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Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #14
The Hermit of Eyton Forest
Brother Cadfael’s pastoral life is upended by the disappearance of a young boy and the arrival of a saintly hermit.
The year is 1142, and England is in the grip of civil war. Within the cloisters of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, there begins a chain of events no less momentous than the upheavals of the outside world.
It starts with the sad demise of Richard Ludel, Lord of Eyton, whose ten-year-old son and heir, also named Richard, is a pupil at the abbey. The boy refuses to surrender his newly inherited powers to Dionysia, his furious, formidable grandmother. A stranger to the region is the hermit Cuthred, who enjoys the protection of Lady Dionysia, and whose young companion, Hyacinth, befriends Richard. Despite his reputation for holiness, Cuthred’s arrival heralds a series of mishaps for the monks. When a corpse is found in Eyton forest, Brother Cadfael must devote his knowledge of human nature to tracking down a ruthless murderer.
The year is 1142, and England is in the grip of civil war. Within the cloisters of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, there begins a chain of events no less momentous than the upheavals of the outside world.
It starts with the sad demise of Richard Ludel, Lord of Eyton, whose ten-year-old son and heir, also named Richard, is a pupil at the abbey. The boy refuses to surrender his newly inherited powers to Dionysia, his furious, formidable grandmother. A stranger to the region is the hermit Cuthred, who enjoys the protection of Lady Dionysia, and whose young companion, Hyacinth, befriends Richard. Despite his reputation for holiness, Cuthred’s arrival heralds a series of mishaps for the monks. When a corpse is found in Eyton forest, Brother Cadfael must devote his knowledge of human nature to tracking down a ruthless murderer.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1987
1148 people are currently reading
2082 people want to read
About the author
Ellis Peters
207 books1,148 followersA pseudonym used by Edith Pargeter.
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), she had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) were set in Wales and its borderlands.
During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, and received the British Empire Medal - BEM.
Pargeter wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote the highly popular series of Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries, many of which were made into films for television.
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), she had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) were set in Wales and its borderlands.
During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, and received the British Empire Medal - BEM.
Pargeter wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote the highly popular series of Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries, many of which were made into films for television.
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November 4, 2025
The fourteenth chronicle of the Brother Cadfael series brings a well-written story with a complex mystery plot. With The Hermit of Eyton Forest, Peters reminded me of her earlier chronicles, which hooked me to the series. The series is known for its well-executed mystery plots, interesting characters, its historical background, and Peters' beautiful writing. When these separate elements are nicely balanced into one whole, it produces a spellbinding story. And The Hermit of Eyton Forest is a well-balanced chronicle that gave this reader much pleasure.
As I've mentioned already, the mystery is complex. It's woven through many threads so that we find mystery within mystery. The political conflict between King Stephen and Empress Maud is built into the plot so smoothly to make the mystery more interesting. Apart from the mystery, there were a couple of interesting storylines to keep the reader hooked. In my opinion, The Hermit of the Eyton Forest is a perfectly executed chronicle.
The newly introduced characters were well drawn out. We meet some strong-willed women (noble and common), the greedy lords who are obsessed with expanding their wealth and retaining their possessions, rogues who take advantage of the political conflict and betray the entrusted confidence in them, and men who seek retribution. I like every one of them, and that is saying a lot.
Hugh and Cadfael team up to solve the various threads of the mystery, and they receive considerable support from the Lord Abbot, Radulfus. This is the first time that Radulfus has allowed himself to be involved in the affairs of secular mysteries. So far, he has concerned himself only with conflicts connected to his sacred duties. I'm beginning to warm to the Lord Abbot. He is a strong man and could be a formidable opponent. I hope that Peters will let the reader see more of Radulfus in that same capacity in the future.
I really enjoyed The Hermit of the Eyton Forest. It comes within my top five chronicles of the series. It's always hard to rate them because I have enjoyed them all in different degrees. So, I have set the defining line as whether I'd revisit them. The Chronicles to which I'd return, I rate four stars. This is one of them I certainly will get back to.
More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/
As I've mentioned already, the mystery is complex. It's woven through many threads so that we find mystery within mystery. The political conflict between King Stephen and Empress Maud is built into the plot so smoothly to make the mystery more interesting. Apart from the mystery, there were a couple of interesting storylines to keep the reader hooked. In my opinion, The Hermit of the Eyton Forest is a perfectly executed chronicle.
The newly introduced characters were well drawn out. We meet some strong-willed women (noble and common), the greedy lords who are obsessed with expanding their wealth and retaining their possessions, rogues who take advantage of the political conflict and betray the entrusted confidence in them, and men who seek retribution. I like every one of them, and that is saying a lot.
Hugh and Cadfael team up to solve the various threads of the mystery, and they receive considerable support from the Lord Abbot, Radulfus. This is the first time that Radulfus has allowed himself to be involved in the affairs of secular mysteries. So far, he has concerned himself only with conflicts connected to his sacred duties. I'm beginning to warm to the Lord Abbot. He is a strong man and could be a formidable opponent. I hope that Peters will let the reader see more of Radulfus in that same capacity in the future.
I really enjoyed The Hermit of the Eyton Forest. It comes within my top five chronicles of the series. It's always hard to rate them because I have enjoyed them all in different degrees. So, I have set the defining line as whether I'd revisit them. The Chronicles to which I'd return, I rate four stars. This is one of them I certainly will get back to.
More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/
July 1, 2020
The forester was shaking his head doubtfully. A sheriff is a sheriff, pledged to law, and law is rigid and weighted, all in all, against the peasant and the serf and the landless man. ‘He’s a decent, fair-minded man, sure enough,’ said Eilmund, ‘but I dare not stake this boy’s life on any King’s officer.’
The year is 1142. With England in the grip of civil war, the Benedictine abbey outside Shrewsbury, near to the Welsh borders, is a haven not entirely untouched by events beyond its walls and gardens. A mischievous ten-year old, Richard Ludel, who becomes heir on the death of his father, was entrusted to the abbey to provide him with an education until he reaches manhood. But his ambitious grandmother has other ideas.
Amidst rumours of a murdered envoy from the besieged city of Oxford, a hermit arrives and is allowed by the grandmother to take residence in Eyton Forest, on the borders of her lands, along with a young man as his errand-boy, but is either what they seem? The abbey offers accommodation to weary travellers and their horses, and soon a wealthy landowner, Drogo Bosiet, arrives from Northampton, searching for his “property” – a villein, who decked his steward and ran away.
