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I love adding Christian audio drama to my son's homeschool listening time and so I was thrilled to receive the 2-CD set of St. Bartholomew's Eve for a product review from Heirloom Audio for our listening pleasure.

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[ctt template=”4″ link=”tfEH5″ via=”yes” ]I love adding Christian audio drama to my son's homeschool, so I was thrilled to receive the 2-CD set of St. Bartholomew's Eve from Heirloom Audio.[/ctt]

St. Bartholomew's Eve cd cover for audio book

Product Review of Heirloom Audio – St. Bartholomew's Eve – Audio Drama

About

This is an Audio Theater production that is on 2 CDs with 2 1/2 hours of listening time. It is meant for ages 6 to adult. This came shipped to us in excellent condition. I listened to it in my living room with my 7th grade son, Maris. This audio book drama is based on G.A. Henty's fiction book based on the real historic event of St. Bartholomew's Eve. It tells of the Hugenots fight to gain freedom of worship in France. It takes place around the 1600s.

The Amazing Voice Actors

When Heirloom Audio says, “audio theater”, they mean it! It is like being there! They hire amazing voice actors like…

Brian Blessed – from Star Wars, Tarzan, King Lear
Elizabeth Counsell – The Chronicles of Narnia
David Shaw-Parker – The Muppet Christmas Carol
Brian Deacon – Bonhoeffer, The Jesus Film
Hugo Docking – Oliver Twist

They keep the voices, intonations and accents right on target for each character so the listener can clearly tell who is talking.

The Sound Effects

The sound effects are amazing and what you would expect to hear if you were in a movie theater! They have music, animal sounds, the sounds of weapons being used, and more. I really enjoyed when we could hear a voice or sound from a distance and it got closer. That just amazes me how they do that!

A few story snippets

I don't want to give away the whole story because you should really listen to it. So here are a few interesting details. Basically a 16 year old English cousin, Philip, of a French teen, Francois, comes to offer his service to help his French relatives fight for freedom to worship God. A few orphans, Claire and her brother escape Paris with the help of Philip.

Eventually, the Hugenots end up in a walled in fort and they need to protect themselves as hundreds of French soldiers are coming after them to kill them all. It looks completely hopeless, but Claire's brother sings a hymn to God, which encourages them and they come up with a unique plan (they believe to be from God) to protect themselves. They kill cattle and skin them and stack and stake them against the walls. When the enemy tried to climb, the Hugenots pour hot oil on them, making it even more impossible for the soldiers. The soldiers give up and retreat.

Some much needed help comes and the Hugenots have a feast, then it is time to move everyone as they believe the enemy will be back. There are some escape plans which include horses hidden and meeting places in case things go bad, which they of course do. There is a time they have to walk on roofs and help someone with one good leg and one peg leg to manage that challenge. It seems there is non-stop action and adventure!

Maris' Opinion

My favorite characters were Philip and Francois. I liked how they helped the orphan boy and really, everyone. My favorite part was when they were trying to block the enemy from getting in and they stacked up dead cows on the wall and made them all slippery by skinning them and then had a feast later with the extra help that came. I have never heard of that battle strategy before. It was really unique. I really liked this story.

My Opinion

I really felt sorry for the orphan boy that lost so much. His parents, and eventually his lower leg. He endured so much and yet his faith was so strong that it continued to carry him through. It was an encouragement in perseverance in trials to me. I really enjoyed the entire story, sound effects and voice actors and highly recommend their products. I look forward to the next story that comes out!