Sylvia

By: Bryce Courtenay

Narrated by: Edwina Wren

From master storyteller Bryce Courtenay comes a colorful, lusty story set in the 13th century, an epic tale of a Europe torn by religious intolerance. The story centers around Sylvia Honeyeater, who sings like an angel and can literally charm the birds from the trees. The narrative also features the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Francis of Assisi, the Muslim Sultan and his harem, and the fervor that becomes the Children's Crusade and then, later, the Crusades.©2013 Christine Courtenay (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Ltd

Good Story, Narration Irritates

I am a Bryce Courtney fan. I was intrigued by "Sylvia" because the protagonist is a female--the only time I've encountered this in a Courtney novel. And it is also a historical novel, and I have liked his historical pieces, like "The Potato Factory Trilogy." I did enjoy the story, which is about the doomed Children's Crusade of the 13th Century. However, I almost gave up on it because of the narrator. She has a pleasant voice, but she chose to use a screechy tone for many of the characters that really grated on me. She also adopted a bad German accent when Sylvia or others from Cologne were speaking. You haven't lived until you've heard "vouched" pronounced as "wowched." Every W became a V, and vice versa, while J words like "Johanna" were pronounced J instead of Y, which they would be in German.

Nonetheless, I persisted. Sylvia is a fictional character who accompanies the historical Nicholas of Cologne in his crusade to peacefully reclaim the Holy Sepulchre in the Holy Land. The Church did not support this endeavor, making it even harder for the thousands of children who made the journey--or tried to. Many thousands died in the attempt. Sylvia herself is an intriguing character. She perceives herself as ordinary, but because she can call the birds and has a fish-shaped birthmark on her back, many think her a holy emissary. She struggles with the desire to be holy and the knowledge that she is not throughout the book. In the end, it is her desire for sanctity that is her undoing.

Sylvia is befriended and accompanied by a gay rat catcher who wants to be a musician, and Reinhardt is one of the most appealing characters in the book. He is clearly based on the Pied Piper, and his abilities to soundlessly pipe the rats and control dogs were also viewed as miracles. I don't know if I believed in the amazing abilities of this unlikely duo, but I enjoyed their adventures anyway.

Long story short: if you can endure the narration, you will probably enjoy this book.

Very good, yet not Courtenay's best

Having read almost all of Bryce Courtenay's book, I have always been moved by how easily he blends attention to historical detail with a seemingly natural ability to tell a fascinating story. In this Sylvia is no different from any of his other novels and Edwina Wren does a great job, even though Humphry Bower is impossible to top. The story is well told, the charachters are brought to life in typical Courtnay fashion, yet somehow in its entirety the story lacks the luster of his Australia novels. Still, Sylvia is a great book, educational as well as entertaining.

New Territory for Bryce but done well

Would you listen to Sylvia again? Why?

Yes

What did you like best about this story?

Not only the history given in the story but also the continually moving pace of the story.

Which character – as performed by Edwina Wren – was your favorite?

Sylvia

If you could take any character from Sylvia out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Sylvia

Any additional comments?

Nice to see something different from Bryce

A really good read.

What did you love best about Sylvia?

The fact that Sylvia kept questioning herself regarding her performance.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Pied Piper of Hamlin. He was Sylvia's constant support who did not judge what she did.

Have you listened to any of Edwina Wren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Another stunner by Courtenay

Coutenay takes on a different set of issues raising awareness of the abuse of children and young women in the 13th century including by the church.
A fantastic read where Courtenay weaves a beautiful story around Sylvia and the Pied Piper of Hamlin bringing to life the children’s crusade.

Excellent book wonderfully narrated. Thank you Bryce and Edwina.

Horrible narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator's attempt to imitate German accent and way of speaking English is pretty disgraceful. I admit, I heard myself some of my countrymen speaking this way, but it's just a handful of all of us who migrated to so many English-speaking countries and embraced English as their own language.
The narrator has a pleasant voice, but she made every possible effort to spoil this story with this mocking / caricaturing way she choose to present it to us.
VERY DISAPPOINTING - to say the less.

good story; bad narrator!

Would you try another book from Bryce Courtenay and/or Edwina Wren?

Love all of Courtenay's work!! Would happily listen to Wren if she would NOT use such phony accents.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Edwina Wren?

Wren is a good narrator when she speaks normally, but her accents her very poor and annoying!!

Wonderful insight to life in the 13th century

Couldn't put it down Unusal opportunity to find out about historical events and life in th 13th century Excellent narration

accent annoying

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Edwina Wren?

The narrator's voice was pleasant and expressive but the contrived German accent almost ruined the whole thing for me.

A Creative Good Yarn but Not a Courtnay Best

I've read many Bryce Courtenay books and am generally a fan. while the story was incentive and artfully performed, there were too many repetitive themes (birds and rats). there were missed opportunities for this book to achieve greatness.