Drogo Bosiet duly arrived at chapter next morning, large, loud and authoritative in an assembly where a wiser man would have realised that authority lay with the abbot, and the abbot’s grip on it was absolute, however calm and measured his voice and austere his face.
A boy goes missing, and then Brother Cadfael stumbles upon a body in the wood.
This works because Cadfael had a life before entering the abbey, and steps easily between the two worlds. The reader is transported into the pattern of prayer times, meals and work, and also that of the landowners and Cadfael’s friend, the Sheriff, Hugh Beringar. As a herbalist and healer, Cadfael, is always in demand. But it’s the author’s descriptions that caught my praise and attention.
The groom, a long-legged boy of sixteen, loped cheerfully beside him, and led the pony as they splashed through the ford at Wroxeter, where centuries back the Romans had crossed the Severn before them. Nothing remained of their sojourn now but a gaunt, broken wall standing russet against the green fields, and a scattering of stones long ago plundered by the villagers for their own building purposes.
A few hours spent with Ellis Peters enriches both my knowledge (in this case, forestry) and vocabulary, especially medieval terms. Few writers can do that. Well-recommended for lovers of historic fiction.
The year is 1142. With England in the grip of civil war, the Benedictine abbey outside Shrewsbury, near to the Welsh borders, is a haven not entirely untouched by events beyond its walls and gardens. A mischievous ten-year old, Richard Ludel, who becomes heir on the death of his father, was entrusted to the abbey to provide him with an education until he reaches manhood. But his ambitious grandmother has other ideas.
Amidst rumours of a murdered envoy from the besieged city of Oxford, a hermit arrives and is allowed by the grandmother to take residence in Eyton Forest, on the borders of her lands, along with a young man as his errand-boy, but is either what they seem? The abbey offers accommodation to weary travellers and their horses, and soon a wealthy landowner, Drogo Bosiet, arrives from Northampton, searching for his “property” – a villein, who decked his steward and ran away.
Drogo Bosiet duly arrived at chapter next morning, large, loud and authoritative in an assembly where a wiser man would have realised that authority lay with the abbot, and the abbot’s grip on it was absolute, however calm and measured his voice and austere his face.
A boy goes missing, and then Brother Cadfael stumbles upon a body in the wood.
This works because Cadfael had a life before entering the abbey, and steps easily between the two worlds. The reader is transported into the pattern of prayer times, meals and work, and also that of the landowners and Cadfael’s friend, the Sheriff, Hugh Beringar. As a herbalist and healer, Cadfael, is always in demand. But it’s the author’s descriptions that caught my praise and attention.
The groom, a long-legged boy of sixteen, loped cheerfully beside him, and led the pony as they splashed through the ford at Wroxeter, where centuries back the Romans had crossed the Severn before them. Nothing remained of their sojourn now but a gaunt, broken wall standing russet against the green fields, and a scattering of stones long ago plundered by the villagers for their own building purposes.
A few hours spent with Ellis Peters enriches both my knowledge (in this case, forestry) and vocabulary, especially medieval terms. Few writers can do that. Well-recommended for lovers of historic fiction.
January 25, 2019
It appears I did my reading of this series featuring Benedictine Brother Cadfael back in 2015, but I have always known I would enjoy re-reading any of the books if given the opportunity. Since Amazon bought Goodreads...it would seem they have algorithm catching missed books a reader would likely purchase. They sent me email that this one is currently $1.20 for Kindle version. Yes, algorithm, I wouldn't turn that down since this book had eluded me previously.
Edith Pargeter remains one of my favorite authors. She created a group of characters within a volatile time period where peace and devotion ruled, but where Cadfael and his Sheriff friend were essential for resolving murder mysteries.
This book features a young boy whose grandmother plots to control now that his father has died, but this boy lives at the abbey and is being schooled there under the protection of Abbot Radulfus. There will be murders and chases and plots, but there will also be observant brothers and quiet times of reflection with traditional battles against evil intentions.
I always enjoy my visits to Medieval England. Conflict between King Stephen and Empress Maud continues.
Edith Pargeter remains one of my favorite authors. She created a group of characters within a volatile time period where peace and devotion ruled, but where Cadfael and his Sheriff friend were essential for resolving murder mysteries.
This book features a young boy whose grandmother plots to control now that his father has died, but this boy lives at the abbey and is being schooled there under the protection of Abbot Radulfus. There will be murders and chases and plots, but there will also be observant brothers and quiet times of reflection with traditional battles against evil intentions.
I always enjoy my visits to Medieval England. Conflict between King Stephen and Empress Maud continues.
October 13, 2019
It's been a while since I've read one of Peters' Cadfael books. It took the prompting of a GR friend to get me back at it, and I'm glad I did! These are fun, at least for historical fiction lovers who also like a bit of detective fiction. In this one all kinds of folks are dying and getting kidnapped. Moves quickly. Good entertainment!
April 19, 2019
If the previous book in this series (The Rose Rent) was one of the quietest, this is one of the most hectic. A veritable dance, with partners changing often and the musician a bit tipsy--but not a comedy by any means. There are deaths, murders, political maneuverings and foul betrayal before a peaceful conclusion is reached.
It is October, 1142. Shrewsbury and the Abbey are enjoying a mild autumn. The action of the civil war between King Stephan and Empress Maud is centered far away around the town of Oxford. News of the not unexpected death of a local lord, Richard Ludel of Eaton is brought to the Abbey. His young son, also named Richard, is a pupil in the Abbey's school and the legal ward of Abbot Randulfus.
And our dance begins.
Young Richard's formidable grandmother, Dame Dionisia, wants Richard returned to her 'loving' care. Young Richard knows her plans and wants no part of them. (The battle of wits between the Abbot and Dame Dionisia is one of the bright spots the story).
Dame Dionisia has recently become a benefactor to a hermit, one Cuthred by name, who now occupies the small cell and chapel in Eyton Forest. Cuthred has with him a personable young man, Hyacinth, who acts as his messenger and errand runner, as Cuthred cannot leave the grounds of his small hermitage.
Now entering the dance is Drogo Bosiet, an arrogant lord from Northamptonshire, in search of a valuable runaway villein. Drogo is a nasty piece of work who is soon found murdered in the forest.
