I hate women narrators

issybird · 07-20-2023, 11:15 AM

OK. That's hyperbole. I don't hate all women narrators and some are among my favorites. But a common issue with women narrators that I don't run across with men is an arch, overly inflected tone during the narrative sections that drives me up a wall. They've taken the concept of reading with expression and then dialed it up several notches. While I'm not advocating deadpan, expression during the dialogue interspersed with a more discursive tone for the rest is the aim of a quality narration, at least for me.

The most common flaw that I can think of with men is the use of falsetto for women's voices and while it's irritating, I mostly can shrug it off if it's not too large a percentage of the book. Unlike an inflected narrative, which offends continuously.

I think a large part of the issue is the explosion in the popularity of audiobooks has resulted in too many narrators are just aren't all that good. However, I admit that many narrators I find dreadful get great reviews.

Apache · 07-21-2023, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

The most common flaw that I can think of with men is the use of falsetto for women's voices and while it's irritating, I mostly can shrug it off if it's not too large a percentage of the book. Unlike an inflected narrative, which offends continuously.

I also find this irritating. I also dislike when an oriental character is supposed to speak flawless English and the narrator does the voice with a supposed oriental accent. I suppose they think I will not remember that the character is oriental unless they do the fake 1930's oriental accent. The accent usually reminds me of Charlie Chan movies. If they are going to do an oriental accent, they could at the least, listen to real oriental accents and try to mimic them.
Apache

Quoth · 07-21-2023, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

I think a large part of the issue is the explosion in the popularity of audiobooks has resulted in too many narrators are just aren't all that good. However, I admit that many narrators I find dreadful get great reviews.

You actually just hate bad narrators. Years ago when audio books practically meant "books for the blind" the BBC did great book narration on R4, not just Book at bedtime.

Also a narrator has to have an appropriate voice and accent for the material.

Also I hate sound effects and music during the reading. I decided 30 years ago when doing recording that it didn't work. Even a lot of modern films now need subtitles (John Carter of Mars was terrible) and it's not my ears as the 1930s to 1980s ones on VHS and DVD are OK.

In other news the BBC R4 listenership has dramatically dropped because the BBC has lost the plot. So I don't know what it's like now despite I can get BBC R4 fine on a decent LW radio (and car radio) and satellite. I can listen to two of my satellite receivers on any FM receiver in house or garden.

Deskisamess · 07-21-2023, 10:40 AM

I recently borrowed an audiobook from my library because they didn’t have the Kindle book. I listened for about 15 minutes and turned it off. The female reader was ridiculously overboard with the expressions and different voices of the characters. I couldn’t take it, it was awful. It wasn’t advertised as a dramatic reading, but that is how it was handled.

I’m not a huge fan of audiobooks anyway, and this book was a prime example of why.

Catlady · 07-21-2023, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

OK. That's hyperbole. I don't hate all women narrators and some are among my favorites. But a common issue with women narrators that I don't run across with men is an arch, overly inflected tone during the narrative sections that drives me up a wall. They've taken the concept of reading with expression and then dialed it up several notches. While I'm not advocating deadpan, expression during the dialogue interspersed with a more discursive tone for the rest is the aim of a quality narration, at least for me.

The most common flaw that I can think of with men is the use of falsetto for women's voices and while it's irritating, I mostly can shrug it off if it's not too large a percentage of the book. Unlike an inflected narrative, which offends continuously.

I think a large part of the issue is the explosion in the popularity of audiobooks has resulted in too many narrators are just aren't all that good. However, I admit that many narrators I find dreadful get great reviews.

I'm baffled. I truly have no idea what you're objecting to. Most of the books I read have female narrators, and while I like some better than others, I can't think of any who are "arch, overly inflected" in their narration. I need examples of narrators and/or titles (though I don't think our listening has a lot of overlap).

DiapDealer · 07-22-2023, 06:36 AM

Male or female; I hate when a narrator tries to make every single sentence sound thrilling with their voice. Wait for something thrilling to be happening before getting all excited. An info dump cannot be made more interesting with your voice. I just DNFed a male-narrated audio book because of this (and because it's my opinion that most Age of Sail tales need a British narrator).

silverraven · 07-26-2023, 06:51 PM

The one that gets me is when they make old(er) women sound like they are feeble and on death's door. I'm talking about the strong matriarch that rule the village, can toss bales of hay all day, digs their own outhouse hole, and no one messes with them because they know better. And then they make them sound like they have a cane, barely shuffle around and a stiff wind would knock them over! Never the older men, just the women. Ugh!

