The Great American Read discussion
The list, other books, movies
>
Which audio books are good on this list
date
newest »
newest »
I just found out that my husband never saw the one from the 80s and so now I can indulge in a rewatch!
Mod
Audible allows you to get the first book for free so it sounds like the perfect time to try it. Once you join, they also let you return audiobooks you didn't like. Also, check to see if there are any deals on amazon. If you buy the kindle, you often get a discounted rate on the audio.
Sue wrote: "Kim wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird was a great audiobook. I got Moby Dick in audiobook form and it was one of the most engrossing audiobook narrations I have heard in a long time. The narrator won a..."Oh no, I didn't! It's such a late reply, but it was William Hootkins. He won the 2006 Audie Award for Male Solo Narration.
He was phenomenal, made me forget I was doing barn chores or walking whilst listening. I cannot even accurately describe the level of love I have for his rendition.
Books I’ve listened to: the stand, Rebecca, along came a spider, the giver, 50 shades of grey, eclipse, dune, wuthering heights (dnf) outlander (Dnf), 1984, fellowship of the ring, Jurassic Park (dnf).
Mod
I just remembered that most of the Outlander Audio books in my public library were ABRIDGED. They didn't just go through to edit out unnecessary sentences, they deleted whole chapters. It made no sense. The audios for the Outlander series are very long and very expensive unless you subscribe to Audible. At audible they each cost only 1 credit even though they are more than twice as long as other books.
Abridged audio books are the worst! I have run into many at my library with this GAR list. It's weird; most weren't even listed as abridged, but The Joy Luck Club takes more than 2 hours to narrate without being abridged.
Mod
I wonder how many people were disappointed by an abridged book without realizing what they missed. They might have loved the real thing.
Hm, I'll bet there are some books I gave low ratings because of this.
OK. So, Outlander, Joy Luck Club. What other abridgments are out there?
I'll have to check the audiobooks I got for Outlander 2 & 3. But I assume, being from Audible, they should be full.
Mod
I'm sure they are. The unabridged audios should be at least 36 hours long (some are closer to 50 hours).
The abridged Voyager at the library has 6 CDs while the unabridged has 36 CDs.
Wow, sounds as long as my Lord of the Ring CDs from back in the day.
Mod
I haven't read these books yet. Which one or two would you most highly recommend for the car - a fast paced story and upbeat voice would help.
The Book Thief
And then there were none (short)
Anne of Green Gables
Curious Incident of the dog in the nighttime (I read it but don't remember much)
Handmaid's Tale (I started it, but it was an abridged copy. Should I just watch the series instead, with the extended content? I saw the original movie.)
The Color Purple (I saw the movie)
Fellowship of the Ring (I saw the movie)
Hitchhiker's Guide (I saw the movie, I think)
I also have/had dramatized performance (abridged story) with different voices, for:
War and Peace
Handmaid's Tale
I didn't like The Book Thief. The narrator was fine, but definitely does a read that makes it sound like a book for young people. It's very popular, though, so don't let me dissuade you. Anne of Green Gables was a good audiobook but it so closely matched the miniseries from the 80s that I knew every single thing that would happen. So if you didn't watch that mini series a ton of times, you'll probably like it.
I think I would do Curious Incident or Handmaid's Tale audio book but I haven't listened to either, but read them.
Mod
I haven't listened to any audiobooks, but I think Book Thief and Handmaids Tale would be too choppy a narrative for what you're looking for.
I think And Then There Were None and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy would be the most up pace books to listen to narrative wise.
I liked the first book of Anne of Green Gables, but found 2 and 3 a chore.
I’m listening to The Intuitionist and enjoying it. I really like the narrator. I rarely listen to audiobooks but I’m trying to squeeze in a few more of the GAR books before the finale.
I just finished the Ruby Dee audiobook for Their Eyes were Watching God. I’ll add another confirming “yes” to the earlier recommendations from others for this audiobook.
Mod
That's great. That book looked intriguing to me. How do you like it?
Mod
Critical Incident of a dog in the nighttime was great for a long car ride. It was compelling and easy to understand. I didn't love it as much as the first time I read it, perhaps because I've learned more about Aspergers since the first time. But it was a good read.
On the way home I listened to The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, narrated by Alice Walker. I finished it at home with the book. As usual, the audio/print overlap was helpful. I really loved this book. Much more than I expected to. I highly recommend it to everyone. I wrote more notes about it in the Color Purple thread. It was especially good after reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, and knowing the Alice Walker was instrumental in saving Hurston's book and helping to get it republished.
I'm struggling with The Handmaid's Tale. As J suggested, the book's structure makes it harder to follow in audio. I'm used to books jumping around in time, but this one seems worse. Perhaps it's also because I've been sick. I keep falling asleep while listening in bed. I can usually just rewind and find where I left off. With this one, that's really hard to do because there is a lot of repetition in the actions and thoughts (e.g. the walks with the other women, the meetings with the commander, memories, memories, and more memories of the same things) . I've wasted a lot of time re-listening to the same parts.
Sue wrote: "I listened to The Picture of Dorian Gray on audio read by Michael Page and it was outstanding. He was great at bringing out the humor and horror. The Picture of Dorian Gray is such a ..."
I listened to a sample on audible, and yes, it was humorous. I may buy it as my library does not have a copy.