As the sheriff, Hugh Beringar, and his men start their manhunt for the killer it comes to light that young Richard has vanished from the Abbey.
More plot twists ensue before young Richard is seen again, bellowing at the top of his lungs a secret involving one of our dancers. And what a secret!
I was exhausted keeping track of everyone and happy to reach the peace and serenity of the ending, with Cadfael and Hugh discussing what all had gone before and leaving the rest to God, who, as Cadfael said,
"can read both the lines and between the lines, and in the end, in matters of passion as in matter of justice, will have the last word."
It is October, 1142. Shrewsbury and the Abbey are enjoying a mild autumn. The action of the civil war between King Stephan and Empress Maud is centered far away around the town of Oxford. News of the not unexpected death of a local lord, Richard Ludel of Eaton is brought to the Abbey. His young son, also named Richard, is a pupil in the Abbey's school and the legal ward of Abbot Randulfus.
And our dance begins.
Young Richard's formidable grandmother, Dame Dionisia, wants Richard returned to her 'loving' care. Young Richard knows her plans and wants no part of them. (The battle of wits between the Abbot and Dame Dionisia is one of the bright spots the story).
Dame Dionisia has recently become a benefactor to a hermit, one Cuthred by name, who now occupies the small cell and chapel in Eyton Forest. Cuthred has with him a personable young man, Hyacinth, who acts as his messenger and errand runner, as Cuthred cannot leave the grounds of his small hermitage.
Now entering the dance is Drogo Bosiet, an arrogant lord from Northamptonshire, in search of a valuable runaway villein. Drogo is a nasty piece of work who is soon found murdered in the forest.
As the sheriff, Hugh Beringar, and his men start their manhunt for the killer it comes to light that young Richard has vanished from the Abbey.
More plot twists ensue before young Richard is seen again, bellowing at the top of his lungs a secret involving one of our dancers. And what a secret!
I was exhausted keeping track of everyone and happy to reach the peace and serenity of the ending, with Cadfael and Hugh discussing what all had gone before and leaving the rest to God, who, as Cadfael said,
"can read both the lines and between the lines, and in the end, in matters of passion as in matter of justice, will have the last word."
March 20, 2021
I've been enjoying the Cadfael mysteries since I discovered the books in early 2000's. I had watched the TV show starring Derek Jacobi as the sleuthing monk and then discovered the book series. Neither have ever disappointed. The Hermit of Eyton Forest is the 14th book in the series by author Ellis Peters.
This 14th novel is set in October 1142. The war between King Stephen and Empress Maud has run into a stalemate with Stephen holding Maud blockaded at Oxford. In Shrewsbury, where Cadfael works at the monastery, life is quiet and the war hasn't been affecting life. Hugh Beringar, the local sheriff, is happy with the peace and quiet. Young Richard Ludel, ten years old and heir to the Ludel estate, attends the monastery as a pupil. His father dies and Richard's grandmother wants the ten-year old married off to the daughter of a nearby landowner. This causes friction between Abbot Radulphus and Dionisia, the grandmother. Richard's father wanted Richard to get his education before taking over the estate.
There are other goings-on that will provide for entertainment. A hermit monk has turned up with a young assistant, Hyacinth, and is given a cottage in Eyton Forest next to the Abbey's forest land. Things start going wrong on the Abbey lands, including an injury to the forest manager. Also showing up is an angry landowner from down south, seeking a runaway worker. He stirs things up uncomfortably for Shrewsbury. A murder will take place, Richard will disappear and Cadfael will be in the middle of everything.
As always, Cadfael is an interesting, solid, common sense character. Abbot Radulphus plays a strong role, both as Richard's protector and at staring down Dionisia and Drogo Bosiet. There are strangers about, who are all interesting and all suspects. Hugh plays more of a peripheral role in this story but you always feel his commanding presence. You get mystery, love and romance, and tension in this entertaining, excellent historical mystery. Check out the Cadfael series. Trust me. (4 stars)
This 14th novel is set in October 1142. The war between King Stephen and Empress Maud has run into a stalemate with Stephen holding Maud blockaded at Oxford. In Shrewsbury, where Cadfael works at the monastery, life is quiet and the war hasn't been affecting life. Hugh Beringar, the local sheriff, is happy with the peace and quiet. Young Richard Ludel, ten years old and heir to the Ludel estate, attends the monastery as a pupil. His father dies and Richard's grandmother wants the ten-year old married off to the daughter of a nearby landowner. This causes friction between Abbot Radulphus and Dionisia, the grandmother. Richard's father wanted Richard to get his education before taking over the estate.
There are other goings-on that will provide for entertainment. A hermit monk has turned up with a young assistant, Hyacinth, and is given a cottage in Eyton Forest next to the Abbey's forest land. Things start going wrong on the Abbey lands, including an injury to the forest manager. Also showing up is an angry landowner from down south, seeking a runaway worker. He stirs things up uncomfortably for Shrewsbury. A murder will take place, Richard will disappear and Cadfael will be in the middle of everything.
As always, Cadfael is an interesting, solid, common sense character. Abbot Radulphus plays a strong role, both as Richard's protector and at staring down Dionisia and Drogo Bosiet. There are strangers about, who are all interesting and all suspects. Hugh plays more of a peripheral role in this story but you always feel his commanding presence. You get mystery, love and romance, and tension in this entertaining, excellent historical mystery. Check out the Cadfael series. Trust me. (4 stars)
October 3, 2018
This is one of the stronger Brother Cadfael books, I think, which is why it's four stars instead of three. I'm not going to sum up the basic plot, but will say that I do enjoy this historical mystery series. Ellis Peters' writing stays strong--so far I see no petering out of good ideas or character development. I am reading this series very slowly, and am enjoying it that way, but I can see that there may be others who would want to read them all one after another.
August 23, 2020
Really well done. While there's a lot of back-and-forth through the Forest, it's not as annoying as in *The Virgin in the Ice*, since there is purpose to the repeated trips, rather than because two young people are flailing about thoughtlessly and causing themselves and others to be in jeopardy.
