How do you evaluate a narrator

[JRTomlin]

I am I suspect at a big disadvantage in that I do not listen to audiobooks. I really don't care for them. So listening to the audition of the narrator frankly makes me cringe although he is a very experienced narrator and I assume not cringeworthy.

This is, of course, a work in which the accents are important and there are actually several of them since the novel starts in Paris although it quickly moves to Scotland. It's just too hard to know. *whines*

Any suggestions on what to look for or how to decide?

[Lorri Moulton]

I listen to how well they enunciate (hate the hissing s) and how fast they speak.  I prefer a slower narration to give listeners time to imagine all the details, rather than racing to keep up with the story.

[JRTomlin]

Thanks, Lorri. I'll try listening for those. This has actually given me a headache. 

[Lorri Moulton]

I think your kitty photo says it all.

Which book are you narrating?

[JRTomlin]

It's the entire Black Douglas Trilogy. But the audition is just the first page or two of A Kingdom's Cost.

LOL Yes, my kitty is quite grumpy.

It is a tough start for the poor narrator since it is a Scot in Paris so he's going back and forth between a Scottish accent and a French accent. Fortunately, most of the novels take place in Scotland.

[Lorri Moulton]

I usually choose a scene that's important to the story and see how the narrator handles it. 

Does the scene convey what you'd expect?  Does the pacing fit the story?  If there's romance or action...does the narrator bring it to life without going too fast or too slow?

I don't normally listen to audiobooks, but I did have fun listening to mine. LOL

[JRTomlin]

Tantor chose it, not me. It is the opening scene and pretty much an action scene. The main character gets the sh*t beaten out of him and ends up nearly drowning when he rolls into the Seine to escape. But it actually is somewhat typical of the novel which is very much action-oriented.

I will have to listen to it again and try to answer those questions.

[Jessica]

As listener I appreciate narrators who can change the pitch of their voice, so different characters sound different. It helps me to distinguish characters and to not loose attention too easily.

[JRTomlin]

Good point.

Too bad there's no way to post an MP3 or I'd post it in one of the private forums.

[JRTomlin]

I had a Scottish friend and an American friend both listen to it and both were quite happy with the accents, the pacing, variations in tone, etc. so I'm giving it a thumbs up. Thanks for the suggestions on what to look for.

[kdiem]

Thanks for asking the question. I keep thinking I should explore audio books one of these days, but I loathe them so wouldn't have a clue what to look for.

[JRTomlin]

Exactly my problem. Having it done by Tantor helps because I'm not sure I'd have ever done it on my own. 

[notthatamanda]

My narrator said people don't listen to audio books they have them on when they are doing other stuff. I started making blankets while I listened to my book to review it. It was still a cringe-y experience but I got used to it. Having my hands busy and not being completely focused on it kind of made me understand why people listen to audio books a little better.

[JRTomlin]

A lot of disabled (movement and motion impaired, such as MS, and visually impaired people) listen to them but they are probably exceptions. I know a number of people who listen to them while they commute. I'm not quite sure if that counts as doing something else or not. 

But that is probably true of the majority of people who use audiobooks. I am resistant to them because I don't and never have taken information in well by listening to it.

[kdiem]

I *want* to like audiobooks as it's likely I'll eventually be blind.

However, assuming the person speaking's voice doesn't annoy me right away, currently I just tune them out after maybe five minutes and then get cranky because I have to keep going back to the start once I realize I've tuned them out. Have the same problem with podcasts, honestly. They don't hold my attention even if I like the topic/author and it frustrates me.

I'd rather listen to music as soothing background noise.

[Jessica]

Maybe a radio play drama/ audio book in this style would suit you better then? They're like movies without the actual pictures. They have different narrators for different characters, background noise (dishes clattering while someone cleans them, etc.) and sometimes music. I actually prefer them over single narrator audio books but I got used to the latter over time (as long as the narrator is versatile with their voice, as said before).