When I review a book which I've read as an audio book, I always make comments about the narrator and how I was affected by the reading. Although, I've read several on audio, I've only read a couple on this list. I enjoyed The Giver because the narrator seemed to nuance each character well. You could tell who was speaking by the variety of inflections, tone, and pitch.On the other hand, the Harry Potter series, of which I only have two more to read, grates on my nerves. This particular narrator, Jim Dale, does a horrible job on Hermione. Too breathy. Most of the characters sound an awfully lot alike. I think this diminishes the impact of the story. For me at least. I suppose I've been exposed to so many good narrators that I'm a little fussy.
While the Lord of the Rings trilogy is on the list, The Hobbit is not. (I don't think) But this one was a superb reading by Rob Inglis. So many characters and creatures and he managed to make them all sound so real. The goblins were a favorite and some of the dwarfs. (admittedly, a couple of them sounded somewhat the same) He actually sang when the book had characters--like the elves--singing. And he has a magnificent voice.
Hope you enjoy the audio books you pick. And if you don't enjoy the reader, at least you may have enjoyed the story itself.
Happy reading!
Kim wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird was a great audiobook. I got Moby Dick in audiobook form and it was one of the most engrossing audiobook narrations I have heard in a long time. The narrator won an award for ..."Kim wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird was a great audiobook. I got Moby Dick in audiobook form and it was one of the most engrossing audiobook narrations I have heard in a long time. The narrator won an award for ..."
Kim wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird was a great audiobook. I got Moby Dick in audiobook form and it was one of the most engrossing audiobook narrations I have heard in a long time. The narrator won an award for ..."
Yeah Foundation is hard on audio, but, I don't have time to read, so I have to do it on Audio.
Mod
That's too bad because I really enjoyed Foundation as a text!
I liked Jim Dale doing Harry Potter. I really think there are just things that grate on some people and not others. I am currently doing an audiobook that the narrator did way too many different accents and I feel like it's a menagerie.
Sorry I've been MIA (I was on vacation and really unplugged).
Mod
"
Welcome back! It's a healthy thing to totally unplug once in a while!
I just listened to Pride and Prejudice narrated by ... blanking out... she was in the movie Gone Girl I think. I didn't like her approach in the beginning. It was missing something, and it suddenly made me realize why some people hate the book when they first read it. The voice I "hear" when I read it is much warmer and more humorous. Some British accents seem colder than others I suppose. Once I adjusted, I really enjoyed it.
This is one of my favorite books, but the humor is sometimes very sly, and a lot of the jokes or observations might go unnoticed. I feel really bad for people who are forced to read it (for class) or read it too quickly to catch the really good parts. There is a lot of irony and sarcasm in the book, which can totally change the meaning. There is one sentence in particular that too many people take seriously (about Lizzie's reason for changing her mind). The next sentence reveals that it was a joke, but people don't always realize it.
There is a lot of subtlety in the book which I appreciate more every time I read it. I also appreciate the insights about human behavior and relationships too, particularly towards the end. I think the movies gloss over, or change the ending, so the book offers more to anyone who liked the films.
I've been really sick lately, and this was just what I needed to keep my mind off it. I want to reread Persuasion next.
Thanks! I went to Seattle and Austin areas and did kinda road-trip thing. Thinking about moving to one of these places.I agree that I think of the MC of Pride and Prejudice as humorous so a more formal British accent would feel out of place. I feel like I run into a mismatch about half the time. As you said, we often adjust and enjoy it.
You've reminded me of the classic sly ending of The Taming of the Shrew. On stage and film they either play it straight or the "shrew" winks at the audience. Is she really tamed or not?
Strangely I never read Austen until after college as it just didn't end up in any of my lit classes. I didn't expect to like it, but I ended up reading all of them (audio books) over a year after doing Pride and Prejudice. I think that's still my favorite, but all have great insight into society of the time and she's oh so observant!
Mod
I agree that I think of the MC of Pride and Prejudice as humorous so a more ..."
I didn't read Pride and Prejudice in college. It would have clashed with my "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" sensibilities. So I'm glad I didn't even try to read it until much later. I enjoyed Taming of the Shrew despite myself.
Mod
I agree that I think of the MC of Pride and Prejudice as hum..."
I finally read it in college after a year and a half of my roommate telling me I had Elizabeth Bennett eyes! I'm still not entirely sure what that was supposed to mean.
I listened to And Then There Were None on audio book, and it was one of the best audio books I have ever listened to! Plus, Dan Stevens is the narrator (for all of the Downton Abbey fans).It was so enjoyable and I highly recommend!
I am positive that is exactly why I didn't read Austen until after college. Too much of an independent woman. But once I read her books I realized that it's more about other things. I actually did audiobooks for every single Austen book. I had to do my senior thesis on Taming of the Shrew. I can't say that I liked the play, but I found a good way to use it to examine women's roles throughout time periods. I brought in all these "hilarious" texts from the 60s that tell women how to be good wives.
Mod
I agree that I think of the MC of Pride and P..."
That's a complement I'm sure. She had "fine eyes" in the book, and the actresses who played her had gorgeous eyes too.
Bought "And Then There Were None" based on your recommendation!
The Great American Read
Books mentioned in this topic
And Then There Were None (other topics)The Taming of the Shrew (other topics)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (other topics)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (other topics)
Anne of Green Gables (other topics)
More...
Audible is well worth the $16/month! They do a lot of their own producing using actors/actresses. Tim Curry doing A Christmas Carol and Dracula! Colin Firth doing End of the Affair. Alan Rickman doing Return of the Native!