September 15, 2019
A man does what he must do
Ottobre 1142, Abbazia benedettina di Shrewsbury. Cadfael ap Meilyr ap Dafydd, gallese di Trefriw, è stato in gioventù amante, soldato, marinaio. Oggi è il monaco erborista dell’abbazia. Fratello Cadfael si troverà coinvolto nella contesa per l’eredità delle terre di Eaton. Aiuterà nelle indagini l'amico Hugh Beringar, sceriffo dello Shropshire.
Nel frattempo, mentre ad Oxford l’Imperatrice Maud resiste ancora all’assedio delle forze di re Stefano, nella foresta di Eyton, arriva Cuthred, un eremita, accompagnato dal suo servitore Hyacinth.
«Io sono andato contro la mia natura», si confidò Cadfael. «Lo so. Ho intrapreso la vita monastica, ma adesso non sono tanto sicuro che riuscirei a sopportarla senza di voi, senza queste escursioni rubate fuori delle mura. Perché, alla resa dei conti, questo sono. Vero, si tratta quasi sempre di evasioni legittime, per incarichi particolari, ma io ne approfitto, mi prendo più del dovuto. E quel che è peggio, Hugh, non me ne pento affatto! Pensate che entro i limiti della grazia vi sia spazio per un uomo che, dopo essersi assunto il compito di arare, abbandona ogni suo compito per tornare tra pecore e agnelli?»
«Io penso che le pecore e gli agnelli direbbero senz’altro di sì», rispose lo sceriffo, serio e sorridente a un tempo.
È questo suo passato, l’aver conosciuto sia la guerra che l’amore, che rende la figura di Fratello Cadfael così speciale, così intrigante.
Ottobre 1142, Abbazia benedettina di Shrewsbury. Cadfael ap Meilyr ap Dafydd, gallese di Trefriw, è stato in gioventù amante, soldato, marinaio. Oggi è il monaco erborista dell’abbazia. Fratello Cadfael si troverà coinvolto nella contesa per l’eredità delle terre di Eaton. Aiuterà nelle indagini l'amico Hugh Beringar, sceriffo dello Shropshire.
Nel frattempo, mentre ad Oxford l’Imperatrice Maud resiste ancora all’assedio delle forze di re Stefano, nella foresta di Eyton, arriva Cuthred, un eremita, accompagnato dal suo servitore Hyacinth.
«Io sono andato contro la mia natura», si confidò Cadfael. «Lo so. Ho intrapreso la vita monastica, ma adesso non sono tanto sicuro che riuscirei a sopportarla senza di voi, senza queste escursioni rubate fuori delle mura. Perché, alla resa dei conti, questo sono. Vero, si tratta quasi sempre di evasioni legittime, per incarichi particolari, ma io ne approfitto, mi prendo più del dovuto. E quel che è peggio, Hugh, non me ne pento affatto! Pensate che entro i limiti della grazia vi sia spazio per un uomo che, dopo essersi assunto il compito di arare, abbandona ogni suo compito per tornare tra pecore e agnelli?»
«Io penso che le pecore e gli agnelli direbbero senz’altro di sì», rispose lo sceriffo, serio e sorridente a un tempo.
È questo suo passato, l’aver conosciuto sia la guerra che l’amore, che rende la figura di Fratello Cadfael così speciale, così intrigante.
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March 18, 2019Ista meta, isto odstojanje: simpatični sporedni likovi, lepo urađena istorijska zaleđina, težina krimi problema 4/10, brat Kadfael povremeno radi u bašti i trčkara naokolo rešavajući slučajeve ubistava.
November 27, 2018
The Hermit of Eyton Forest is the 14th of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael mysteries. The Cadfael mysteries are set in England in the 11th century, during the civil war between Empress Maud and King Stephen. Because Cadfael had lived a very secular life as a soldier and does not take sides between the empress and king; because he is Welsh, but living in an English monastery; because he recognizes that the religious can err and the secular be godly, he is both respected and often betwixt and between.
These characteristics make Brother Cadfael an especially good protagonist for this series: he is in but not of this world. His view of right and wrong does not necessarily hew to the conventional.
“I have transgressed against my vocation,” said Cadfael, at once solaced and saddened by the season and the hour. “I know it. I undertook the monastic life, but now I am not sure I could support it without you, without these stolen excursions outside the walls. For so they are. True, I am often sent upon legitimate labours here without, but also I steal, I take more than is my due by right. Worse, Hugh, I do not repent me! Do you suppose there is room within the bounds of grace for one who has set his hand to the plough, and every little while abandons his furrow to turn back among the sheep and lambs?”
The Hermit has four crimes at its core. At least one of these is barely discussed, while one of the more minor of these is the central story (with connections to each of the others). Peters does not always privilege murder in her books.
Some of my favorite mysteries lay out a different view of justice and fairness, not a perspective set out and circumscribed only by the law: McCall's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and the Hillermans' Leaphorn and Chee books, being two such. They help me recognize that there are other and arguably better ways of resolving crimes. In The Hermit, one of the murderers confessed his crime, and Cadfael responded by admitting that "Time has been when I would have done as you have done."
Books like The Hermit are thoughtful and satisfying mysteries, but also rewarding (for me) because they can be read on several levels: historical fiction, mystery, study of ethics in real life.
And, I can also remember Derek Jacobi, who played Brother Cadfael in the BBC series.
These characteristics make Brother Cadfael an especially good protagonist for this series: he is in but not of this world. His view of right and wrong does not necessarily hew to the conventional.
“I have transgressed against my vocation,” said Cadfael, at once solaced and saddened by the season and the hour. “I know it. I undertook the monastic life, but now I am not sure I could support it without you, without these stolen excursions outside the walls. For so they are. True, I am often sent upon legitimate labours here without, but also I steal, I take more than is my due by right. Worse, Hugh, I do not repent me! Do you suppose there is room within the bounds of grace for one who has set his hand to the plough, and every little while abandons his furrow to turn back among the sheep and lambs?”
The Hermit has four crimes at its core. At least one of these is barely discussed, while one of the more minor of these is the central story (with connections to each of the others). Peters does not always privilege murder in her books.
Some of my favorite mysteries lay out a different view of justice and fairness, not a perspective set out and circumscribed only by the law: McCall's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and the Hillermans' Leaphorn and Chee books, being two such. They help me recognize that there are other and arguably better ways of resolving crimes. In The Hermit, one of the murderers confessed his crime, and Cadfael responded by admitting that "Time has been when I would have done as you have done."
