Male or Female voice?

[thewitt]

For those of you who regularly listen to audio books, do you prefer a male or female voice?

I'm currently listening to auditions for my first book in audio format, and I have both to choose from.

It's an epic fantasy, with strong male and female characters, told storyteller fashion with mostly third person omnipotent voice.

Any preferences? Though I know this will be very personal, I'm curious what you guys prefer in a narrator.

[Catlady]

I kind of expect a book by a male author to have a male narrator, and a book by a female author to have a female narrator, even if it's third person. Probably because the POV character is usually the same gender as the author--at least in the books I usually read.

I think that generally female narrators do a better job with male voices than vice versa. Some of the male narrators make every female character sound almost exactly the same.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I kind of expect a book by a male author to have a male narrator, and a book by a female author to have a female narrator, even if it's third person.

Exactly.

[JSWolf]

I kind of expect if the main character is female to have a female narrator and if the main character is male to have a male narrator.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I think that generally female narrators do a better job with male voices than vice versa. Some of the male narrators make every female character sound almost exactly the same.

I agree. Good women readers can deepen their voices a bit to suggest a man's voice, but some of the falsettos I've hear from men readers make my skin crawl. But as with everything, there are exceptions on both sides.

[odiakkoh]

I prefer male. It's rare for me to find a female narrator that I find tolerable.

[badgoodDeb]

Huh. Granted, I've only listed to about 4 audio books so far. But I *really* prefer not to have voices emulated. I want the narrator to read the book. All reading should be done in one voice, the same way it occurs in my head. I mean, yes, there should be inflection and modulation in the sentences, but I would be really upset at falsettos, or even at attempts to emulate different character voices.

But maybe I should listen to a really good one like that, before I get too emphatic. Still, I can't imagine desiring it!

[wawasteele]

Deb, I think there has to be differences. If there's a long dialog going on and I'm 'reading' with my ears and not my eyes, without the reader making the voices different, it can get to be very confusing.

[wawasteele]

Oh, and in answer to the OP, I agree with:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I kind of expect if the main character is female to have a female narrator and if the main character is male to have a male narrator.

[badgoodDeb]

Well, maybe there have been slight changes in the voices. A little bit up or down, because I wasn't confused about who was speaking to whom. But it certainly wasn't an attempt to portray female or male, nor Southern or British or anything. I have another listen coming up (Christmas drive) -- I'll pay attention then!

[FizzyWater]

I know of at least one book - I'd have to dig to remember the title - where the dialog was handled by 2 readers(1 male, 1 female). They alternated reading the non-dialog parts (narration?) by Chapter. I think it was a Jayne Ann Krentz novel. I remember that I thought the guy was fine as an audiobook performer but not the woman.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by meeera

I prefer apparent gender of voice to match first-person narration in general, but have you really seen this done just for dialogue? That would be more like a radio play, not an audiobook, I would have thought?

There's a version of The Godfather that has different voice actors for the different characters' lines of dialog, as well as a narrator for the nondialog passages. It seemed a little strange at first to have the abrupt switches in the voices; then I got used to it. But I wouldn't say I especially liked it or felt it enhanced my listening experience.

[JohnRR]

Female voice is better. I think it is easier to focus when the audiobook is narrated by a woman. I sometimes fell asleep when listening to audiobooks narrated by a man.

[ApK]

Being able to narrate both gender dialog well is a real skill for a reader, and I have liked readers of both genders who do it well. TYPICALLY if primary characters are of one gender, I'd prefer that gender narrate.
When the roles are evenly split, I'm not sure I have a preference, as long as it's done well.
But I have not so far enjoyed split narration, with a man reading the male parts and a woman the female.
Whether it's because I truly don't like that format or I just don't care for the narrators I've heard doing it, I can't say for sure.

[pidgeon92]

I just started a Wally Lamb novel: We Are Water, and each character has their own chapters and their own narrators, gender appropriate. I'm about 90 minutes it, and so far it is very well done.