[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re:Online excerpts from the audio books

[Sherry Gomes]

Carol:
Thanks. I thought he sounded British, so it must be Stephen Fry, but maybe
he's an American trying to *sound* British? (I wondered why Borders (an
American corporation) would use the British narrator, though. Should have
realized it was Jim Dale.) Are the Stephen Fry versions better, in your
view?

Carol, obviously unfamiliar with the audio books!




Sherry:

Jim Dale is British.  He also happens to live in the US.  I think he's a
brilliant reader.  I've heard clips of the Fry versions, and I don't like
them as much, though I'd like to own them as well someday.  It's a matter of
personal preference and what reading style you prefer.  I like how Dale does
a different voice for every character, and because of that, even if lines of
dialog aren't attributed, I always knew who was speaking.  There are times
when having the audio adds a whole new element to the experience.  An
example I mentioned to another list the other day was Harry's first visit to
the Burrow.  When Molly is screaming at her sons and switches to being all
sweet and nice to Harry, and then back to being angry ... well, it still
makes me laugh when I hear it read by Jim Dale.  and that's just one case.  

Sherry