Books like The Hermit are thoughtful and satisfying mysteries, but also rewarding (for me) because they can be read on several levels: historical fiction, mystery, study of ethics in real life.
And, I can also remember Derek Jacobi, who played Brother Cadfael in the BBC series.
May 18, 2019
This series is so comforting to me. Given my current level of rage over the forced-birthers passing laws to turn women into breeding machines, hanging out with Brother Cadfael in 11th Century Wales is basically a great choice.
Brother Cadfael respected women. It's really sad when I have to turn to a fictitious 11th century monk for comfort.
Brother Cadfael respected women. It's really sad when I have to turn to a fictitious 11th century monk for comfort.
February 26, 2023
A visit with Cadfael is always a treat - he and his fellow religious are great characters, the writing of both the spiritual and natural worlds are lovely, there are the requisite subplots of young lovers, murders rooted in greed, and even a connection to the ongoing civil war between King Stephen and his cousin, Empress Maud. It’s a busy autumn in Shrewsbury for Cadfael!
The book opens with war news - a messenger sent out of Oxford by Maud, just as Stephen tightened his grip on the besieged town, has disappeared, no sign of the messages or valuables he was carrying. His horse was found wandering in the woods, just a bloody saddle, no sign of the emissary.
Closer to home, the father of a young student at the abbey has died. The sickly father had made Abbot Radulfus the boy’s legal guardian, and declared his wish that the boy remain to be educated until he was of age. But at the funeral, the imperious grandmother makes it clear she wants the child returned to his manor, under her care. She wants to marry him off to the daughter of a neighbor in exchange for coveted land, and declares it his duty to obey.
Meanwhile, the grandmother has installed a holy hermit in the forest, where suspicious accidents begin to occur, damaging the abbey’s lands.
All three disparate threads come together with the delightfully curious Cadfael investigating the obscure connections. He spends a lot of time traveling on horseback, riding through the surrounding forest helping Hugh, caring for the injured abbey forester, and providing the reader with some lovely descriptions of the beautiful, mild autumn weather!
When all of the mysteries are finally resolved, Cadfael and Hugh Beringar, sheriff and his dear friend, end as always, sitting in the lovely autumn garden, discussing the case and Cadfael resolving to pay his penance for all his wandering by staying put, and tending to his herbal remedies, which will soon be in demand when the cold November weather finally sets in.
I am so enjoying rereading this lovely series with the Reading the Detectives group. It started my love for historical mystery series decades ago, when I first saw the PBS Masterpiece Mystery series with Derek Jacobi playing Cadfael, then tracked down the books. I always find them peaceful, entertaining and enjoyable. Highly recommend the audiobooks, narrated by Patrick Tull.
The book opens with war news - a messenger sent out of Oxford by Maud, just as Stephen tightened his grip on the besieged town, has disappeared, no sign of the messages or valuables he was carrying. His horse was found wandering in the woods, just a bloody saddle, no sign of the emissary.
Closer to home, the father of a young student at the abbey has died. The sickly father had made Abbot Radulfus the boy’s legal guardian, and declared his wish that the boy remain to be educated until he was of age. But at the funeral, the imperious grandmother makes it clear she wants the child returned to his manor, under her care. She wants to marry him off to the daughter of a neighbor in exchange for coveted land, and declares it his duty to obey.
Meanwhile, the grandmother has installed a holy hermit in the forest, where suspicious accidents begin to occur, damaging the abbey’s lands.
All three disparate threads come together with the delightfully curious Cadfael investigating the obscure connections. He spends a lot of time traveling on horseback, riding through the surrounding forest helping Hugh, caring for the injured abbey forester, and providing the reader with some lovely descriptions of the beautiful, mild autumn weather!
When all of the mysteries are finally resolved, Cadfael and Hugh Beringar, sheriff and his dear friend, end as always, sitting in the lovely autumn garden, discussing the case and Cadfael resolving to pay his penance for all his wandering by staying put, and tending to his herbal remedies, which will soon be in demand when the cold November weather finally sets in.
Late November would soon be tearing away with frost and gales the rest of the quivering leaves. The deserted hermitage in the woods of Eyton would provide winter cover for the small beasts of the forest, and the garden, running wild again, would shelter the slumbering urchins in their nests through the winter sleep. Doubtful if Dame Dionisia would ever set up another hermit in that cell. The wild things would occupy it in innocence.
I am so enjoying rereading this lovely series with the Reading the Detectives group. It started my love for historical mystery series decades ago, when I first saw the PBS Masterpiece Mystery series with Derek Jacobi playing Cadfael, then tracked down the books. I always find them peaceful, entertaining and enjoyable. Highly recommend the audiobooks, narrated by Patrick Tull.
October 13, 2024
“Not much love in all that household to be gained or lost. But good haters, every one.”
Formulaic. Love at first sight conquers all. Little relation to the main sequence of the Cadfael timeline or English history. Nice to find the occasional self-centered hypocrite who isn’t a villain. Pargeter credits the nobility with a genteelness which pushes credibility.
“His fame, banned from being spread openly, went about by neighborly whispers, like a prized secret to be exulted in privately but hidden from the world.”
Pargeter explores the role and position of hermits in medieval society, a concept so foreign to contemporary culture that she might as well have been writing fantasy.
“Nothing is more pleasing and engaging than the sense of having conferred benefits. Not even the gratification of receiving them.”
The introduction of a doughty ten-year old is a refreshing departure from “the usual suspects.”
“… having done what was most needful, and content to wait patiently and passively until grace should be manifested.”
Cadfael series: excellent historical fiction. Ellis Peters draws the reader into the twelfth century with modern story telling but holds us there with a richness of detail which evokes a time and place which might as well be mythic. Though the foreground of each chronicle is a murder mystery, behind it a nation and a culture are woven in a wondrous tapestry.
Formulaic. Love at first sight conquers all. Little relation to the main sequence of the Cadfael timeline or English history. Nice to find the occasional self-centered hypocrite who isn’t a villain. Pargeter credits the nobility with a genteelness which pushes credibility.
“His fame, banned from being spread openly, went about by neighborly whispers, like a prized secret to be exulted in privately but hidden from the world.”
Pargeter explores the role and position of hermits in medieval society, a concept so foreign to contemporary culture that she might as well have been writing fantasy.
