The Mute of Pendywick Place: And the Scarlet Gown

Book 2

De: Alydia Rackham

Narrado por: Bill Schafer

Christmas is forbidden at Pendywick Place. A tragic shadow from Basil Collingwood’s past looms over the season. Nevertheless, he plans to take Victoria to the Hampton Court Christmas Ball, to confront his former mentor - and her attempted murderer - Professor Winchester. If they can steal back Victoria’s unbreakable code from him, they may save England itself. If they cannot, it will put all of Europe in grave danger.

©2017 Alydia Rackham (P)2020 Alydia Rackham

Quick, Clean, Unique & Fun Read

This series in my opinion probably should be one larger book. Book one and two have been a lot of fun and it's definitely a unique tale with the mystery & drama behind the beautiful mute girl in an era that would hide away imperfections and disabilities. However, book one did end abruptly and then book two basically picked up right where it left off. Don't let this deter you from reading it, but just know that you'll need the full series as the books are like episodes in a mini series. They have remained very clean and free of bad language, overly intimate content, and the violence is minimal.

The narrator does a great job, my only complaint was it felt a bit slow. I found normal pace to be at 1.3-1.4x speed which fixed the issue completely.

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

Unique story and great narration!

I'm very excited for the next part! I finished it two days after receiving it. The story is unique and the characters are well crafted. The narration is just slightly over-the-top and I find that delightful! It's appropriately dramatic and suspenseful when needed but a little whimsical during the fun and sweet moments.

I loved that the narration uses faint effects, like adding piano notes, a chorus of carolers, and a different tone when Victoria signs words. It helps immersion greatly!

I received this audiobook free in exchange for an honest review, but I enjoy this story so much that I've purchased the print book and very much look forward to the following installments from this narrator!

Wonderful! Just Wonderful!

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

I love this series. I am absolutely enchanted by the MCs in this series. This is the second book in the series and is not a complete story [in that the underlying story surrounding the MCs is not resolved but it is a complete story which centers around Christmas]. I absolutely adored the appearance of Charles Dickens' Scrooge character and the heartwarming Christmas message of this story. Absolutely heartwarming the use/learning of sign language for Victoria and the development of the relationship between the MCs.

The narrator, Bill Schafer, did a great job. He has a wonderful way of developing the characters with his voice. I absolutely shivered in the cool way Basil Colingwood delivered his assessment of Victoria as a subject and not a person - all thanks to Bill Schafer's narration.

If you enjoy stories from the Victorian era - read this story you will not regret it.

Just as wonderful as book 1.

What will Christmas really be like? The anticipation is awful! Will the day end with turmoil? When will book 3 be out? Thank you for choosing a wonderful narrator who really loves to tell a story!

Such a special series!

The Mute of Pendywick Place is such a wonderful series, and Bill Schafer is a pleasure to listen to. The story is engaging, the voices unique but not overdone, and the pacing perfect. I look forward to enjoying this one over and over. Thank you, Alydia, for such a wonderful Christmas gift!

Setting: Christmastime in Victorian England

Content: Squeaky Clean
Language: Squeaky Clean
Violence: Non-existent

Excitement Builds in this Second Historical Myster

In the first installment of the serial, Victoria finds her way to Pendywick Place and Basil. He is an expert on speech and might be the only person who can help the silent, struggling woman deliver her message about one intent on harming Britain. Basil discovers the horrible truth about the mystery surrounding Victoria and promises to help her.

Continuing with this serial story, Basil and Victoria have settled into their plan to confront the professor at the Christmas ball. Victoria is startled by his unconventional ideas of preparation along with his refusal to acknowledge let alone celebrate Christmas. It is her turn to uncover the dark, brooding mystery hanging over Basil in time for Christmas.

I was riveted from the moment I began listening to the series and this next segment did not diminish my engagement with the story or the characters. I enjoy the Victorian London Christmas setting and more quirky life happenings at Pendywick Place. Victoria may be mute, but she is by no means uncommunicative especially now that Sign Language is being introduced by Basil. It was fun to spot the mentions of Scrooge & Marley as well as 221B Baker Street and the Diogenes Club. The tentative relationship between Basil and Victoria is still that in this one, but there are moments of connection and particularly when Basil’s history is revealed. There was a suspenseful moment that had me unable to set aside the story no matter what and then a lovely festive time of friendship and family as suited to the Christmas season.

Bill Schafer continues to narrate so that the characters and story come alive in my imagination. He does so well and especially since Victoria is the point of view for this story. I look forward to listening to more of his work. The production was high quality as well.

All in all, a strong second installment that has me excited to listen in and discover what comes next for Victoria and Basil as they work to stop Professor Wentworth. An engaging historical mystery serial that I can recommend to those who love the genre and especially on the light side.