Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Book 2

By: J.K. Rowling

Narrated by: Jim Dale

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

"'There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year.'"

Harry Potter's summer has included the worst birthday ever, doomy warnings from a house-elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursleys by his friend Ron Weasley in a magical flying car! Back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through empty corridors - and then the attacks start. Students are found as though turned to stone... Dobby's sinister predictions seem to be coming true.

©1998 J.K. Rowling (P)1999 Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic Reviews

"To call Dale a 'reader' of books is like saying Monet was a Sunday painter." (Los Angeles Times)

Of all the trees, we get one that hits back!

Story: The characters continue to develop, the story continues to unfold and the world that J.K. Rowling created continues to captivate the reader/listener. You'll find everything that you enjoyed about the first book and more in this one.

Performance: Jim Dale does it again! The voices he gives to the characters fit so well and I believe really capture the characters. The list of characters is quite lengthy in this book as well and so being able to give a voice to each and every individual is great! He does a great job of bringing the story to life.

That said, I found audio issues in this book as well. The audio would stop for a few seconds in both Standard and High Quality - which made me think perhaps my phone lost battery or the book had an error and crashed completely. The audio would then pick up after a little gap. This didn't take away from the story or the performance by the narrator, but I felt was worth mentioning.

Overall: This is yet another great book by J.K. Rowling and a fantastic follow up. It's no wonder the series is so popular.

10/10. Like watching a movie in your head.

Jim Dale can read the most boring book in the world and make it seem alive and interesting. Needless to say though, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is far from a boring book. Greatly enjoyed it from start to finish.

The Narrator

Fantastic story but WOW the narrator! My wife and I listen to the book like we watch a movie! Fantastic performance!

Excellent

The book gets better every time I read it. Great story, great narration. A classic.

Jim Dale is wonderful!

We all know that the story is beautifully written but Jim Dale's work on these audios is unsurpassed!

Enchanting

We all need fantasy to turn to when reality closes in. The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Peter Pan and now Harry Potter lead the way.

Creepy and Perfect

Any additional comments?

This was my favorite of all the harry potters when I was 11. This reading made me feel certain of this again. Jim Dale did a mystical job and made me love how creepy this story was. Showed you the characters true colors in his changing of his voices for every character. Very funny moments throughout. BUY THIS AND EVERY HARRY POTTER BOOK.

What is not to like about Harry Potter

Where does Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Book 2 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is in a class of its own. Jim Dale makes these books so enjoyable and even though I have read this book about three time, it was a pleasure to listen to it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

In this book my favorite character is Ron Weasley. Ron is so brave while being so frightened that he just makes me laugh.

Have you listened to any of Jim Dale’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened to Jim Dale narrate The Sorcerer's Stone and thought there is someone who really understands what it means to read Harry Potter aloud. His voice characterizations are superb...he has picked up many of the movie characters inflections, which makes the reader think there is more than one reader.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Since this book is a film that is a difficult question...

Any additional comments?

Everyone who has the opportunity should listen to these books. Even if you have read them, just for the sheer enjoyment.

Excellent

This narrator is the reason why I fell in love with audiobooks 11 years ago, I'm so glad the whole series is now here.

if i could give the narrator half a star<br />..

i love Harry Potter. i grew up on it. i was so excited when i saw the audibles version and i was even more excited to see they were all read by the same person. but i wish they weren't. the narrator mispronounces Lord Voldemort by saying Voldemore. most annoying thing ever. there is a T and it's not silent! he also tends to use a very nasally and whiney voice when he is reading what any of the characters are saying. he doesn't seem to understand proper inflections and he pauses in the weirdest places making it seem like a sentence is split up into two or three... I'm disappointed. Harry Potter is a best seller and they managed to get one of the worst narrators. i guess I'll just grit my teeth and continue trying to ignore his voice.