“Nothing is more pleasing and engaging than the sense of having conferred benefits. Not even the gratification of receiving them.”
The introduction of a doughty ten-year old is a refreshing departure from “the usual suspects.”
“… having done what was most needful, and content to wait patiently and passively until grace should be manifested.”
Cadfael series: excellent historical fiction. Ellis Peters draws the reader into the twelfth century with modern story telling but holds us there with a richness of detail which evokes a time and place which might as well be mythic. Though the foreground of each chronicle is a murder mystery, behind it a nation and a culture are woven in a wondrous tapestry.
September 19, 2022
Richard, one of the boy students of the Abbey, age 10, has just lost his father. His father, a wealthy nobleman, had been injured in battle and been in poor health ever since. While living, his father had formally made Richard a ward of the Abbot, but Richard has a grandmother who is controlling and ambitious. She and a wealthy neighbor are plotting to marry Richard to the neighbor’s daughter, to the benefit of both. She is very displeased that the Abbot will not let her take Richard to live with her.
Recently a holy man has come to occupy a hermitage on Richard’s lands in Eyton Forest, accompanied by a young man who is his assistant. The Abbey owns part of the Forest and employs a forester, Eilmund, who lives in the forest with his daughter. Disasters begin happening in the forest, like deer getting in among young plantings and eating them, when finally Eilmund is seriously injured. Cadfael and Hugh begin to investigate, and they find a dead man. It begins to seem like the hermit’s young helper, who calls himself Hyacinth, could be the murderer.
An enjoyable mystery and characters, as always, although most of the action takes place in the Forest, away from the Abbey, so not my favorite.
Recently a holy man has come to occupy a hermitage on Richard’s lands in Eyton Forest, accompanied by a young man who is his assistant. The Abbey owns part of the Forest and employs a forester, Eilmund, who lives in the forest with his daughter. Disasters begin happening in the forest, like deer getting in among young plantings and eating them, when finally Eilmund is seriously injured. Cadfael and Hugh begin to investigate, and they find a dead man. It begins to seem like the hermit’s young helper, who calls himself Hyacinth, could be the murderer.
An enjoyable mystery and characters, as always, although most of the action takes place in the Forest, away from the Abbey, so not my favorite.
August 27, 2024
In the extreme of despair, who regards wisdom...? p216
It wasn't total despair, but fretting for something appropriate to read for the train, I overrode my general tendencies and accepted the gift of this book. Not only the 14th book in a series, it is billed as a murder mystery. Yet after a few minutes test reading, I was consoled by the medieval setting and the unique status of the detective. And the lyrical writing! In short, I was hooked.
Nothing is more pleasing and engaging than the sense of having conferred benefits. Not even the gratification of receiving. p58
Thank you Alix for the gratifying experience. I have left this at a hostel in Vienna for another to enjoy.
It wasn't total despair, but fretting for something appropriate to read for the train, I overrode my general tendencies and accepted the gift of this book. Not only the 14th book in a series, it is billed as a murder mystery. Yet after a few minutes test reading, I was consoled by the medieval setting and the unique status of the detective. And the lyrical writing! In short, I was hooked.
Nothing is more pleasing and engaging than the sense of having conferred benefits. Not even the gratification of receiving. p58
Thank you Alix for the gratifying experience. I have left this at a hostel in Vienna for another to enjoy.
June 16, 2024
A Brother Cadfael mystery. I had planned to keep this for my Lethal Location challenge next year, but it turns out this was published in 1988.
This really is a very good example of what I enjoy about the series. There's plenty of real life history in the background, with King Stephen and the Empress Maud battling, in this particular novel they're currently fighting over Oxford. (On a side note, we had a lovely LARP set in this period of time, based on the fight between the King and the Empress, which was inspired by this series.) Plenty of good detecting with a healthy sprinkling of clues that let the reader work it out for themselves, if they're so inclined.
This particular novel is loosely centred on Richard, who's father is now dead. He's the 10-year-old heir to a large chunk of land and his only living relative is his domineering grandmother, who wants to marry him off to more land. Luckily for him he's safe in the keeping of the abbot. And then, a hermit arrives, Richard makes friends with the hermit's errand boy and an abbey guest is murdered. Chaos ensues. Luckily Brother Cadfael is there to solve the mystery, with the help of the sherriff, Hugh Beringar, and thankfully unencumbered by any notion of duty to the law. He can act in whatever way he sees as right. And given this is the 12th century, legal and right aren't always the same thing.
As always, the supporting characters are well-drawn and engaging, as is the mystery. Most importantly, Cadfael isn't annoyingly right all the time and none of the Holy Brethren are without fault (though some are more faulty than others, of course). In short, this is a quick, fun read that's still good despite being fluffy.
This really is a very good example of what I enjoy about the series. There's plenty of real life history in the background, with King Stephen and the Empress Maud battling, in this particular novel they're currently fighting over Oxford. (On a side note, we had a lovely LARP set in this period of time, based on the fight between the King and the Empress, which was inspired by this series.) Plenty of good detecting with a healthy sprinkling of clues that let the reader work it out for themselves, if they're so inclined.
This particular novel is loosely centred on Richard, who's father is now dead. He's the 10-year-old heir to a large chunk of land and his only living relative is his domineering grandmother, who wants to marry him off to more land. Luckily for him he's safe in the keeping of the abbot. And then, a hermit arrives, Richard makes friends with the hermit's errand boy and an abbey guest is murdered. Chaos ensues. Luckily Brother Cadfael is there to solve the mystery, with the help of the sherriff, Hugh Beringar, and thankfully unencumbered by any notion of duty to the law. He can act in whatever way he sees as right. And given this is the 12th century, legal and right aren't always the same thing.
As always, the supporting characters are well-drawn and engaging, as is the mystery. Most importantly, Cadfael isn't annoyingly right all the time and none of the Holy Brethren are without fault (though some are more faulty than others, of course). In short, this is a quick, fun read that's still good despite being fluffy.
October 12, 2019
Cadfael is back baby! Not every book can be a winner, but I enjoyed this one. Abbott Radolfus has been given custody of young Richard. He is to raise and educate him to manhood when he will return to his manor. However, young Richard's grandmother wants him back NOW and she doesn't mind going up against the church. She has allowed a Hermit to live in Eyton Forest and he is on her side.
