The White Company
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The White Company
Buy for $22.83
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Narrated by:
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Clive Catterall
"Now order the ranks, and fling wide the banners, for our souls are God's and our bodies the king's, and our swords for Saint George and for England!" With that rousing proclamation, twelve hundred knights ride into battle, accompanied by the stalwart archers known as the White Company.
Fueled by their appetite for glory, this motley crew of freebooters stands united in their unswerving devotion to the company commander, Sir Nigel Loring. Short, bald, and extremely nearsighted, Sir Nigel's unprepossessing appearance belies his warrior's heart and his chivalrous nature. The rollicking adventures of his company during the Hundred Years War center around Sir Nigel's loyal squire, Alleyne Edricson. Raised in the sheltered confines of a monastery, young Alleyne comes of age amid the rough-and-tumble of armed conflict and the bewildering ways of courtly love.
Best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was also a passionate historian. The White Company was his favorite among his own works; here, he offers flavorful, realistic depictions of life during the 14th century - from its weapons and apparel to its religious practice, and the close connection between the cycles of human existence, and the rhythm of the seasons. Readers of all ages will thrill to this spirited tale and its evocative portrait of the Middle Ages.
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Adventure, romance, humour, with a sly eye on history and class, fill this classic coming-of-age tale, as young Aleyne leaves the monastery where he's spent his childhood to experience the 14th-century world, following his late father's wishes. With Aleyne we find deep kindness, casual cruelty - often in the same people - honest folk and swindlers, selfless honour and shallow glory, courage and cowardice, loyal comrades, true love, and countless vivid examples of both the best and the worst that the 14th century had to offer - which was quite a range. Perhaps most importantly, in both positive and negative examples we're offered a view of what personal Honour meant, before it got gradually cheapened into public Glory.
The archaic dialogue throughout - 'thee/thou/you' and some correspondingly old figures of speech - may discourage some, but it only helped me to follow Shakespeare later on, as I grew up.
Please bear in mind that I tested every Audible version available before choosing this one. Here's why:
Clive Catterall has a clear sense of how the time and its people are to be read, and a great sense of the characters as people *of* their time. He captures Doyle's dry wit and satirical thrusts at history, without overemphasizing them for the exaggerated effect that modem readers so often put into old historical fiction. He respects our intelligence as being up to the challenge of paying enough attention to understand what isn't always explicitly said, "listening between the lines" a little. In Doyle's day, that was a normal expectation. Catterall reads us of history in its most unequal days, and as seen through the eyes of Doyle's characters it's normal: but Doyle often means the inequalities to be jarring, and Catterall gives us that through quiet understatement.
The down side: this is an old recording, so each chapter gets an extraneous introduction; and the reader does mispronounce some medieval terminology. Still far and away the best out there - and if anyone wants to bicker with me on that point, I'm as ready to advance my claim as ever was the diminutive, fierce Sir Nigel!
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Outstanding all around
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Timeless classic
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This is one fun book. The cast of characters is memorable and easy to root for. There's Alleyne, the pious and naive young man freshly emerged from a sheltered abbey. We also meet Hordle John, a burly, blustery fellow who breaks the mold of said abbey and is cast out. And soon after comes Sam Aylward, a veteran archer who is gregarious and charming. The narrator Mr. Catterall breathes life into them all. My favorite character has been Aylward, and Catterall's voices him perfectly and just how I imagined him.
The three heroes form an odd couple that are immediately likable and fun. In the company of an aging knight named Sir Nigel, the White Company travels about performing daring, chivalrous deeds. Sometimes the adventure are comical, other times serious and dire.
Reportedly, Doyle was particularly fond of his historical fictions and you can tell he had fun writing this one. The characters are great, the descriptions of the countryside are vivid, and the adventures wild. If you like following the exploits of brave knights, this is a no brainer. The 14 1/2 hrs flew by for me.
Fun classic with an exceptional narrator
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