Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
Hi peeps! It’s day 4 of Audiobook Week, hosted by Devourer of Books! Today’s discussion topic choices are what makes a good narrator, and preferences for narration. I’m going to briefly touch on both topics.
Qualities I look for in a narrator are:
- Appropriate tone and voice inflection for the character(s) and story
- Ability to depict emotion, and elicit emotions from me
- Read at an appropriate speed. Not too slow, not too fast, and able to alter speed in relation to the intensity of the scene.
- Be believable as the voice of the character(s) – approximate age, male/female, intent, etc.
Narration preferences:
I typically prefer stories written in the first person, as I’m usually able to connect with the protagonist more. So, it’s not a surprise to me that I enjoy audiobooks the same way, and prefer when there are read by multiple narrators, one for each perspective. I’m not sure if it’s because I listen to more audiobooks now, but it seems more common to have multiple narrators these days. I love this! I prefer narrators to be the same gender as the protagonist (or POV), and I’m always thrown when they’re not, and find it distracting to the story. Some of my favorite audiobooks have multiple narrators, or full cast: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (2 narrators, a male and female), Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (4 narrators), and Graceling by Kristin Cashore (full cast!). Also, accents are always a plus if they’re appropriate for the character, and natural or done well.
Sounds, for me, are a delicate matter in audiobooks. Some sounds can be too jarring, cheesy, and plain distracting. However, sometimes a subtle sound fits, and is perfect for the story. I can’t think of an example of an audiobook with good sounds, but I know I’ve heard them. I’ve also heard some pretty bad ones where the story was pretty much ruined for me because I couldn’t take it seriously.
What are some of your narration preference? Who are some of your favorite narrators and why?
Happy Audiobook Week!
I am hearing a lot more audios with multiple narrators later, maybe there’s more of a writing trend to really separate the perspectives of different characters?
Jen – Devourer of Books recently posted..Audio Drama Audiobook Giveaway – US-only
I do love it when a book is read exactly how I would read it … you know, when you read at a normal pace for most of it, but then try to speed read during the exciting, or emotional bits. I’m listening to ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ right now, read by the author, and it’s perfect! He has a great sense of timing with the whole thing and the pace varies throughout, keeping with the tone of the book.
I’ve only listened to a few books with multiple narrators and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. One I’m eager to listen to is book #4 in the Mortal Instruments series — I’m interested to see how the dual narrator thing works!
Kristilyn (Reading in Winter) recently posted..AUDIOBOOK WEEK: What Makes a Good Narrator
Twitter: kimbacaffeinate
says:
I think each pov should have their own voice..at least they do in my head..LOL
kimbacaffeinate recently posted..Dark Companion by Marta Acosta
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