At the same time, there is a missing villein named Brand and his master is turning the forest upside down to find him. Before he can, he is murdered. And, of course, Brother Cadfael knows that it's not Brand and so he is on the case.
It was true murder and there were some nice red herrings. I loved getting back into a mystery that didn't involve King Stephen and Maud. While I enjoy the updates in the Civil War so that I do learn a bit about English history, I just needed some good old fashioned forest murder.
If you will allow that Brother Cadfael is the world's greatest inferer (!), then you can suspend disbelief and get into the mystery. Cadfael is working in his element and don't forget Hugh Beringer. I love that the two of them work together and neither of them are "the stupid sidekick". They are truly two people who work together.
So props to Ellis on this nice addition to the series!
At the same time, there is a missing villein named Brand and his master is turning the forest upside down to find him. Before he can, he is murdered. And, of course, Brother Cadfael knows that it's not Brand and so he is on the case.
It was true murder and there were some nice red herrings. I loved getting back into a mystery that didn't involve King Stephen and Maud. While I enjoy the updates in the Civil War so that I do learn a bit about English history, I just needed some good old fashioned forest murder.
If you will allow that Brother Cadfael is the world's greatest inferer (!), then you can suspend disbelief and get into the mystery. Cadfael is working in his element and don't forget Hugh Beringer. I love that the two of them work together and neither of them are "the stupid sidekick". They are truly two people who work together.
So props to Ellis on this nice addition to the series!
March 14, 2019
More suspense than mystery as Cadfael follows the tangled threads of a villein pursued by a ruthless lord, a young boy newly orphaned and his acquisitive grandmother, a mysterious hermit and some equally mysterious abbey visitors.
This is quite a variation from Peters’ usual plots, although we still have young lovers and military men and those occasional vivid scenes that could be drawn from stained glass. Here I wondered if she drew some of the story from real twelfth century records, fleshing out relationships from data points, or just made up these believeable people entirely.
This is quite a variation from Peters’ usual plots, although we still have young lovers and military men and those occasional vivid scenes that could be drawn from stained glass. Here I wondered if she drew some of the story from real twelfth century records, fleshing out relationships from data points, or just made up these believeable people entirely.
April 27, 2020
To me, this was not the most memorable of Cadfael's exploits. I've read it for the 3rd time at least and didn't remember a thing. But still a quick and entertaining read. Quite a bit of action, too, with an escaped villein (NOT villain!), two seemingly random murders, a marriage by force, acts of sabotage, mysterious visitors to the abbey ...
So well written, these stories are just my kind of time travel.
So well written, these stories are just my kind of time travel.
Want to read
September 6, 2022Book Order and Availability:
*A Morbid Taste for Bones (1) 3 stars
*One Corpse Too Many (2) 5 stars
*Monk's Hood (3) 4 stars
*St. Peter's Fair (4) 4 stars
*The Leper of St. Giles (5) 5 stars
*The Virgin in the Ice (6)3 stars
*The Sanctuary Sparrow (7) 4 stars
*The Devil's Novice (8) 3 stars
*Dead Man's Ransom (9) TBR
*The Pilgrim of Hate (10) TBR
*An Excellent Mystery (11) TBR
*The Raven in the Foregate (12) 4 stars
*The Rose Rent (13) TBR
*The Hermit of Eyton Forest (14) TBR
*The Confession of Brother Haluin (15) unavailable
*The Heretic's Apprentice (16) 3 stars
*The Potter's Field (17) unavailable
*The Summer of the Danes (18) TBR
*The Holy Thief (19) TBR
*Brother Cadfael's Penance (20) TBR
*A Morbid Taste for Bones (1) 3 stars
*One Corpse Too Many (2) 5 stars
*Monk's Hood (3) 4 stars
*St. Peter's Fair (4) 4 stars
*The Leper of St. Giles (5) 5 stars
*The Virgin in the Ice (6)3 stars
*The Sanctuary Sparrow (7) 4 stars
*The Devil's Novice (8) 3 stars
*Dead Man's Ransom (9) TBR
*The Pilgrim of Hate (10) TBR
*An Excellent Mystery (11) TBR
*The Raven in the Foregate (12) 4 stars
*The Rose Rent (13) TBR
*The Hermit of Eyton Forest (14) TBR
*The Confession of Brother Haluin (15) unavailable
*The Heretic's Apprentice (16) 3 stars
*The Potter's Field (17) unavailable
*The Summer of the Danes (18) TBR
*The Holy Thief (19) TBR
*Brother Cadfael's Penance (20) TBR
October 1, 2024
✨ Ellis Peters really pops off with this one. ✨ Cadfael is in full form: wily, insubordinate, worldly. Four dead men: a father, a landlord, a monk, and a hermit. But who killed whom, and what are the political ramifications, given the ever-evolving backdrop of The English Anarchy. Ellis writes one of her better romances. (Nothing could convince me otherwise that the young student, Richard, is not fervently in love with “Hyacinth,” who himself is experiencing a bi-panic with the delightful Annette.) Cadfael loves love. 💕
This one also features a vindictive, land-greedy grandma who (spoiler alert) abducts her own 10-year-old grandchild in order to forcibly marry him to the local spinster! Her other notable crimes include hiring a villein on the lam to break the abbey’s dam, loose their sheep, and lead deer into their ash nursery and also possibly murdering her own son! What did she confess Rudolphus?! We need to know. 👵🏻🗡️
Brother Jerome has spent the better part of 12 books occupying the shadow of Prior Robert’s long, patrician nose. 🥸 Here he steps out from the shadow a complete narc! May Ellis swiftly dispense with him as she once did Gilbert Prescott (RIP not RIP). Also of note here are Hugh Baringar’s “quirky,” “agile eyebrows.” If Hugh weren’t a cop, I’d tell Cadfael to get it over with and just kiss him already. 👨🏻❤️💋👨🏼 As Ellis herself reminds us:
“A sheriff is a sheriff, pledged to law, and law is rigid and weighted all in all against the peasant and the serf and the landless man.”
