By Gabby
My parents had me hooked on audiobooks from a young age. In fact, nothing makes me feel more nostalgic for my childhood than hearing Stephen Fry read out “Harry Potter and the (insert favourite book here)”. There’s just something so delightful about hearing such a lovely story told in the most perfect way. Stephen Fry was pretty much born to narrate these books, he breathes so much life into each of the characters. Harry is practically jumping off the page in his attempt to save the day. Snape is undoubtedly a dislikable character, but his wit does not go ignored, Fry creates the perfect balance between cold and sarcastic.
The characters voices develop and change as the story progresses (I don’t mean Ron and Harry’s voices get deeper when they hit puberty). Fry shows a great deal of flexibility in his characters voices, for example in the Order of the Phoenix, after the events at the Ministry of Magic when Harry has a hissy fit in Dumbledores office, Fry’s ability to mimic a screaming 15 year old boy is impressive. Also, in the Half Blood Prince, when Ron takes a love potion, Fry adapts Ron’s voice to that of a high pitched, giggly, lovesick teenager- but still a voice that is recognisably Ron’s. It really is marvellous what Fry can do with his voice. Most of you are probably wondering what Fry’s choice of voice is for some of the more significant characters. Harry is of course, great. He doesn’t sound whiny or nasally. He sounds like a normal boy with some issues. Voldemort is 5 stars all round. He. Sounds. Evil. It’s great. From the way Voldemort is described in the books I expected a voice that was high, a little soft (sort of like a hiss) and very creepy. Fry’s impression of Voldemort is (I think) better. It’s cold and commanding, ruthless and cruel all at once.
If you’re interested, there’s a sample of Stephen Fry v Jim Dale reading the final Harry Potter scene which i’ll link below. Fry is definitely the superior narrator though. Dale is alright, but he just gets too dramatic, placing too much emphasis on the wrong the words. Fry’s reading is much more natural. The Harry Potter audiobooks are truly fantastic, Fry’s voice is sumptuous, the humour, anger and sadness of the characters is conveyed brilliantly and accurately. Listening to the audiobooks makes it feel as though you are right next to Harry and you can enjoy the story in a much deeper way. I love these audiobooks, they really made my childhood and I really think more people should know about them!
Here’s the link to the narrators
[kad_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJobfh62WAo” width=500 height=500 maxwidth=500 ]
mischief managed
-Gab
Debra
I absolutely loved reading the Harry Potter books and seeing the movies. I can’t imagine how nice it must be to add that extra level of the character when read by someone else.
I think this would be just another great way to explore this great story as a Harry Potter fan. This may just have to be the first audio book I get.
Ty and Gab
Haha, they are so good!
Unfortunately only available at the Pottermore store,
Will have links for this up soon in the reviews 🙂
Warm regards,
Ty.
Jay
Hey, this is very interesting! I actually only “read” audiobooks. I feel like, especially when they are read by the author, it adds so much dynamic to the story. It helps me get the purpose of the book so much better.
My brother is a big Harry Potter fan. I forwarded this article to him to check out. Maybe he’ll enjoy the audiobook even more than actually reading it!
Ty and Gab
Cheers Jay,
Thanks for dropping by – It’s just a shame they aren’t more accessible haha.
Will have links in the reviews shortly.
Gab,
vivia
Hi Gabby,
I absolutely love all the Harry Potter books and have read them, and watched the movies, many times.
You are so right about Stephen Fry getting Voldemort’s voice exactly right…it is quite creepy…I got goosebumps!
Is there a link on your page that I can purchase the audiobooks from?
Love and light.
Vivia
Kevin
I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books when I was younger, but my nephews enjoy the audio books much more. I agree with you. I think the audio version adds to the characters. It’s one thing to imagine the story in your mind, but when you hear the characters, it makes the story much better.
Destin
I’ve only heard a few audio and as long as they have a good narrator they are usually really great to listen to. Stephen Fry seems like he is a really good reader and he does a good job at bringing the characters to life and I would like to look into his readings and try him out myself.