Three Bags Full | Audiobook Reviews

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story

By: Leonie Swann / Narrated By: Josephine Bailey

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Fell asleep TWICE during this Fave… dunno, but maaaybe I was Counting Sheep? HA!

All right, I admit it: I TOTALLY fell asleep during Three Bags Full, turning this barely 9-hour book into a 2-day project. I seriously do NOT know why, cuz this little audiobook is a true charmer, and tho’ at first I thought it was all well and good? Well, the aftertaste, the pondering of what I’d just listened to made me think it was truly adorable.

The premise: George the shepherd’s body is outside, and good cow (Or lamb!) is he dead or what? A spade has done some serious damage, and his flock of sheep are bemused. NOW who’s gonna take care of them? Who’s going to read to them every day?

As he was a much-loved shepherd, and as they are all preternaturally sentient, these sheep are out to figure out just Whodunnit, and when figured out? Juuuuustiiiiiice, they baa! And leading the whole flock is Othello, the only black sheep, the only one with four horns. And the only one with a Past best not remembered. Oh, and he has a voice in his head as well. So there’s that.

While the flock numbers around, oh saaaay, 27-28, there are indeed a few individuals who get more airtime than the others. We’re introduced to Zora, the one who feels most comfortable, the safest, way up high up in the crags where she might stare into the abyss. Mopple the Whale eats everything, can’t help himself: Even whenst the main players are carrying out recon missions, why he HAS to sample those enticing geraniums. Then there’s the smartest sheep in the whole wide world, Miss Maple, who gathers questions, ponders them, brings about a conclusion here, a conclusion there. Come to think of it, however? They’re all pretty determined, asking questions, seeking answers. Oh, and shunning The Winter Lamb, as lambs in winter are Bad News.

I chuckled when I saw reviews that said Three Bags Full is too preposterous. Uhm, yeah! Sheep rarely take it unto themselves to solve a crime, right? Several reviews said that it started strong and then petered out, causing great boredom. …Okay, wellll, yeah there were the couple of times I flat-out fell asleep, snoring heartily. There is indeed a slight drag in the middle as a plethora of woolly characters have their backstories given, or when their unique experiences in the world were gotten into. But I SWEAR it wasn’t because the story was extraordinarily dull or anything—rather, I blame the carrot cake with sweet cream cheese frosting for my sudden and overwhelming desire to crash. …I don’t handle sugar that well… so sue me.

No, this is just a cleverly crafted story that has the thoughts of sheep in there, and it’s also really cute that there are instances throughout of sheep being… sheep. Sometimes they can’t help it, but they go with the crowd; and sometimes they can’t help it, but their feet just feel like they MUST be herded. Another well-conceived aspect of the wonderful writing is that author Leonie Swann writes strictly from how a sheep would experience the world. Epiphanies are sudden, and they feel just like ticks gnawing on skin. Things like that made the whole story just adorable.

A most DEFinite plus is Josephine Bailey’s stuPENdous narration. She baaaas and bleeeeats what the sheep say, how tremulous their voices are as they all face uncertain futures. Each character is sooo well-crafted, and Bailey imbues each with distinction without annoying vocal juggling. It truly sounds like she’s having a blast with this performance. And there are many and varied situations, both positive and negative, that the sheep go through. What a delight to be listening to Mopple the Whale noooot being able to say No to geraniums in one breath before Bailey twists it all around for Beth, the Bible-thumping woman who was obsessed with George. Truly perfection!

Come for the precious premise, stay for how well it came together, and do enjoy how, to sheep, God is the dude who talks a lot in God’s House (The vicar, don’t you know!). Savor a grand performance, and for heaven’s sake:

Doooo stay away from carrot cake during the Listen of this. You’ll snore, you’ll drool, and ooooh what a delight you’ll miss!!!