The narrator in an audio book makes all the difference in the world. Notable actors typically do a very good job. For instance, I just finished Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut read by Stanley Tucci, who read with the precise amount of irony, pausing at the right moments, etc. Brilliant. Ethan Hawke did a remarkable job with Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. (There are exceptions. The dead affect John Hurt put on The Sun Also Rises made it sound like he was bored and/or depressed while reading it.)
I’m starting Don DeLillo’s Libra today but I don’t know if I’ll make it all the way through because of the narrator. Take a listen to this snippet and tell me if you agree that Michael Prichard sounds like an NPR field reporter reading in the style of Paul Harvey.
Current Mood: Sleepy | 
3 Comments
I sort of liked Hurt’s rendition of The Sun Also Rises. It did seem like he was depressed, which I thought fit right in.
I just bought the Hawke reading of Slaughterhouse-Five and Stanley Tucci reading Dennis Lehane’s short story collection Coronado. Check out Daedalus Books online – they’ve always got some interesting audiobooks at good prices. (I think I paid $5 for the Lehane and $9 for the Vonnegut.)
That’s why you’re supposed to read books. Then you don’t have this problem.
Yeah, but the right reader can bring SO MUCH to the table. Seriously, I now can’t read Alan Furst without hearing George Guidall in my head, and really, why would I want to? It adds immeasurably to the experience. Besides some books need to be heard: I really like Riders of the Purple Sage, but I’m not sure I would be willing to sit through all those pages of description of southern Utah. Having someone read to me about them, though, was far more palatable.