for example Lauren Graham and Rob Lowe. I’m tempted to get Hillary Clinton’s new book on audible.

I heard little women on Libervox which was wonderful but yes it can be mixed as it’s anyone who wants to read aloud can register.

I am currently listening to A Fine Day for a Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story on audible. I've already read it, so this is just a reminder. Maggie Ollerenshaw is the narrator and she's OK, but suddenly breaks into accents which are a little off putting!

Haaze wrote: "Very true! It is an obvious aspect of the experience - especially if it is a 12+ hour novel. Simon Vance is indeed wonderful!
Another of my favorite narrators is Juliet Stevenson. Among many other ..."

I agree with you Haaze about Juliet Stevenson. I have several books read by her but the one I listened to most recently was Sense & Sensibility. She is wonderful. I think one important feature of a good narrator is to have a voice capable of doing both men's and women's voices. Juliet has a rich tone and can lower it slightly to make a credible man's voice without it sounding like a pantomime!

Equally, I've listened to several Agatha Christie books narrated by Hugh Fraser. His voice is not too deep, and he can modulate it slightly to do a realistic woman's voice.

On the other hand, I recently listened to Agatha Christie's autobiography. An Autobiography The narrator had a high, screechy tone which was unpleasant enough to listen to in itself. However, when she represented Agatha's voice as a child she went up an octave and it was positively painful to listen to! Luckily, being an autobiography, the narrator didn't have to replicate a man's voice, which I doubt she could have done effectively. Incidentally, it was a wonderful book, and that is the only reason I finished it. I felt like turning the awful squealing off many a time!

Seán Barrett narrates all of Mick Herron's Slough House books and is absolutely brilliant. I'm poised to actually read number five (Netgalley review copy) and I feel genuinely sad not to be able to listen to Seán Barrett.

Seán brings a different dimension to every character. His Roddy Ho makes me smile every time. His Jackson Lamb is a classic too. Actually, nearly all of them are brilliant and each one is distinctive.

Just to add to the love for Juliet Stevenson - her reading of North and South, already a favourite of mine, is just wonderful. As someone else mentions, she does male voices and also regional accents naturally.

My pet hate with audiobooks is a s-l-o-w reader - I have been known to listen at 1.5 speed on occasion!

Juliet Stevenson narrates A Far Cry From Kensington, so possibly I will give that a listen, once I have finished the Ruth Ellis book.

Does anybody else remember Talking Heads by Alan Bennett although shown on TV audio versions are available. Who can forget The Cream Cracker Under the Settee narrated by Rhoda Hurd and A Lady of Letters narrated by Patricia Routledge..

Absolutely - I remember them well, Michael!

Juliet Stevenson is one of the best


I wonder how much a narrator gets paid for doing an audiobook

Who is Rhoda Hurd? Confounded predictive text.
It's Thora Hird.

I knew who you meant, Michael :)

Michael wrote: "A Lady of Letters narrated by Patricia Routledge..."

I have the audible version of this Michael, narrated by Prunella Scales and Patrcia Routledge. It never fails to make me smile!

I agree about slow readers, Roman Clodia. Though, I almost always listen at 2x these days because anything else just sounds so slow.

My read of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was on audiobook, Jayne Entwistle did a really good job of narrating. I’m currently listening to The Secret History which is narrated by Donna Tartt, and while I usually like books read by the author, I don’t really care for her narration. She’s quite flat over all and a number of the characters sound the same.

Bronwyn wrote: "I agree about slow readers, Roman Clodia. Though, I almost always listen at 2x these days because anything else just sounds so slow."

:)) There is, of course, always the problem of the narrator turning into Minnie Mouse at that speed!

I always listen to podcasts at x 1.5. Audiobooks though? Only if the narrator is really slo-ooo-ow. I don't think I could absorb everything at x 2, so hats off to you Bronwyn. I'm impressed.

Roman Clodia wrote: "Bronwyn wrote: "I agree about slow readers, Roman Clodia. Though, I almost always listen at 2x these days because anything else just sounds so slow."

:)) There is, of course, always the problem of..."

True! It depends on the book/software, I find. Some just sound like someone reading fast, others definitely get a bit cartoony.

Nigeyb wrote: "I always listen to podcasts at x 1.5. Audiobooks though? Only if the narrator is really slo-ooo-ow. I don't think I could absorb everything at x 2, so hats off to you Bronwyn. I'm impressed."

See, and I listen to podcasts at 1 speed! :) Sometimes it's hard at 2x and I'll back it down to 1.5x or so. But once I get going and into the rhythm I find it's easy to speed back up. It definitely depends on the reader though!

Bronwyn wrote: "It definitely depends on the reader though!"


Agreed, I think that's the key point.

Along with the content....

Colin Firth reading The End of the Affair, or Seán Barrett narrating Mick Herron's Slough House books have to be savoured.

