Welcome to the Australasian Christian Writers Tuesday Book Chat, where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
Which is more important in an audiobook – the story, the author, or the narrator?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation in a comment on this post or in a comment on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
When I first read this question, I thought hmm… I don’t think I’ve listened to enough audiobooks to have a definite answer. Or is this a rock-scissors-paper situation where all three elements are equally important? A boring story wouldn’t make for fun listening. A bad narrator could train wreck a great story. Author ‘voice’ is important in the audio space when we’re ‘hearing’ the story.
What do you think? Which is more important in an audiobook – the story, the author, or the narrator?
And don’t forget: if you’d like to participate in our weekly Book Chat by posting the question and your answer on your blog, drop us an email via our Contact page and we’ll send you the list of questions for 2020.
They’re all important, of course, but a good narrator can really bring a book to life, especially if the book requires different voices. I listened to the audiobook for Alexander McCall Smith’s novel ‘Portuguese Irregular Verbs’. It’s a humorous book about a professor, and required lots of different accents (e.g. German, Irish, Indian, and more). The actor Hugh Laurie was the narrator and he was brilliant at doing the different voices. I don’t think it would have been as funny if someone had just read through it in the same voice.
At a poetry workshop I went to once, the presenter played a CD where poems were again read by trained actors (e.g. Judy Dench, Ian McKellen, John Cleese). Again it really brought it to life.
Of course not everyone can afford to hire a trained actor to do their audiotape, and some authors do an excellent job of doing their own audiobooks. However, I think it is something to put a lot of thought into. A boring or unskilled narrator can wreck a good book.
Hi Nola, yes, I agree. The choice of narrator is important for the reading experience. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I think a good narrator is more important in an audio book.
Hi Alicia, yes, I agree. Thanks for commenting. 😊
All three are important, but I think narrator may just top the list. A good narrator will enhance an already good story. There was a series of books that I found to be okay until I heard them as an audio book with a not so great narrator. I can no longer read them without hearing the voice and that has spoiled the stories completely.
Hi Beth, yes, you’ve made some good points. How frustrating that a narrator has ruined your reading experience of a book series. Thanks for commenting. 😊