Audiobook Review – In Calabria by Peter S. Beagle, Narrated by Bronson Pinchot (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 3 hours and 24 minutes
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Release Date: March 03, 2017
ASIN : B06WD1RQTH
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook Borrowed through Audible Plus
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Claudio Bianchi has lived alone for many years on a hillside in Southern Italy’s scenic Calabria. Set in his ways and suspicious of outsiders, Claudio has always resisted change, preferring farming and writing poetry. But one chilly morning, as though from a dream, an impossible visitor appears at the farm. When Claudio comes to her aid, an act of kindness throws his world into chaos. Suddenly he must stave off inquisitive onlookers, invasive media, and even more sinister influences.”

Series Info/Source: I borrowed the audiobook of this through Audible Plus.

Story (3/5): This was a well written story. It involves a stubborn Italian farmer who is set in his ways and a unicorn who decides to give birth at his farm. The beginning of this story is very beautiful and magical. Unfortunately, two thirds of the way through gangsters and media folks get involved in the story and things went downhill from there. When a cat was tortured and killed that really soured things for me.

Characters (4/5): I was impressed by how well the characters were developed and how beautifully things were described. Claudio’s relationship and connection to the animals on his farm was very well done. I also enjoyed the side characters and the unicorn a lot too.

Setting (4/5): I loved the Italian farm setting. It gave a modern day story a very nostalgic feel. The description was very well done and I could picture everything about the setting perfectly.

Writing Style (4/5): This is the first story I have read by Beagle and he has an amazingly beautiful writing style. If he had left out the gangsters and some of the cruel violence towards animals this would have been a five star read for me. Still I loved the beginning and ending and thought the unicorns and characters were amazingly well done.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this made me want to go and read Beagle’s other books. It is beautifully written and magical in a gentle way. Beagle does an amazing job with description and with creating very human characters that are easy to care about. Some of the violence and crime in this story soured it for me, I think it would have been a fine story and a lot more enjoyable without those elements.