While I listen to audiobooks year round- yes, audiobooks count as reading- June is Audiobook Appreciation Month and I like to go out of my way to highlight my favourite audiobooks. At the end of this post, I’ve got several audiobook recommendation posts shared. But today, I thought I would go in a slightly different direction, narrators! These incredible narrators bring our favourite books to life and they deserve far more credit and recognition. Today I’m sharing my favourite historical fiction audiobook narrators*, as I often find books through narrators!
*This list is not exhaustive, so it is not a slight if some hasn’t been included.
My Favourite Historical Fiction Audiobook Narrators
Once I find a narrator that I love, I will often go out of my way to keep up with their new projects. Most narrators work fairly steadily with several new audiobooks out a year, so it is a great way to find new books.
I have linked my favourite book from each author, as well as including the author. Many narrators will work with the same author on multiple books, so that’s another way to find more books. (You could ask, do I really need more books on my TBR? Some might say no, but I always say yes.)
Michelle H. Lee- The Red Palace (June Hur)
I discovered Lee’s narration through June Hur’s novel, The Red Palace, and I immediately knew she was a narrator for me. If you’ve not read The Red Palace (and you should!), it is a darker YA mystery set at the Joseon court in the eighteenth century. Lee brought such a depth and gravity to the story without being lost in the darkness (which I find happens). I appreciated that she brought so many layers to Hyeon, the protagonist- Hyeon is a complex character, and that truly shone through.
I would also recommend her narration of White Mulberry from Rosa Kwon Easton!
My Review: The Red Palace
Ann Marie Gideon- The Other Windsor Girl (Georgie Blalock)
I discovered Gideon’s narration when she voiced Georgie Blalock’s The Other Windsor Girl, and I’ve been following ever since. The pair have continued working together, so we’ve had several more but I think that The Other Windsor Girl may be my favourite. Blalock’s books often features members of the British Royal Family and other known society figures, and I think that Gideon voices their very specific accents perfectly. (Princess Margaret had one of the most interesting accents- as soon as I heard Gideon’s PM, I was hooked.)
Gideon isn’t limited Blalock, though- she has narrated for several other popular hist-fic authors: Christine Wells, Karen Harper, and J’Nell Ciesielski are all on the list!
My Review: The Other Windsor Girl
Saskia Maarleveld- The Phoenix Crown (Kate Quinn and Janie Chang)
Saskia Maarleveld must be recording three or more audiobooks a week with how many times I see her name in upcoming lists! You have probably seen her name- she’s narrated multiple books for both Kate Quinn and Jennifer Chiaverini. And she has definitely earned that portfolio.
Maarleveld does a spectacular job of narrating a wide range of characters from anywhere in the world, of any age, of any accent- there is absolutely zero confusion about who is who in the story. And while I’ve linked one book, she can easily narrate across any time period or geographic location, which is also impressive. (I find many narrators will focus on one or two periods, but Maarleveld’s range is next level.)
My Review: The Phoenix Crown
Kate Reading- A Natural History of Dragons (Marie Brennan)
I have gone a bit rogue with this recommendation, as I’m recommending Reading for a historical fantasy series, not historical fiction. She narrates Marie Brennan’s Lady Trent series, a series that follows a late-nineteenth century biologist as she catalogues species of dragons across the world. (There are many similarities between the late Victorian and Edwardian period, and Lady Trent’s period!)
Reading is arguably one of the most celebrated narrators right now, and for good reason. She voices these incredibly complex characters with genuine emotion, and also tackles characters of different genders, nationalities, and languages deftly. I vividly remember feeling the character’s frustration along with them, and it is rare that a narrator can bring me into an audiobook to that degree.
My Review: A Natural History of Dragons
Bessie Carter- The Pursuit of Love (Nancy Mitford), The Queens of Crime (Marie Benedict)
Bessie Carter is without a doubt my favourite historical fiction audiobook narrator right now. Yes, she is the Bessie Carter who is the daughter of Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton with her own impressive acting career. You might know Carter as Prudence in Bridgerton but soon after this post publishes, she will fittingly be playing Nancy Mitford in the new period drama, Outrageous.
Carter brings a lot of fun to her narration, and you don’t always get that with historical fiction audiobooks. Yes, they are often quite serious in plot and theme but there is often levity that isn’t explored- Carter brings that into so many of her narrations, and I love that. Her new recording of The Pursuit of Love is brilliant (multiple Mitford connections!). However, I think her narration of Marie Benedict’s book, The Queens of Crime, sets her apart. The book focuses on five of the greatest mystery authors of all time, and Carter beautifully voices each of them as an individual. I am always checking to see if she has a new audiobook out, now!
My Review: The Queens of Crime
♠
Audiobook Recommendations:
5 Historical Fiction Audiobooks to Download
The 10 Best Audiobooks for History Lovers
Who is on your list of your favouurite historical fiction audiobook narrators?
Cheers,
The Historian
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