Desertway · 08-01-2023, 02:25 PM

I'm starting to get fatigued with audiobooks in general. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I don't always want a voice "performance", especially when I'm going back and forth between reading the text and listening to the narration. The narration is likely to be completely different from the tone and characterizations that are happening in my mind while reading.

As audiobooks become more popular they are less like someone reading a story, and more like someone performing a dramatic monologue, which most listeners (understandably) find more engaging. Lately I've been preferring a decent, neural TTS*. Even with it's many flaws, it's more neutral and leaves more room for my own imagination and interpretations.

(*Like Kindle assistive reader on Echo / Alexa app, or Google Play Books "more natural speaking voice" option on it's Read Aloud feature.)

Deskisamess · 08-02-2023, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Lately I've been preferring a decent, neural TTS*. Even with its many flaws, it's more neutral and leaves more room for my own imagination and interpretations.

This puts into words my thoughts exactly. I use the speak screen on my iDevices to read to me when I'm sewing/cooking. Siri voice 4 is my default.

DiapDealer · 08-02-2023, 10:50 AM

I'm beginning to see the benefit of non-humans reading my books, myself. The "voice acting/performances" and multiple narrator productions can be quite distracting at times. But there are still quite a few narrators that I enjoy listening to.

Desertway · 08-02-2023, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm beginning to see the benefit of non-humans reading my books, myself. The "voice acting/performances" and multiple narrator productions can be quite distracting at times. But there are still quite a few narrators that I enjoy listening to.

Agreed, but the field is narrowing

I mean, I don't want TTS for anything humorous. I tried some "Jeeves" and "Wimsey" and...no.

It's also not great for books that are particularly dialogue heavy, or anything with complicated sentence structure. Just for kicks I had Alexa read some Henry James. Now THAT was funny.

But I'm able to use TTS for a lot of books, especially when going back and forth from reading to listening as I'm already acquainted with the writing style and the characters.

Desertway · 08-02-2023, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

This puts into words my thoughts exactly. I use the speak screen on my iDevices to read to me when I'm sewing/cooking. Siri voice 4 is my default.

I've seen a video using a Siri neural voice in the Kindle app. It looked SO much easier than using the equivalent on Android (TalkBack). It made me consider saving up for a refurbed iPad.

Deskisamess · 08-02-2023, 08:47 PM

I do like how Elizabeth Klett reads for Librovox public domain books.

Catlady · 08-03-2023, 02:23 PM

I continue to be confused. I don't know what narrators/books have all these issues; I haven't run into any problems with over-the-top narrators. I can think of a couple who tend toward the dramatic at times, but not alarmingly so. I get a little annoyed at pauses or tone of voice or inflection, but overall I'm satisfied with almost every narrator.

Desertway · 08-03-2023, 04:52 PM

Of course it's all very subjective. For me, "over the top" means that the narrator is infusing every line with his or her own understanding of character, emotional content, level of humor or irony, foreshadowing, whatever. For most listeners this is probably a good thing. For me, it leaves too little room for my own interpretation.

For instance, I was recently listening to a book with a very good narrator. He was lively, did great voices with just enough distinction, kept things moving along, had a great sense of comic timing. And yet, as often happens, I was tired of his voice about half way though. So I picked up the text instead. It turns out that my own reading of what was going on, what those character might sounds like, their emotional state at any given time, the overall tone of the book, was very different from his.

This is no surprise. No two people read exactly the same book. But it gave me pause and made me wonder how much I wanted to experience books through the lens of a third party.

