by Neil Gaiman/read by Neil Gaiman
ages: 10+
First sentence: “There was a hand in the darkness and it held a knife.”
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This is a reread for me — my face-to-face book group is reading it this month, and I needed a brush up — but this time, I decided that I really wanted to hear Gaiman read it. I’d heard that he was a fabulous narrator, and that it’s a singular experience.
I was pretty wishy-washy about the book the first time around; I thought the illustrations didn’t add much, and that it wasn’t always as gripping as I’d have liked.
But listening to it? I kept the CDs in the car, to listen to while I drove around, and I kept finding excuses to go places. Gaiman’s a captivating storyteller. Absolutely, completely captivating. There’s something about his voice, and because he’s the author, he adds subtle nuances here and there that just make the story come alive. It was funnier that I remembered it being. The beginning and ending were still intense, but there was a different sort of intensity to it. And it all — from the Sleer to the Goul chapters — seemed to make more sense as Gaiman was reading it. I loved it so much more this time around.
A very highly recommended way to experience this book.
The Book Nut 
It's amazing the difference a good reader can make. I've had the same experience with other books.
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This audio book was my first experience with The GYB (as well as my first experience with audiobooks at all) and I thought it was wonderful. So wonderful that I suggested it for my book club and it was our book for this month.
My club is mostly older women and they were decidedly lukewarm on the book. However, since the meeting was at my house, I asked them to listen to NG's narration as part of our discussion. I could tell from their faces that they were intrigued.
Isn't it interesting how some books are better as audio versions and some are better as print versions?
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I'm glad you liked it. This is an interesting turn about. I listened to TGB because of your recommendation and you listened to it because of mine. Fascinating. I have yet to 'read' a book you have recommended that I haven't liked.
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I've heard that Neil Gaiman's audiobooks are always a treat. I'll be on the watch for this one. Thanks for the review!
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I should get this one in audio – it's been on my to-read list for a while.
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