The Beatryce Prophecy
By: Kate DiCamillo / Narrated By: Finty Williams
Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins
Not her best, but Dang! can the woman enchant a listener, or what?
Okay, it’s like this, see… Our little audiobook club works in rotations: My sister chooses a book, then it’s my turn, then it’s our Maman’s turn. Or something like that. That said? Each of us takes it soooo poorly when one of our choices turns out to be a dud of a work, as tho’ we’d failed the group miserably indeed. As such, choosing a Listen can be daunting! And, well I’m not going to say she picks poorly, but Maman has INDEED led us down some freaky, freeeeeaky paths (Think: Another Country for angry, hateful, promiscuous sex sex sex… Think: Queenie for angry, hateful, promiscuous sex sex sex…). Sooo, she gets twitchy when it’s her turn; and who can blame her? We’re all basket cases, we three!
That outta the way? It was her turn last week, and boy! she could NOT have SHOUTED her choice fast enough! With utter pleasure, she announced that Kate DiCamillo’s latest offering was going to be her choice. No questions, no hesitations; the woman glowed with pride and hope!
-AND?-
Right away, we meet The Best. Character. Ever with Answelica, a crotchety goat with a rock hard skull she uses to terrorize those who don’t meet with her approval… so that’s, like, everyone. The Brothers at the monastery would dearly love to snuff the life out of her but then they wonder: If she’s THIS bad alive? Oh how much worse would she be as a verrrrry ticked off ghost. And so she remains.
And so it is with great surprise that Brother Edik, he of the wild, wandering eye, finds a soiled and bloody heap of rags next to her. And what’s this? Not rags, but a girl child. …Aaaand? Answelica hasn’t killed the child? Even tho’ the girl is holding tightly to the goat’s ear? A miracle!
The girl, all she knows, all she can remember, is that She Is Beatryce. Edik happily, oh so happily, begins tending to her, and has her board with the monks, who are NOT pleased with this turn of events, esPECially as Answelica will NOT leave her side.
As the pair, uhm trio, spend more time with each other, Beatryce blurts out a secret, one that could get her killed. There is a prophecy within the halls of the monastery, Brother Edik knows it by heart as it was his vision, his words that went into The Chronicles of Sorrowing. Soon, also, Beatryce is having sudden flashes of memories, p’raps memories of horror, in this time of war, that might best remain hidden so as not to relive the nightmare that brought her to the Order.
Toss in a brave, brave young boy who has nightmares of his own, who dreams of vengeance, of taking the knife that left him orphaned. Add a King who once started walking walking walking, leaving behind a kingdom because he did sooo love to walk. Top it all off with a good and steady bee always buzzing fear or approbation, always giving wise counsel by just buzzing close, ever circling heads. Throw aaaalll of these wonders together and have them go against a gullible and far too easily-led king now on the throne (And willing to do what it takes to stay there) and his evil counselor and, m’ friend, this is a deLIGHTful just over 4 hours of bliss.
No, it will NEVER top some of her others, and yesss, there’s a bit of darkness, of tragedy, a bit of violence and sudden deaths—which makes me question which age group it was written for. And to be honest, the ending is really quite abrupt. Beatryce keeps herself going when all seems far too grim to bear by telling stories in her head, and even when this story comes again to its OWN conclusion? Even THAT one seems abrupt; I sorely wished to know about what happened to the little Hero in her tale. So DiCamillo kinda sorta wraps things up with, well, no loose threads, but with some pretty pat and quick solutions. So wooooooe is me.
NOT woeful is the marvelous narration by Finty Williams. I have only one other of her performances in my Library, and it’s kinda rated low. But if this is anything to go by, certainly the narration in that book can’t be to blame. She molds her voice to beautifully shape whichever character is speaking, and flies between characters with such ease it’s wonderful on the ears. A boy suddenly angry, a Once-King just this side of daft-seeming what with the whimsy of his sayings. And the antics and fierce protectiveness of the ever-faithful Answelica. All managed magNIFicently. I’m not ready for a story that has low ratings, but I AM rather looking at other audiobooks with her at the helm… with higher ratings. She’s charming!
A bit o’ brooding; a bit o’ violence; a bit of a shortchange on the ending? But all in all?
Man, if ya could give out High-Fives and Pats-On-The-Back over GoogleMeets? Dearest Maman’s palms and back would be black and blue from the Huzzahs we bestowed upon her!
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