St. Bartholomew’s Eve by G.A. Henty from Heirloom Audio

We have been listening to a production of St. Bartholomew’s Eve by G.A. Henty from Heirloom Audio. We were provided with a copy for review purposes as part of the Homeschool Review Crew. All opinions are our own.

Audiobooks can be a real joy in the home (or car!)

You get all the benefits of reading a story, yet can have someone else read it to you while you conjure up how things would look in your mind.

St. Bartholomew’s Eve by G.A. Henty & Heirloom Audio

Heirloom Audio presents audio dramas for families to enjoy in their homes. The purpose of the audio drama is to engage the person in active listening where they can envision the story unfold in their mind. Yet, it is easy for an entire family to enjoy with high caliber actors providing the talent.

They use the novels by G. A. Henty as the launching pad for each production.

St. Bartholomew’s Eve takes you to France at a time after the Reformation when the Huguenots are battling the Catholics for the right to worship God as they see fit.

16-Year-old Philip Fletcher is in his mother’s native France and finds himself the protagonist of the story. His father was English and that is the country where he grew up. He finds that the climate towards the Huguenots is rather hostile. And, along with his cousin, Francois, he has taken up arms to protect the Huguenots.

Philip leads a dangerous, secret mission to free captive Huguenots. This along with a victory in a smaller town in France has them ready to take on Paris.

Eventually, they find themselves holed up in a chateau with men, women, and children awaiting what is considered the eventual slaughter at the hands of the Catholics. Amid the tears, a young boy begins to sing “A mighty fortress is our God” inspiring the other occupants to join him in song. It is then that Philip is inspired and says he has a way to avoid their almost certain demise.

He lives past that day, but then witnesses rising hostility in Paris. Tomatoes thrown at the carriage was only the beginning. Things escalate as the Queen has plans of her own. Will he or others survive the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre?

Our Thoughts on St. Bartholomew’s Eve by G.A. Henty

Our family has been fortunate to have reviewed all of the Heirloom Audio productions. Each story has been well received by my boys, although some have been loved more than others.

Like past releases, this is a top rate production. The actors do an amazing job while the layering of background sounds helps to bring the story to life.

This one presented a mixed bag for us. Although other titles have had strong Protestant characters, this title highlights just one of the struggles between Catholics and Protestants after the Reformation. For my older boys, this is not an issue. But, for my youngest son, it has presented the need to talk about some historical events which I had not discussed at the early age of 8.

The big discussion has been centered around the idea of how religious tolerance was not the norm back then. Rather, some locations found different groups battling for dominance and the insistence on a state religion. This is contrary to our modern United States of America where all different denominations and faith belief systems are welcomed.

My kneejerk reaction could have been to not let my youngest son listen to this volume. However, I feel that even the dark events propagated by those in the Catholic Church need to be brought into the light.

Past Reviews of Heirloom Audio

Our family has been fortunate to have reviewed all of the past releases from Heirloom Audio. Click on each image to read the associated review.

Is there someone in your house that would enjoy listening to St. Bartholomew’s Eve by G.A. Henty?

Don’t just take my word for how we found this to be. Visit the Heirloom Audio post for St. Bartholomew’s Eve on the Homeschool Review Crew website to see what other homeschooling parents thought about this resource.