Heirloom Audio' latest production~ St. Bartholomew's Eve (A Review)

My Middlest son has enjoyed many of Heirloom Audio's Henty productions, and I was hoping that perhaps my Youngest would finally be ready to appreciate one of these historical fiction audio dramas, so I was looking forward to the arrival of St. Bartholomew's Eve

In the past I have held off listening to previous Heirloom Audio producitons with my youngest to due to some sensitivities and the fact that typical battle descriptions (and audio) would have bothered him, but I figured that he could handle most of what I'd heard in past reviews.  I decided to use this as some "audio/history" schooling overseen by Middlest (who is now 18) while I drove to pick up Eldest from college for fall break, so I put it on the iPad for them to listen to, and I popped the CD's in the car so that I could pre-listen in my early-morning driving (You might recall that I listened to Heirloom Audio's Wulf The Saxon on my way to PA last February, these long, solitary car trips being a good time for *me* to listen).

Well, my friends, I'm afraid that I have a very different review to write this time. While the cast is still amazing, and the production is incredibly professional, this time I felt it really was too much. For family-friendly listening, I expect some of the violence to be tuned down, but in this instance, it appears that Heirloom Audio actually dialed it up.

After listening through a fair number of tracks I sent a panicked message to my son, telling him to remove the audio drama from the iPad, and to NOT listen to it with my Youngest. Why would I do such a thing? I freely admit, I avoid horror, and I tend not to watch heavy drama and shows with major battle scenes myself, but I can generally stomach most things termed "family-friendly." I understand and appreciate the value of the themes of honor and bravery, etc... However, by the end of this story, I was feeling bothered and queasy due to a number of scenes and themes, for quite some time after as well.

I was bothered enough that I later downloaded a free version of Henty's St. Bartholomew's Eve and skimmed through it, doing some word searches from particular scenes. While there is still some violence (This *was a terribly bloody uprising against the Hugenots), the actual Henty version is not nearly as graphic as the audio drama in my opinion. In fact, one of the storylines in the audio drama that bothered me centers around a young lad (11 or 12 years old, so right at my Youngest's age), but when I skimmed/searched the Henty novel, there was no mention of this boy. It would appear that his character was thrown into the plot mostly as a gratuitous emotional string to pull, which I really do not appreciate at all. Additionally, the use of Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" is another instance of adding to Henty's work something that was not in the original and adds to the gratuitous flavor of trying to push a point that wasn't original to the story (It is integral to the non-Henty storyline of the aforementioned boy).

I don't believe that the age range is appropriate for this particular recording. I do think it could be a good supplement to a high school, or even college course covering this part of history. It could open up the opportunity for discussion about the dangers of Mob Rule, which is history we appear to be close to repeating, as well as the excellent character traits of the two main characters, who behave very bravely, with humility, and wisdom. But in my opinion, this is NOT suitable for young children.

That being said, it might be time for me to pull out some of my older Henty Audios for my Youngest to listen to. I think he would be fine with most of them now (although I will double-check with Middlest on the ones that he mainly listened and I only skimmed through, to get his opinion).
Here are those titles, and my reviews for you to consider:
Wulf the Saxon
Captain Bayley's Heir
In the Reign of Terror (might wait a bit on this one as well)
The Cat of the Bubastes
Beric the Briton
The Dragon and the Raven
In Freedom's Cause

I hope in future that Heirloom Audio will return to sticking fairly close to the Henty stories when they write the screenplays and consider toning down some of the audio violence if they really want to reach families. Not all of us have our media tuned in to the graphic blood, guts, and horror that are so prevalent today (some things are better left to the imagination...).

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: Heirloom Audio
• Product: St. Bartholomew's Eve
• Ages: Heirloom Audio suggests 6-16, I would NOT  go by that, and instead would put it strictly at a high school and up.
• Price: Multiple options: 
• 2-CD Set $29.97 + $4.97 shipping
• MP3 Download $19.97
• Live the Adventure Club $7.95/month (1st month free, and St. Bartholemew's Eve CD's free, just pay shipping fee of $4.97) 

You can visit Heirloom Audio on their Social Media pages:
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Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Homeschool Review Crew and see what others had to say. Their opinions may be far different from mine since we all view things through our own lens, and mine is admittedly a little more old-fashioned. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

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