Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I checked The Beatryce Prophecy out of the library because Kate DiCamillo is amazing; it’s been sitting on my shelf for a while because medieval isn’t one of my favorite kinds of historical fiction. It’s relatively short, however, and so when I went looking for something on audio that I could borrow immediately, it seemed like a solid choice. And once I listened to the first chapter–the equivalent of about three pages worth, in this case–I was hooked.

Here’s the thing about Kate DiCamillo. She tends to have big, profound things to say about life and self and humanity, and she always says them in a beautiful (and ridiculously accessible) way. Sometimes I love her books. Sometimes, however, they’re a little odd for me. The Beatryce Prophecy should, perhaps, have fallen into the latter category; from the very beginning, however, the amazingness that is Answelica the Goat had me captivated. All through a tale that features monks, kings, forest bandits, and murders, the cantankerous, smelly presence of Answelica the Demon Goat tethered me to the more mundane realities of life. (And made me laugh out loud.) At the same time, her love for Beatryce brings a faraway tale as close as the people in one’s life who love with all-consuming loyalty. I tend to care less about fictional kings and kingdoms at my point in life, but I still loved this book because of Answelica. If this book looks good to you, you should absolutely read it. If you’re feeling lackadaisical about it because it doesn’t seem like your kind of thing, you should read it anyway.

The goat’s just that good.