HP Audio Reviews

Review of the last audiobook in the Harry Potter series.
"HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS"
J.K. Rowling
Read by Jim Dale

There's only one word that can describe Jim Dale's work on
"HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS" --
"Magical"
Dale has raised the bar on audiobook interpretation so high
it's hard to imagine any narrator vaulting over it.
M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

"British actor Dale, who is cited in the Guinness Book of World of Records for
creating 134 different voices for the Harry Potter books,
turns in another virtuoso performance in this series finale.
As in previous Harry Potter recordings, the sheer number of characters is astonishing.
Even more astonishing, though, is Dale's ability to imbue each character with an
unforgettable identity and personality.
With great skill and feeling, Dale both honors and
enhances the final adventures of Rowling's beloved characters"
- Gillian Engberg

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
J.K. Rowling

Harry is 15, angry and alienated. He's morphed into a surly teenager.
A peerless performance by Jim Dale spins even long passages of exposition into gold.
Dale's wizardry makes this a "must listen" for older Potter fans.
S.J.H.
AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
J.K.Rowling, performed by Jim Dale
Listening Library (800 726 0600)
Unabridged, 8hr, 17min.,

British actor and Broadway star Jim Dale is an inspired choice as narrator,
reading with a light, assured air that makes Harry's fantastic, sometimes dangerous world very real,
while never losing sight of Rowling's numerous underpinnings.
The combination of Rowling's exquisitely evocative writing and Dale's nimble reading
make this a magical addition to the bewitching Harry Potter canon. Publishers Weekly

Young Adult and Family Listening
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
J.K.Rowling, performed by Jim Dale
5 CD's/9hrs.

There are even more verbs than magic in the Harry Potter series.
Or, perhaps the magic is in the verbs.
Jim Dale delivers Harry's adventure with verve,
maintaining total command of the frenetic plot and the multitudinous characters.

Young Adults and Family Listening
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
J.K.Rowling, performed by Jim Dale
Seven Cassettes / 12 hrs.

It's pretty obvious that J.K. Rowling's story telling is magical,
but it's also pretty obvious that Jim Dale's reading of it gives its "magic" an entirely new dimension.
The Narrator shows no mercy for his listeners as he hisses and snarls and cackles through one creepy scene after another.
But he is also - and often - laugh-aloud funny.
Rowling and Dale together are "word magicians" - without potions or spells, they weave enchantment. J.C.

Audio File
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
J.K.Rowling, performed by Jim Dale
Twelve Cassettes / 20hrs.

What's wonderful about the Harry Potter stories is the believability of the world Harry and company inhabit,
imagined by J.K.Rowling and fully realized through Jim Dale's portrayal.
Dale brings his symphony of voices back to each book even as he's adding more.
There's an epic game of Quidditch, brought brilliantly into play as Dale narrates spectators and announcer alike.

Audio File
"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"
J.K.Rowling

Once again, Jim Dale's performance casts it's spell, bewitching listeners with every nuance.
Dale has developed over two hundred new, fresh, and individual character voices in this Harry Potter series
His voice aches with appropriate adolescent longing as Harry, in his sith year at Hogwarts,
deals with Quiddich, love potions, and heartache,
and he positively slithers with serpentine menace whenever Severus Snape's around.

"Dickens is universally known as England's greatest novelist.
I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Dale was gaining a reputation as one of the world's greatest readers of audiobooks.
They are both master storytellers. And to quote the Inimitable,
"If that's not high praise, tell me higher, and I'll use it."

And what a narrator! The multi-talented Jim Dale reads the story...no, that is not correct...
Jim Dale PERFORMS the story.
I counted 42 voices in the three-hour recording.
And Dale's voice talents are well showcased here.
I often found myself laughing out loud, thanks to the combined genius of Dickens and Dale.
In a couple of cases, the genius is pure Dale.
I have seen and/or heard other wonderful actors do one-man renditions of A Christmas Carol.
They are all memorable and it would be impossible to say which was the best.
But I can heartily recommend that Jim Dale's version be added to the family library.
It is complete, it is accurate and it is a virtuoso performance. And for only $19; it is a bargain.

I suppose that asking me to review Jim Dale reading A Christmas Carol really isn't fair.
One of my favorite performers reading my favorite story by my favorite author!
But surely I am not alone".

AudioFile
"Around the World In 80 Days"
Jules Verne

Commemorating Listening Library's 50th Anniversary,
the publisher reprises the first book recorded as an audiobook in 1955.

This new edition, read by Jim Dale, offers a good, if not brilliant, rendition of Verne's 1873 classic.
Dale paces himself to Verne's narrative, which seems a bit slow and plodding.
As the urgency of the circumnavigation increases, Dale's characters seem to gather more vitality.
When Phileas Fogg, the focused English gentleman, and his resilient servant, Passepartout, encounter the boisterous Americans,
Dale's interplay with the characters shines.

AudioFile
"Peter and the Starcatchers"
Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson

Barry and Pearson spin the tale of how an orphan of indeterminate age with no last name will become Peter Pan.
Jim Dale gives a one-man performance that is truly astonishing.
He creates distinct voices for all the characters--pirates, women, British soldiers, and native tribesmen.
Adults and children alike will enjoy this rollicking tale of pirates,
talking porpoises, flying children, and a giant crocodile.

A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2005 YALSA Selection v (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 04/ JAN 05]

Jim Dale has done it again.
With impressive verbal dexterity, he creates a multitude of characters,
each with a voice that perfectly matches one's image of the character--
from the menacing villains to the courageous voices of young Peter, Molly, and George.
Dale deftly weaves the three story lines together, building the tension and suspense,
then letting it ease out, only to build it again as he changes tempo, tone, and pace to create a riveting story.