Enna Burning [Library] (Books of Bayern) [Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Shannon Hale (Author), Cynthia Bishop (Narrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—This companion novel (Bloomsbury, 2004) to Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl (Bloomsbury, 2003) provides a closer look at the emotional and physical struggles of 16-year-old Enna who discovers that she is able to burn at will. Can she control her power and use it help save the kingdom of Bayern from the attacks of neighboring Tira, and ultimately rid herself of its all consuming nature or will she, like her brother before her, become swept up by the fire's own dark need? This full-cast recording suffers from uneven narration. Some characters, and the full range of their emotions, are strongly portrayed, in particular the protagonist Enna. The consistently excellent voice of the background reader weaves its own spell and ties the cast and plot together. However, the simpering and grating voicing of Princess Isi detracts from the listening experience. Despite this flaw, fans of the first book will welcome the opportunity to learn more about Enna and her struggle to find her place in the world and will delight especially in the story's romantic resolution.—Cindy Lombardo, Cleveland Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Forest maiden Enna finds her kingdom in peril in this companion title to The Goose Girl (2003), also available from Full Cast. Enna’s friend Isi can control the wind, and Enna can control fire. Her gift comes with many perils as Enna struggles to allow herself to be consumed with the fire she creates. Her urge to burn is problematic. Musical interludes add atmosphere and mood to this full-cast production. Some of the actors’ voices are pitched similarly, but Cynthia Bishop, as the book’s narrator, keeps the action flowing even if her interjections into the dialogue occasionally are jarring. Chelsea Mixon reads Enna’s part with fluidity, and the entire ensemble cast, including such regulars as Daniel Bostick, Bruce Coville, Tamora Pierce, and Adam Wahlberg, are likewise fluent and smooth in their portrayals. Fans of the earlier title will be hooked. A welcome addition to audio collections. Grades 7-10. --Sally Miculek

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Audio CD: 1 pages
• Publisher: Full Cast Audio; Unabridged edition (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193418019X
• ISBN-13: 978-1934180198
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,232,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but not as good as "The Goose Girl" audiobook, November 11, 2007

By 

A. Gift For You "here, kitty, kitty" (MV, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Enna Burning [Library] (Books of Bayern) (Audio CD)

The Enna Burning audiobook is definitely better than your average audiobook, however, it's not quite as good as I think it could have been. Cynthia Bishop is excellent as the narrator -- as she was when she narrated "The Goose Girl" -- the problem is with some of the voice actors who perform main characters. I was very disappointed to find that several of the main characters were no longer being performed by the same voice actors as in the audiobook of "The Goose Girl." Maybe they just weren't able to get the same actors back but, when I had just gotten used to the voices of the characters listening to "The Goose Girl," it was jarring to have to adjust to new voices. And I don't think the replacements are quite as good either. The voice actors who now perform Enna and Isi (née Ani) sometimes have such a similar tone to their voices it's difficult to tell which character is speaking. This is particularly inconvenient as the characters spend a lot of time together near the beginning and end of the story. Listening for the slight lisp of the actor performing Isi -- which you get used to eventually -- can, inauspiciously, be the best way to tell them apart. Although the lisp may actually just be a result of obviously artificial way the actor softens her voice to play Isi. And the performance of the girl playing Enna is just too forced a lot of the time. Also, the voice of the new actor performing the character of Finn is just a little too rough; not quite as calm, strong and impassive as I felt the character should be. But at least Razo is still Razo and Geric is still Geric. Overall, I would highly recommend the audiobook to anyone who loves the book, but don't expect too much from the performances.