Words Jackie LaPlante
Audio books are rapidly gaining in popularity, with their production values becoming increasingly sophisticated. What was once a job for well-spoken readers has morphed into a format for voice actors, some of whom are specialists in the field and others who are famous Hollywood actors trying their hands (and voices) at audio.
Listening to a book is a rich experience. The voice actor can heighten the excitement with voice tone and clarify which character is speaking, by using modified accents and diction. Audio books can be enjoyed while commuting, running or cooking, although, for most, not in bed (or not for long!). Not every book is well-suited to the audio format, and a reader’s voice may make or break the experience, but listeners will quickly learn their preferences.
Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, read by Meryl Streep, makes a compelling entry into the world of audio books. Patchett’s books are extremely well-crafted and are delightful in the printed format, but the unhurried pace of the reminiscing in Tom Lake makes this novel, in particular, a perfect read-aloud.
Set in their family’s Michigan cherry orchard, mid-Covid, three grown sisters are sequestered with their parents. They pass the time listening to their mother’s story of her long-ago summer romance with a recently deceased movie star. In flashbacks to 1988, we learn that Lara had been lauded for her portrayal of Emily in Our Town, and invited to star at Tom Lake’s summer-stock theatre. Lara falls for the then-unknown actor Peter Duke and, while their time together is short, the effect of that summer on each of them lasts a lifetime.
The dreamy lakeside setting of Tom Lake is mirrored by the slow pace of life in the orchard. Lara’s story, edited for the ears of her daughters, portrays her sense of contentment with her life, and has its own restful quality. Meryl Streep’s reading is subtly restrained, as are her choices of character voices. She employs only small variations in speech to delineate the three daughters and Lara’s husband, so there is little disruption in the aural narrative, and the reading is as professional as would be expected of this accomplished actress.
The books below run from the Hollywood cast narration of Lincoln in the Bardo to a single reader psychological thriller and an invigorating self-improvement title. If you are new to audio books, note that the reading speed can be varied. 1.25 is a good pace.
1. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
2. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
3. Atomic Habits by James Clear
