Beth F
bermudaonion (Kathy)
Sandy
Stephanie
Trisha
Okay, okay, I’m growing more and more attached to Jim Dale’s performance of the Harry Potter books. The first one I listened to, “Chamber of Secrets,” I felt sort of ‘meh’ about (that is my least favorite of the books too, though), then I sort of liked “Prisoner of Azkaban,” but now I’m addicted and can barely tear myself away to listen to a non-Harry Potter audio book before going on to “Order of the Phoenix.”
I’m still slightly annoyed by the whiney way that most of the characters – and especially Hermione – say Harry’s name, but I’m able to get over it better now. What I did not expect is that “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was a much more emotional experience for me in audio than it has ever been in print. Every time I have read books 5 and 6 I’ve cried at the end and I cried multiple places in book 7. *Spoiler alert* Cedric’s death just never did all that much for me. He wasn’t a central enough character. Sure, I liked him, but I hadn’t grown to love him so his death didn’t effect me much. However, LISTENING to Harry’s pain and survivor guilt got to me and made me mist up a bit. I’m a little worried about hearing the deaths of more beloved characters in the next three books while I’m in the middle of traffic with my baby in the car, I may have to make sure to listen to those parts in the house.
The only thing that made this listening experience less than ideal was my own fault. Evidently when I was ripping the cds to put on my Ipod, I missed a disc or two. I skipped over the entire third task, coming back in during the graveyard scene! Luckily I’ve read these books so many times I knew what I had missed, since the cds are already back at the library. I guess that makes it all the more amazing that Cedric’s death effected me as it did, since I actually missed the death itself.
This review is part of GalleySmith’s Harry Potter Reading Challenge.
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I can’t remember if I mentioned this before or not, but did you realize that Jim Dale is the same guy who played Doc Terminus in Pete’s Dragon? I just figured that out a few months ago and I’m still sort of in shock over the whole thing …
.-= Heather J.´s last blog ..Friday Finds 10/30/09 =-.
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devourerofbooks Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:41 am
Really? I so did NOT know that. I wonder if my library has Pete’s Dragon, I don’t remember much of that movie besides Pete and the Dragon…
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I adore Jim Dale! He’s wonderful. I listed to all of HP after reading them because he’s such a great narrator. He’s doing tons of classics like right now which I’ve begun to collect like A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan and more.
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I really enjoyed this series in print, and have heard the audio is amazing. I’d like to listen to it one day.
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I’ve always thought that going back and listening to Harry Potter on audio would be such fun! I might do just that for my next audiobook…
.-= A Bookshelf Monstrosity´s last blog ..Books by Theme: Long live the Queen(s)! =-.
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I have a long work trip coming up and was wondering what to put on the ipod. I think Harry Potter might be it.
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I think you are about a book ahead of me. The kids and I are five discs into this one. We are totally addicted to Jim Dale’s narration. It seems that after the third book, innocence slowly seeps out, and the story becomes so dark. I love it, but at the same time, I was so sad when we finished Azkaban.
.-= Sandy´s last blog ..Monday Movie Meme – Sleeping with the fishes =-.
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devourerofbooks Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:06 pm
You may catch up with me, because I have to insert a couple of other audio books before I’m able to get to Order of the Phoenix.
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I’m listening to book 1 of Harry Potter right now and I’m loving it! I’ve had trouble in the past when I’ve listened to audio books, but I love Jim Dale’s reading of this book. I started it on Saturday and I’m already on disk 3!
.-= Nan´s last blog ..Challenge Completed: RIP IV Challenge =-.
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I did that once – skipped a disc – disc 36 of Drums of Autumn – and it had been so long since I read it that I had to put my name back on the hold list at the library and wait a couple of months to finish it!
The kids and I are about halfway through Chamber of Secrets. We only listen in the car, though, and have had less listening time the past few weeks. I may have to bring them in from the van for some pre-bedtime listening.
.-= Carrie K.´s last blog ..Monday’s Movie Review: Aliens in the Attic =-.
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And of course Jim Dale was the narrator on my dearly departed Pushing Daisies. Which was the reason I thought I might try listening to these. and maybe A Christmas Carol as well!
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I MUST get started on these audios….
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I went to the library and got my card this weekend specifically to check out the first of the HP audios. You know what happened? They didn’t have it! LOL
So I’ll have to wait until they do because I keep hearing such wonderful things about them.
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I had checked out Jim Dale’s reading of HP from my library but was very soon put off by the voice just about half way through book 1. Then I came across Stephen Fry’s reading and got hooked on to it so much that I went and bought the set. The voice modulations are so very good .You should try out that and if not all atleast the last book.
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I’m not a huge crier, but I’m a lot more likely to cry during audiobooks, since the narration is always slower than my internal reading speed, so the sad bits linger longer, whereas when I’m reading, I can just zip past the tear-jerking parts. Of course, the voice acting has a big part to do with that, too – Prisoner of Azkaban didn’t make me cry in book form, but the audio, when he’s so convinced he’s seen his dad conjure a Patronus? Big weepy mess. And don’t even get me started on the audio versions of the His Dark Materials books…
.-= Fyrefly´s last blog ..Andrea Barrett – Ship Fever: Stories =-.
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Har-rieeeeeee, you don’t like the way Jim Dale says your naaaaaaaaame?
(Actually I thought that was really annoying, too.)
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..TSS: Angelic Edition =-.
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