Can You Narrate A Character Of The Opposite Sex In An Audiobook?

[Ned Marcus]

What do you think about a man narrating a woman or a woman narrating a man in an audiobook?

I'd (maybe) like to narrate my free novelette, but the first-person protagonist is a girl. I'm a man and not young so I'm not sure about this, but I don't have the money to pay a professional narrator.

What are your thoughts?

Have you ever enjoyed an audiobook narrated by someone unlike the main character?

 

[Ban]

Depends on how the story is written. If it's told from the perspective of the omniscient narrator, I don't mind it at all as I experience the book through the lense of someone sitting down and telling me a story. If it is a first person narration however, it might take me out of the experience unless the narrator is good at impersonating the other sex.

 

[pmmg]

Makes small difference or no difference at all. The skill of the narrator matters more. Having listened to a lot of audio books, I can only say some do this well, and some don't. Some do change up, having different readers for different roles, but I have not found it necessary.

Incidentally, both audio books I bought from members here were both narrated well.

 

[Maker of Things Not Kings]

All audio books, for me, come down to the narrator's ability to bring characters to life. When I find a great reader, I will look into other books they've narrated because the reader IS the make or break part of the deal for me, and I assume a great reader won't often lend their name to a terrible book.

As for the gender of the MC, I don't think it would matter much to me unless the story is told first person POV, then I suppose I'd expect the reader would be the gender of the MC. Though even that is no guarantee of goodness, as I've listened to far too many YA novels with the reader going overboard on the voice of a sassy teen MC, and ruining it.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Traditionally, very few audiobooks are narrated by two narrators to cover different sexes. That might, in fact, alienate some listeners.

 

[Ned Marcus]

Traditionally, very few audiobooks are narrated by two narrators to cover different sexes. That might, in fact, alienate some listeners.

I don't think I've heard a single one that did that. Either a single narrator or a dramatised version with voice actors. The BBC did a great dramatised version of The Hobbit, but that's beyond me at the moment.

 

[Steerpike]

I don't think I've heard a single one that did that. Either a single narrator or a dramatised version with voice actors. The BBC did a great dramatised version of The Hobbit, but that's beyond me at the moment.

I think Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series does it. I also think some Jack Campbell have done it. It’s certainly not the norm, in my experience.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Stormlight, and from what I’ve heard it is “trending” a little less rare than used to be.

 

[Maker of Things Not Kings]

It's tough enough to find one good reader.

I choose audio books to listen to based solely on the reader. I'm happy to read any book but if I sample one with a truly talented and personable reader doing all that heavy lifting for me, and giving me distinct character voices, etc, I'll save it for listening to.

I just finished the audio book for The Silence of the Girls, which introduces a second, male narrator after the point in the tale where Briseis and Achilles are separated in the story. It works fine. Odd at first, but a second narrator would never be a deal breaker.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

I can’t listen to audiobooks very well, I either start picking out any little thing the reader’s voice does that irritates me, my brain wanders to my own books, or I’m staring out the window: Squirrel!

So, one or a hundred narrators won’t help or hurt much

It's tough enough to find one good reader.

I choose audio books to listen to based solely on the reader. I'm happy to read any book but if I sample one with a truly talented and personable reader doing all that heavy lifting for me, and giving me distinct character voices, etc, I'll save it for listening to.

I just finished the audio book for The Silence of the Girls, which introduces a second, male narrator after the point in the tale where Briseis and Achilles are separated in the story. It works fine. Odd at first, but a second narrator would never be a deal breaker.

 

[Maker of Things Not Kings]

I either start picking out any little thing the reader’s voice does that irritates me, my brain wanders to my own books, or I’m staring out the window: Squirrel!

LOL! Me too. Luckily, I usually find that irritating thing right off and can save myself the trouble! Though one pet peeve that sometimes rears its head later in a book is when they TRY to do unique voices for all the characters, but most of them, usually the gender opposite the reader's own, end up sounding so similar it becomes confusing.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

LOL! Me too. Luckily, I usually find that irritating thing right off and can save myself the trouble! Though one pet peeve that sometimes rears its head later in a book is when they TRY to do unique voices for all the characters, but most of them, usually the gender opposite the reader's own, end up sounding so similar it becomes confusing.

That’s almost impossible to avoid, even Mel Blanc’s characters sound a lot alike after a while, LOL. Sibilant s’s and mouth pops drive me nuts. I started listening to Patrick Stewart reading CS Lewis, I think, and even his voice got me a bit with the hissing. I love his voice, in movies, so this pretty much confirmed I can’t listen to audiobooks much, heh heh. Of course, this is why I spend a stupid hour count cleaning up my own narrations, even if they still aren’t perfect, heh heh.