The Splendid and Extraordinary Life of Beautimus Potamus

By: Peggy A. Wheeler

Narrated by: Kelley Hazen

The mystical green planet of Rendaz is home to devout goddess worshiper and university professor, middle-aged Beautimus Potamus - who also happens to be a hippo plagued by hot flashes and poor self-esteem. Beautimus forms an alliance with Samuel S. Goodwings, a younger womanizing, atheist praying mantis. When these two are together, life morphs from the mundane into the fantastic. Our unlikely duo solve mysteries, bring a murderer to justice, and even help end a war, while experiencing their own trials, triumphs, and tragedies. Often with humor, their situations and adventures parody Earth culture.

During their exploits, the two interact with a host of characters, including a pair of New Age flamingos, an ADHD afflicted trout, an orangutan detective, and a 310-year-old blue crane High Priestess. All of these creatures are more "human" in surprising ways than the citizens of the blue planet, Earth, we discover was once a Rendazian Colony.

Beautimus Potamus' tongue-in-cheek story is a magical fable-stew made with the ingredients of satire, drama, social commentary, and comedy, with jests, puns and wordplay sprinkled throughout. For good measure, a generous pinch of romantic flavoring is thrown into the pot.

©2017 Peggy A. Wheeler (P)2017 Peggy A. Wheeler

Excellent narration and unforgettable characters.

I have found it difficult to write a review of this novel. The ratings for Overall, Performance, and Story don't tell the full tale of this book. The characters and world that Peggy Wheeler have established here are relatable and interesting. I felt, by the end, that I truly knew all of the members of the cast. The narration did such a fantastic job differentiating between each character's voice that I never wondered who was speaking.

What Wheeler has developed here is a fascinating character study. Each section of the novel feels like an individual short story or novella about Beautimus rather than part of a novel. There's very little narrative arc to move the reader from one story to another. Though the end does come together quite nicely, everything leading up to the final act felt largely disconnected - more like an anthology than a novel.

Overall though, the narration, the characters, and the strange beauty of this novel felt truly unique and enjoyable, and I'm quite glad to have had the opportunity to read it.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great story and narration!

Love stepping out of my usual listwns every once in a while. Great narration. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Fun Quirky Tale

You’re never to old for a great fairy tale and this was one heck of a ride.

Peggy A Wheeler has created a fun and entertaining world that was the perfect break from reality.

Kelley Hazen did an amazing performance bringing Beautimus and her quirky sidekicks to life.

“AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

Listening to this book is the only way to do it !!

What a wonderful tale....full of characters with tails!

The animals of Rendaz live peacefully yet there are a few malcontents or troublemakers among them. Many have been banished to the wild and they start to parallel the humans. Rendazian civilization is threatened.

We see all this through Beautimus the hippopotamus, a teacher of earth studies and believer of the goddess. We follow her and her companions through times wrought with complications and danger, heart-warming moments and moments of self awareness.

Kelley Haven brings to life, the rich personality of each animal. The banter is witty, the parallels to humans funny and at times scary. Anyone who only reads this book is missing out! Each character's voice is unique and appropriate. She has such an amazing range. My favorites were the squirrel and trout. Kelley's narrative gift is right up there with Katherine Kellgren, Roy Dotrice, Rob Inglis and Jim Dale.

I would love to listen to another book by this author. I would listen to this book again and again. I'm sure I missed stuff.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.

Simply Extraordinary...

Peggy A. Wheeler has created a fantastic world where animals live in harmony (for the most part).

We follow the life and experiences of Beautimus Potamus, a middle aged hippo, and her wonderfully diverse group of friends. Many of their experiences mimic common issue that humans also deal with.

I am in awe of Kelley Hazen’s performance. So many different voices and characterizations. Absolutely amazing!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Audioboom Book review

What did you like best about The Splendid and Extraordinary Life of Beautimus Potamus? What did you like least?

I liked the plot the story took sometime to figure out but once in it was a good listen. I did not love the voices. Some sounded very childish. Too high pitched.

An Awesome Listen

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the narrator and found it very enjoyable. The main character is a middle aged underachiever, at least in her own opinion, who struggles through her life to change the lives of those around her. Sometimes you laugh, and other times you cry, as you listen to this suspenseful tale. The author's use of animals for the characters and the narrator's interpretation of each character creates a wonderful listening experience.

Unusual story

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This book is very fresh and interesting. It holds your attention all the time, so it isn't suitable as a simple background. Also, the way the narrator reads the story is very unique. You won't get bored with this book.

Better than a Disney Movie

Just shut up and get out of here. This book is great. I've never heard anything like it. The story is really simple and the comparisons are obvious but that's part of what makes it so great. Rendaz - Earth. Earth- Rendaz - maybe we should be doing things differently. I love all the animals - its all animals. It's long book. I usually listen to much shorter books but I loved the cover and it made me buy it. And I'm really glad. It made me happy.

Lovely and fun

A sendup of life on earth, replete with characters we've all met before, but this time in the bodies of the most unusual choices for animals. The narration was a home run. All in all, just a very fun, uplifting read.