Conversely, a slowly read history book, say, with lots of factual information (that I am never going to remember anyway), can be experienced a bit faster. Or maybe a self-help book.

Nigeyb wrote: "You might enjoy the audiobook version of Royal Flash which I recently listened to, it's narrated by someone called Colin Mace who, whilst not in the Timothy West league, was still pretty damn fine and did a credible Flashy.

I may well choose to listen to Flash for Freedom which is next in line on my Flashy readathon, also with Mace at the helm."

And now I've just started listening to Flashman's Lady

It's great to be back with the incorrigible rogue

I haven't read Flashman, Nigeyb. Must investigate. I recently had my first poor experience of an Audible reader - having had, previously, very positive experiences. Andrew Wincott read "1984" brilliantly and Michael Jayston reads the Smiley books wonderfully. However, I love Nicholas Blake and downloaded one of his GA crime novels to listen to and The. Narrator. Read. Like. This. The. Whole. Way. Through.... So I can't recommend those, although I do recommend the actual books.

Nigeyb wrote: "Nigeyb wrote: "You might enjoy the audiobook version of Royal Flash which I recently listened to, it's narrated by someone called Colin Mace who, whilst not in the Timothy West league..."

I read Royal Flash and found it to be quite fun. Would like to read more in the series but I have SO MUCH on my TBR list and don't know when I'll get back to it. I don't usually do audiobooks because my mind tends to wander to other things when just listening to a book. The only place I might be able to listen and focus is in the tub and that doesn't happen enough to justify audiobooks for me. Definitely recommend the Flashman stories though.

So delighted to find Audio-Love alive & well here. It has become a passion for me since it brought books back into my life. I just wanted to mention a few of my favorite LibriVox readers since I use their recordings quite frequently. You won’t go wrong with either Elizabeth Klett or Mil Nicholson. Klett has done quite a few Austen/Gaskell/Bronte/Wharton novels and Nicholson has devoted the last several years to recording the Dickens canon.

I also enjoy Tadhg Hynes, because his Dubliner accent is just so charming. Simon Evers is quite good, too.

I completely relate. I'm currently reading War and Peace and thought I would borrow the audiobook from my library to speed it up a bit. That narrator has the most boring voice I've ever heard and he reads every character (male or female) exactly the same so it's really easy to get lost particular with the amount of characters in the book.

I find that when I'm reading the book myself I race through it but just 10 minutes of listening to the audiobook is tedious. I'm going to return the audiobook and just accept that this is a long book that will take me a few months to finish.

Renee wrote: "You won’t go wrong with either Elizabeth Klett or Mil Nicholson. Klett has done quite a few Austen/Gaskell/Bronte/Wharton novels and Nicholson has devoted the last several years to recording the Dickens canon. ..."

I've just finished listening to Pride and Prejudice narrated by Elizabeth Klett on Librivox and I agree Renee, she is wonderful!

I'll have to try out Mil Nicholson reading the Dickens.

I've just got a few of Dickens through Audible. Bleak House is read by Miriam Margolyes and I'm very much enjoying her narration so far. David Copperfield has Richard Armitage as narrator. Can't go wrong with that voice! The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby is read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. I don't know his voice but it sounded good on the sample. That one was free on Audible by the way!

I am currently listening to Martin Chuzzlewit read by Seán Barrett (who does the Slow Horses series). The reading is good, but I'm not struck on the story ...

May I recommend Samuel West reading both The Day of the Triffids and Brighton Rock, for a deeper insight into the books. He's the son of Timothy West, who does such an excellent job with Trollope!

Jess wrote: "he reads every character (male or female) exactly the same so it's really easy to get lost particular with the amount of characters in the book. ..."

I'm having similar trouble with Ratking read by Michael Kitchen. I love his voice. That's not the problem. But he reads the book rather than performing it. In some of the dialogue there is no helpful 'said John' and 'replied Jack'. It's just one piece of dialogue followed by another and another. I can't work out who is saying what and whether it's all one character or a conversation between several!

I may try reading a paper copy alongside the audio, so that I can follow it more easily. I don't want to give up on his voice, which is a treat to listen to.

In cases like this, I wonder how much control the narrator has over how they do it. Perhaps the director liked it being done that way but I think it would have been helpful to have more distinction between the voices of the different characters.

I just finished listening to Murder on the Orient Express read by David Suchet. I know it sounds odd, but, although I love David Suchet at Poirot, I prefer Hugh Fraser reading the audio books!

I do love Sean Barrett narrating the Jackson Lamb books and I also really like Steve Worsley, who reads the Logan McRae (Stuart MacBride) crime novels really well. Whoever read ( David Monteath) was also excellent.

I think Hugh Fraser is a wonderful reader, must agree, Susan. I haven't listened to David Suchet reading as yet.

He reads well, Judy, but I am very fond of Hugh Fraser, and Hastings, as you know :)