Thank you for the great recs! Two books with strong narrators that I recently loved: Maggie Smith's WE COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL (about divorce), in which she breaks the 4th wall frequently and explains what she will and won't share, in terms of her story. (I loved her boundary setting!) And for suspense readers, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi's THE CENTRE, featuring a Pakistani-British narrator who attends a too-good-to-be-true language learning centre that promises fluency in a mere 10 days (of course, at a cost). Siddiqi's narrator shares fascinating insights about culture and racial issues, translation, and much more, and her voice on the page is so strong. I would have enjoyed that narrator even without the thriller plot, but the plot did make it a page-turner.
Maggie Smith's boundary setting in WE COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL was a little TOO voicey for me, but I did adore the narrator's voice in THE CENTRE and agree that I would have enjoyed the narrator no matter the plot.
Another narrator I feel similarly about was Crane's I KEEP MY EXOSKELETONS TO MYSELF. I was a bit wary going in, because second person voice addressed to the narrator's recently deceased wife did not sound like a recipe for success, but I loved the narrator's voice so much that it worked for me.
Thank you Chelsea for bringing up this topic - I don't think I've considered books from exactly this perspective before (presence/ voice).
I hadn’t thought of this as something I too enjoy in my reading. Gothic is not a usual genre for me. However, the book Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth is a favorite. We listened on audio on a road trip. It felt like the narrator was sitting in the car with us telling us a long entertaining story. It was my favorite book of 2021 and maybe a favorite book of all time.
HA! I came here to recommend Plain Bad Heroines, too! I love the narrator's tone and the occasional breaking of the fourth wall SO MUCH. This thing is a delicious Gothic confection, and I strongly agree that the audio is fantastic.
Oct 26, 2023·edited Oct 26, 2023Liked by Chelsey Feder
I just finished Tom Lake on audio narrated by Meryl Streep. One of the great advantages of the first-person narrator is the intimacy it creates. I felt like I had a bond with Lara/Meryl while listening!
I have never thought about this before!! Thank you for inspiring some good book-thought for me!
I think my preference swings more toward less-present narrator. But I will say I have enjoyed a few books with a strong narrator lately, particularly an unreliable one!
Like you, I've been trying to put a finger on what it is about a book that makes me enjoy it so. I'm still refining my ability to identify a first person narrator vs. an omnicoent one -- sometimes I'm too focused on language, imagery, descriptions, themes and plot to notice, but agree this is often a common feature of a well-loved book! I appreciate when someone else can tell me the perspective and I'll note it as a TBR I'll likely enjoy. So thank you all for the recs!
Adding that I also loved Tom Lake, my favorite from the summer and in my top five for the year. Not surprised to hear you loved it too as it was so centered in theater (I used to work a theater in the fundraising department and am I lifelong fan of the arts)!
True Grit is another great example of a voicey narrator -- just finished and LOVED!
Love this distinction between a hyper-present first person narrator and one who's just a member of the cast of characters. You articulated it so well. I'm reading Tom Lake right now, and I'll definitely be paying closer attention to that as I read!
I, too, love voice-y novels. and am looking forward to Disoriental since I heard you pair it with Blind Owl in yesterday's podcast. (and btw- that narrator gives me the willies!)
I've been debating whether I too love a strong narrator -- I think it's likely since DISORIENTAL is one of my favorite translated novels. Another one - Magda Szabo's THE DOOR - I think would also be described as having a strong voice.
Thank you for the great recs! Two books with strong narrators that I recently loved: Maggie Smith's WE COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL (about divorce), in which she breaks the 4th wall frequently and explains what she will and won't share, in terms of her story. (I loved her boundary setting!) And for suspense readers, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi's THE CENTRE, featuring a Pakistani-British narrator who attends a too-good-to-be-true language learning centre that promises fluency in a mere 10 days (of course, at a cost). Siddiqi's narrator shares fascinating insights about culture and racial issues, translation, and much more, and her voice on the page is so strong. I would have enjoyed that narrator even without the thriller plot, but the plot did make it a page-turner.
Maggie Smith's boundary setting in WE COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL was a little TOO voicey for me, but I did adore the narrator's voice in THE CENTRE and agree that I would have enjoyed the narrator no matter the plot.
Another narrator I feel similarly about was Crane's I KEEP MY EXOSKELETONS TO MYSELF. I was a bit wary going in, because second person voice addressed to the narrator's recently deceased wife did not sound like a recipe for success, but I loved the narrator's voice so much that it worked for me.
Thank you Chelsea for bringing up this topic - I don't think I've considered books from exactly this perspective before (presence/ voice).
I hadn’t thought of this as something I too enjoy in my reading. Gothic is not a usual genre for me. However, the book Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth is a favorite. We listened on audio on a road trip. It felt like the narrator was sitting in the car with us telling us a long entertaining story. It was my favorite book of 2021 and maybe a favorite book of all time.
HA! I came here to recommend Plain Bad Heroines, too! I love the narrator's tone and the occasional breaking of the fourth wall SO MUCH. This thing is a delicious Gothic confection, and I strongly agree that the audio is fantastic.
This is awesome...especially since you recommended this book to me. 📚
Love it.
I just finished Tom Lake on audio narrated by Meryl Streep. One of the great advantages of the first-person narrator is the intimacy it creates. I felt like I had a bond with Lara/Meryl while listening!
I have never thought about this before!! Thank you for inspiring some good book-thought for me!
I think my preference swings more toward less-present narrator. But I will say I have enjoyed a few books with a strong narrator lately, particularly an unreliable one!
- ratchel
This post is well timed, Chelsey!
Like you, I've been trying to put a finger on what it is about a book that makes me enjoy it so. I'm still refining my ability to identify a first person narrator vs. an omnicoent one -- sometimes I'm too focused on language, imagery, descriptions, themes and plot to notice, but agree this is often a common feature of a well-loved book! I appreciate when someone else can tell me the perspective and I'll note it as a TBR I'll likely enjoy. So thank you all for the recs!
Adding that I also loved Tom Lake, my favorite from the summer and in my top five for the year. Not surprised to hear you loved it too as it was so centered in theater (I used to work a theater in the fundraising department and am I lifelong fan of the arts)!
True Grit is another great example of a voicey narrator -- just finished and LOVED!
Happy reading,
Sarah
Love this distinction between a hyper-present first person narrator and one who's just a member of the cast of characters. You articulated it so well. I'm reading Tom Lake right now, and I'll definitely be paying closer attention to that as I read!
I, too, love voice-y novels. and am looking forward to Disoriental since I heard you pair it with Blind Owl in yesterday's podcast. (and btw- that narrator gives me the willies!)
I've been debating whether I too love a strong narrator -- I think it's likely since DISORIENTAL is one of my favorite translated novels. Another one - Magda Szabo's THE DOOR - I think would also be described as having a strong voice.