Now that we’re driving a minimum of 1.5 hours a day, we’ve been burning through audio books; in fact, that is one of the main ways we get some of our school done despite driving so far every day. We were recently given the opportunity to review St. Bartholomew’s Eve by Heirloom Audio, and we were riveted.
About Heirloom Audio
Heirloom Audio seeks to provide wholesome entertainment for kids. They are especially interested in bringing history to life for today’s kids, and to do so, they try not to sanitize history. In addition, they travel to the location where the story is set to create the audio story.
We have listened to many Heirloom Audio Productions including The Dragon and the Raven, With Lee in Virginia, Captain Bayley’s Heir, In the Reign of Terror, The Cat of Bubastes, Wulf the Saxon, and Beric the Briton, and they are all excellent.
About St. Bartholomew’s Eve
The story follows two cousins, Francois and Philip. Francois lives in France, and Philip lives in England and is visiting his French relatives. The story is set in the 1500s, when the Huguenots are fighting against the Catholics for religious freedom.
Early in the story, Francois and Philip join the war effort, and much of the story recounts their battles. When Francois and a Count are taken by Catholics and put in a prison, Philip must find a way to rescue them. Philip meets a young boy, Argento, and his sister, Clare, whose father was recently murdered. Because Argento helped the Huguenots, Argento’s later attacked and shot; he loses his leg.
As the war progresses, Philip becomes an experienced soldier and rises through the ranks thanks to his bravery and excellent fighting skills. Even though Philip didn’t have to participate in the war because he’s British, he still chooses to, risking his life frequently. The story takes a surprise twist in the end when one of the main characters is killed.
Like all of Heirloom Audio’s audio production, this story is rich in sound effects that add deeply to the story and make it that much richer. The battle scenes are especially chaotic with the sound of swords clinking one another, men shouting, horses naying, etc. Listeners can almost visualize the battle as if they are there.
Our Thoughts
I appreciated the story and the determination of the Hugenots. Before listening to this story, I knew very little about this time in history, and now I’d like to know more. St. Bartholomew’s Eve did a great job presenting the Protestant side of the war; now I’d like to learn about the Catholic side. In addition, I was encouraged to hear throughout the audio that there were many Catholics who thought the war was unjust and tried to help the Hugenots.
One minor note is that the sound effect for the crickets that often played in the background during night scenes were distractingly loud. Sometimes I had trouble hearing the dialogue over the crickets.
My girls liked this story, as they have all of the Heirloom Audio Productions that we’ve listened to, but I imagine young boys would really enjoy hearing about the battles, especially since the battles make a good portion of the story. Overall, this was another great audio performance by Heirloom Audio Productions.
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I was one of 80 people to review St. Bartholomew’s Eve. To read more reviews, click on the link below:
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