Celebrity narrated audiobooks are trending! And many actors are also acclaimed audiobook narrators. Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway, and Meryl Streep are all big stars on screen, but now you can hear them read audiobooks on Audible! We've gathered the 10 best celebrity narrated audiobooks to get you started. This list features some of literature’s classic stories brought to life by Hollywood celebrities who have a spectacular talent for narration.
1. Pride and Prejudice Read by Rosamund Pike
Pride and Prejudice is one of Jane Austen’s most beloved works. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature. Despite being more than two centuries old, the book theme still resonates with readers. It is the story of the Bennet sisters who try to find their way in that repressive society. And Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and the experience of falling in love.
British actress Rosamund Pike played Jane Bennett in the 2005 film adaptation of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She is the perfect narrator for this classic book. This extraordinary book is vividly brought to life by her bright and energetic performance. She expertly captures Austen’s signature wit and delivers the author’s words in a thoughtful, understanding tone.
2. To the Lighthouse Read by Nicole Kidman
To the Lighthouse is one of Virginia Woolf’s most successful and accessible experiments in the stream-of-consciousness style. This book was chosen as one of the one hundred best English-language novels. It explores themes of marriage, perception, memory and the passing of time, which centers on the Ramsay family and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Narrator Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for playing Virginia Woolf in The Hours. Her narration of To the Lighthouse is the best thing, which brings the impressionistic prose of this classic to vibrant life.
3. Jane Eyre Read by Thandiwe Newton
Jane Eyre is Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic. It follows the story of Jane, a seemingly plain girl as she battles through life's struggles. The novel is Jane's early exploration of women's independence and the pervasive societal challenges women had to endure. Narrator Thandie Newton gives a delightful performance of this magnificent classic. She delivers the voice of Jane from childhood to adulthood. She breezes through the Victorian storytelling, making the language digestible and the characters all the more relatable.
4. The Great Gatsby Read by Jake Gyllenhaal
The Great Gatsby tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made mysterious millionaire, and his pursuit of a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth. The novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby who use Nick to reach his former lover. This time actor Jake Gyllenhaal steps into the shoes of narrator Nick Carraway, voicing the often too-dreamy-to-be-real world. Gyllenhaal’s subtle yet captivating performance highlights both Gatsby’s glimmering life and eventual tragedy.
5. Matilda Read by Kate Winslet
Matilda is an all-time children’s classic. It is a story of Matilda who is a gifted girl with unpleasant parents. It was adapted as an audio reading by actress Kate Winslet. She makes Matilda a superhero for book lovers of any age. We have to say this story works better in audio than in print. Kate Winslet’s reading is just perfect. In the narrator role, Winslet is straightforward, precise, and calm. She uses a sunny, loveable schoolteacher tone to tell the story of a precocious five-year-old who channels her newfound powers to save her beloved teacher from the school’s terrifying headmistress. Winslet really captures the sinister yet lighthearted tone of Roald Dahl’s tale.
6. Little Women Read by Laura Dern
The new audio version of Little Women is read by four-time Golden Globe-winner and Emmy winner Laura Dern, along with veteran narrators Suzanne Toren, Lauren Fortgang, Allison Hiroto, Emily Bauer, and Carly Robins. Laura Dern breathes new life into Louisa May Alcott’s classic book that follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The novel address three major themes: "domesticity, work, and true love, all are necessary to the achievement of its heroine's individual identity." So many lessons still apply to people's lives today. Laura and Dern and the rest of the cast performed the lovable characters with charm and energy.
7. Charlotte's Web Read by Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep is one of the best actors of our time, and now she’s bringing her prowess to audiobooks. The full-cast audiobook recording of E. B. White’s beloved children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, with Streep led the audiobook performance and was joined by more than 20 other narrators. Streep's captivating performance brings this most-loved classic of children's literature to life. Her narration is sometimes warm and cozy, and other times as dry and witty as was the author himself. And the other performers are terrific, too. The novel tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte.
8. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Read by Anne Hathaway
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an American children's novel. Over a century later, the book is one of the best-known stories in American literature, and the Library of Congress has declared the work to be "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale". It tells a story of the farm girl named Dorothy who ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a tornado. Anne Hathaway’s audiobook performance puts the tale’s original beauty on display with her enchanting retelling of Dorothy’s journey. She is nothing short of masterful in her narration. And her performance earned her a nomination for an Audie Award for Best Female Solo Narration in 2013.
9. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Read by Nick Offerman
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a novel by Mark Twain about a mischievous boy who grows up along the Mississippi River and has many adventures with his friends. The recording made reader fall in love with Twain's classic ode to adolescence all over again. Nick Offerman is an all-around actor. He brings his distinctive baritone and fine-tuned comic versatility to Mark Twain's classic. In his knock-out performance, he likes the humor of Tom while deftly delivering the tenderness and care Twain gave to his own characters.
10. The Odyssey Read by Ian McKellen
The Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic poem written by Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. The noval depicts Homer's epic of Odysseus' 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. This novel is literature's grandest evocation of every man's journey through life. The audiobook of The Odyssey is also a joy to listen to. While probably best known for his nuanced depiction of J. R. R. Tolkien's Gandalf, Sir Ian McKellen is regarded as a British cultural icon who has a vast acting career on both stage and screen. It's a deeply satisfying experience to listen to McKellen's subtle, resonant voice weave the story of Odysseus's life journey.
Bonus TipsHow to Convert Audible Files to MP3
Audiobooks downloaded from the Audible website are DRM protected. If you want to take full control of your purchased contents, you can follow this guide to convert Audible audiobooks to MP3.
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