Audiobook!

10-09-2011 14 comments by Alex George

Over the past few years I’ve occasionally given readings of A GOOD AMERICAN while it was still a work in progress.  Invariably at the Q & A part of the event, someone would put up their hand and ask, often a little tentatively, “Shouldn’t you be reading that with an American accent?”

It’s a fair question.

The answer is that yes, I should: the novel’s narrator, James Meisenheimer, is an American, through and through, born and raised in deepest, darkest Missouri.

The answer is also that no, I absolutely should not: my American accent is terrible, beyond strange, and if I tried it people would be so perplexed and offended that they wouldn’t pay any attention to what I was reading.  In terms of awful mangling, it’s somewhere beyond Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins, which is really saying something.

So, no surprise then that I was not invited to read for the audiobook version of A GOOD AMERICAN.

Instead the novel is going to be read by a gentleman named Gibson Frazier.  This is what he sounds like, reading the opening passage of the novel:

 

Just as every reader brings their own perspectives and experiences to a book, and so makes every act of reading a unique experience, so every person who auditioned to read for the audiobook interpreted the words on the page in a different way.  It was fascinating to hear the choices each person made – where to stop, where to pause, what to emphasize.  For me, it breathed fresh life into text that I had (as you might imagine) read more times than is probably strictly healthy.

It’s a funny sensation, though, hearing your words read by someone else.  Perhaps it shouldn’t be, given that the act of writing a book is itself an extended act of mimicry, especially when you choose a first person narrator to tell your story.  But the more I’ve listened to Mr. Frazier read this piece – this was his audition – the more I’ve grown to like it.  He has given my words a rich new dimension.  I’m looking forward to listening to more.

I confess I have no experience of audiobooks as a consumer and so I come to this all as a complete novice.  I’d love to know what you think.  Did you enjoy the reading?

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14 Comments read it below or add one
  1. Eleanor Brown 10-09-2011

    How fun! Is that how you pronounce Jette’s name? Never knew.

    I think it sounds lovely, but the key for me is whether it sounds the way you envisioned it sounding. When I heard Kirsten Potter read the prologue of The Weird Sisters, I thought, ‘That’s exactly how I would have read it!’ Very cool.

  2. Julia Munroe Martin 10-09-2011

    That was wonderful! And between this and the extract, I’m really looking forward to reading your book (probably won’t do the audiobook, just because I don’t listen to them very often, just on very very long car trips!). I can only imagine how weird it is to hear another person read your words aloud –what a cool experience!

  3. Alex George 10-09-2011

    I didn’t have any preconceived ideas about what I was looking for, but there was something about this guy that just sounded right to me. He sounds authentic – unactorly, if you like. I liked that.

  4. Alex George 10-09-2011

    Of course, Eleanor, I only had one narrator to think about, but you had three, simultaneously!

  5. Hallam George 10-09-2011

    You got a pretty good narrorator, dad. I like him.

  6. Alex George 10-09-2011

    Thanks, Hallam. I’m glad you like him!

  7. Melissa Crytzer Fry 10-09-2011

    I have zero experience with audio books, and the first thing I thought (the writer in me) – before reading your comments after the sample audio, was, “I wonder if Alex liked this. I wonder how he reacted to someone reading words that mainly lived only in his mind, in his voice only.” I imagine it was quite an odd experience to listen to all the auditions (but exciting, too). I will say that I enjoyed every word of this audio excerpt and that the more your narrator read, the more I liked the sound of his voice. It was very soothing, but lively – if that’s possible. I agree with Julia. These two little morsels for us to sample have definitely whetted the appetite. Thank you. And can’t wait!

    PS – And how sweet that your son weighed in! Love it.

  8. Terry Waywell 10-09-2011

    I enjoyed that. There was a quality to the voice that gave enough interest to the piece without going over the top. That extract made me want to hear more.
    Terry.

  9. Alex George 10-10-2011

    Thank you Terry. I think it’s an incredibly difficult balancing act to keep a listener’s interest without going over the top, as you say. I think he does a great job.

    And yes, Melissa – I know what you mean by “soothing, but lively”! I think you captured it well. Thanks for your kind words.

  10. Beth F 10-10-2011

    He does have a soothing voice — draws you in. A nice mix of emotion and change of pace without getting in the way of the listener’s own reactions. A new-to-me narrator.

  11. Erika Robuck 10-10-2011

    I love this. I can’t wait to hear/read more!

  12. Alex George 10-10-2011

    Thank you, Erika!

  13. Erika Marks 10-12-2011

    Alex, your language is gorgeous (“fell on her like a shower of jasmine”–perfect!) and the tone of Mr. Frazier is so suited to the words. You must be so thrilled. So looking forward to reading/hearing more. Will the audiobook come out at the same time as the book release (I’m not familiar with this part of publication…)?

    And oh, how I thought Dick van Dyke’s MP’s accent was so right on when I was little–then I grew up and realized it was pretty ghastly (though Hollywood Maine accents aren’t much better)…but I will still admit a soft spot for that twinkling smile under all that carefully-applied soot!

  14. Alex George 10-12-2011

    Thanks, Erika – yes, the audiobook will be released at the same time as the book.

    I don’t think Dick van Dyke could get away with his accent these days. I’ve heard Americans do faultless British accents… and vice versa. Just not me, clearly!

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