07-20-2023, 11:15 AM	#1
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,231 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	I hate women narrators OK. That's hyperbole. I don't hate all women narrators and some are among my favorites. But a common issue with women narrators that I don't run across with men is an arch, overly inflected tone during the narrative sections that drives me up a wall. They've taken the concept of reading with expression and then dialed it up several notches. While I'm not advocating deadpan, expression during the dialogue interspersed with a more discursive tone for the rest is the aim of a quality narration, at least for me. The most common flaw that I can think of with men is the use of falsetto for women's voices and while it's irritating, I mostly can shrug it off if it's not too large a percentage of the book. Unlike an inflected narrative, which offends continuously. I think a large part of the issue is the explosion in the popularity of audiobooks has resulted in too many narrators are just aren't all that good. However, I admit that many narrators I find dreadful get great reviews.

08-01-2023, 02:25 PM	#8
Desertway Addict Posts: 313 Karma: 1701842 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kindle Oasis 3	I'm starting to get fatigued with audiobooks in general. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I don't always want a voice "performance", especially when I'm going back and forth between reading the text and listening to the narration. The narration is likely to be completely different from the tone and characterizations that are happening in my mind while reading. As audiobooks become more popular they are less like someone reading a story, and more like someone performing a dramatic monologue, which most listeners (understandably) find more engaging. Lately I've been preferring a decent, neural TTS. Even with it's many flaws, it's more neutral and leaves more room for my own imagination and interpretations. (Like Kindle assistive reader on Echo / Alexa app, or Google Play Books "more natural speaking voice" option on it's Read Aloud feature.) Last edited by Desertway; 08-01-2023 at 02:30 PM.

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07-21-2023, 10:40 AM	#4
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,609 Karma: 42697471 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 7+, iPad mini, 2021 iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8"	I recently borrowed an audiobook from my library because they didn’t have the Kindle book. I listened for about 15 minutes and turned it off. The female reader was ridiculously overboard with the expressions and different voices of the characters. I couldn’t take it, it was awful. It wasn’t advertised as a dramatic reading, but that is how it was handled. I’m not a huge fan of audiobooks anyway, and this book was a prime example of why.

07-22-2023, 06:36 AM	#6
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,552 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Male or female; I hate when a narrator tries to make every single sentence sound thrilling with their voice. Wait for something thrilling to be happening before getting all excited. An info dump cannot be made more interesting with your voice. I just DNFed a male-narrated audio book because of this (and because it's my opinion that most Age of Sail tales need a British narrator).

07-26-2023, 06:51 PM	#7
silverraven Guru Posts: 967 Karma: 3438612 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle 4NTB x 4	The one that gets me is when they make old(er) women sound like they are feeble and on death's door. I'm talking about the strong matriarch that rule the village, can toss bales of hay all day, digs their own outhouse hole, and no one messes with them because they know better. And then they make them sound like they have a cane, barely shuffle around and a stiff wind would knock them over! Never the older men, just the women. Ugh!

08-02-2023, 10:50 AM	#10
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,552 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I'm beginning to see the benefit of non-humans reading my books, myself. The "voice acting/performances" and multiple narrator productions can be quite distracting at times. But there are still quite a few narrators that I enjoy listening to.

08-02-2023, 08:47 PM	#13
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,609 Karma: 42697471 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 7+, iPad mini, 2021 iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8"	I do like how Elizabeth Klett reads for Librovox public domain books.

08-03-2023, 02:23 PM	#14
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I continue to be confused. I don't know what narrators/books have all these issues; I haven't run into any problems with over-the-top narrators. I can think of a couple who tend toward the dramatic at times, but not alarmingly so. I get a little annoyed at pauses or tone of voice or inflection, but overall I'm satisfied with almost every narrator.

08-03-2023, 04:52 PM	#15
Desertway Addict Posts: 313 Karma: 1701842 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kindle Oasis 3	Of course it's all very subjective. For me, "over the top" means that the narrator is infusing every line with his or her own understanding of character, emotional content, level of humor or irony, foreshadowing, whatever. For most listeners this is probably a good thing. For me, it leaves too little room for my own interpretation. For instance, I was recently listening to a book with a very good narrator. He was lively, did great voices with just enough distinction, kept things moving along, had a great sense of comic timing. And yet, as often happens, I was tired of his voice about half way though. So I picked up the text instead. It turns out that my own reading of what was going on, what those character might sounds like, their emotional state at any given time, the overall tone of the book, was very different from his. This is no surprise. No two people read exactly the same book. But it gave me pause and made me wonder how much I wanted to experience books through the lens of a third party.

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