Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Has anyone had the experience of liking a book MORE because of an outstanding reader than they would have otherwise? After thinking back on a book I just finished I started thinking that the narrator's voice made me like the characters, and probably the book, more than I would have if I'd read it in print.

Barbara: Absolutely, I think this quite frequently. Great topic!

The narrator's voice or accent can really engage me in a book and keep me going even if the book veers in a direction that doesn't engage me without the narrator. (And the reverse can happen and totally turn me off to a book I might otherwise like.)
Being able to change the speed of an audio can get me past (pun intended) a narration misfit. Lol
Case in point, I dropped an audiobook this week that I probably would have dropped sooner in print, and would certainly have started skimming, but the narrator's female character voice kept drawing me back in. The alternating male character voice (and the not-my-thing plot) finally did me in.

Barbara wrote: "Has anyone had the experience of liking a book MORE because of an outstanding reader than they would have otherwise?..."

Rita: I totally agree with you and also love audio books! Audible listener's ratings of a book's narration do help, and I also listen to samples of audible titles before spending a credit. Sometimes I will sample the print version to see if the flow of words seems to fit well with listening to it as well. (With Amazon's Look inside the book feature)

Rita wrote: "I love audiobooks and have an audible membership. I always check the ratings they give the narrator. A bad narrator can ruin a book just as a good narrator can enhance a good book."