This one also features a vindictive, land-greedy grandma who (spoiler alert) abducts her own 10-year-old grandchild in order to forcibly marry him to the local spinster! Her other notable crimes include hiring a villein on the lam to break the abbey’s dam, loose their sheep, and lead deer into their ash nursery and also possibly murdering her own son! What did she confess Rudolphus?! We need to know. 👵🏻🗡️
Brother Jerome has spent the better part of 12 books occupying the shadow of Prior Robert’s long, patrician nose. 🥸 Here he steps out from the shadow a complete narc! May Ellis swiftly dispense with him as she once did Gilbert Prescott (RIP not RIP). Also of note here are Hugh Baringar’s “quirky,” “agile eyebrows.” If Hugh weren’t a cop, I’d tell Cadfael to get it over with and just kiss him already. 👨🏻❤️💋👨🏼 As Ellis herself reminds us:
“A sheriff is a sheriff, pledged to law, and law is rigid and weighted all in all against the peasant and the serf and the landless man.”
July 21, 2020
Another interesting Cadfael story, and one which has the novelty of being completely new to me as it was never adapted for television. There were some interesting details about marriage customs, however I feel that some of the characters and scenarios in this series became a little repetitive after The Leper of St Giles (book 5).
There is a missing boy who happens to be heir to a great estate, a murdered nobleman, a shadowy hermit and a formidable Lady who seems determined to get her way. So there is plenty of family tension, and the almost compulsory love interest for one of the major characters.
Cadfael himself does not actually feature very prominently in this story, it has more to do with other characters, and there wasn't actually a great deal of investigating. That's not necessarily always a problem if the story is character driven, and there are interesting characters. Most of them are, but not all the time.
I enjoyed this book until the end. When , Cadfael's attitudes once again proved to be a little to much on the modern and liberal side, not like a 12th century person at all. Compassionate is one thing, but I call this anachronistic.
There is a missing boy who happens to be heir to a great estate, a murdered nobleman, a shadowy hermit and a formidable Lady who seems determined to get her way. So there is plenty of family tension, and the almost compulsory love interest for one of the major characters.
Cadfael himself does not actually feature very prominently in this story, it has more to do with other characters, and there wasn't actually a great deal of investigating. That's not necessarily always a problem if the story is character driven, and there are interesting characters. Most of them are, but not all the time.
I enjoyed this book until the end. When , Cadfael's attitudes once again proved to be a little to much on the modern and liberal side, not like a 12th century person at all. Compassionate is one thing, but I call this anachronistic.
December 3, 2025
πολύ καλό. ο ανήλικος γαμπρός συνεργάζεται με την νύφη για να αποφύγουν δυσάρεστες καταστάσεις κ ένας ψεύτικος παπάς
August 30, 2022
Another good and well worth reading book from Ellis Peters. Sad there Will be no more.
April 11, 2017
"'I think the sheep and lambs have need of you. Even the black sheep and the grey, like some you've argued for against God and me in your time. There are very few all black. Dappled, perhaps.'"
I may be coming to the end of the Cadfael series, but this light-hearted adventure almost makes me wish there were another 21 to devour in the meantime. This story had everything. A 10 year old boy promised an education at the abbey by his late father is subject to his grandmother's conniving schemes of "honey and gall" to marry him off to an heiress of a monolithic age of 22. From young Richard's newly inherited manor at Eaton, a strange religious hermit "a popular saint, in the old Celtic sense that took no account of canonisation" comes to the wild nether-reaches of Eyton forest to take up residence. And with a servant out of the brothers grim. "What was an antique saint doing with an unnerving fairy thing in his employ?" And if that's not enough vivid characters for you, we are treated to Drogo Bosiet, balding, fleshy, servant-slapping, slave-maker. "'I wouldn't give him back a dog that ran from him.'"
When Drogo is found stabbed in the back in the forest, suspicion obviously fall on Jorah Mormont from A Song of Ice and Fire. Who else would have the cowardly means, the sketchy motivation, and the bungling execution to somehow pull off his coup in the wrong series of books? Well, it's not Jorah. It's an entirely different traitor in disguise. "The very names sprang from the same root, though time had prised them apart, and the Norman passion for order had fixed and ratified the difference." Or is it?
Universal hypocrites aside, the real star of this novel is little Richard Ludel. "A fetching imp, truth to tell, but as often in trouble as out of it." He might have been made a lord after the sad passing of his father, "he had been admitted on arrival and departure to a sick-room that smelled of herbs and premature aging. Of what he did remember he went in awe. They had never been close enough got anything more intimate.", but this doesn't keep Richard from foiling Drogo's plot to recapture a runaway serf, accidentally find out about a love affair, and foil his grandmother once and for all. He even does some growing up. "Richard was staring at her, struck dumb with astonishment at finding her, not a token of embarrassment, but a real person with a great deal to say for herself." But I think he will be too innocent and distractable for a wife for some time.
"No one could quite determine exactly how young Richard came to know every twist and turn of the contention over his future."
Anyway, Cadfael had it all guessed some time before me. "they might have been two creatures out of the ancient forest, faun and nymph out of a profane but lovely fable." I blame my flu, obviously, for not working out the final twist of the story. But I did see the wonderfully pagan love story between the elvin hermit's apprentice and the forester's daughter coming. "It seemed to have been taken for granted by all of them, it seemed, that Cadfael was wholeheartedly a part of their conspiracy. How could it be otherwise?" What I'm saying is, Cadfael out-smarted me this time. So Jorahs beware!
I may be coming to the end of the Cadfael series, but this light-hearted adventure almost makes me wish there were another 21 to devour in the meantime. This story had everything. A 10 year old boy promised an education at the abbey by his late father is subject to his grandmother's conniving schemes of "honey and gall" to marry him off to an heiress of a monolithic age of 22. From young Richard's newly inherited manor at Eaton, a strange religious hermit "a popular saint, in the old Celtic sense that took no account of canonisation" comes to the wild nether-reaches of Eyton forest to take up residence. And with a servant out of the brothers grim. "What was an antique saint doing with an unnerving fairy thing in his employ?" And if that's not enough vivid characters for you, we are treated to Drogo Bosiet, balding, fleshy, servant-slapping, slave-maker. "'I wouldn't give him back a dog that ran from him.'"
When Drogo is found stabbed in the back in the forest, suspicion obviously fall on Jorah Mormont from A Song of Ice and Fire. Who else would have the cowardly means, the sketchy motivation, and the bungling execution to somehow pull off his coup in the wrong series of books? Well, it's not Jorah. It's an entirely different traitor in disguise. "The very names sprang from the same root, though time had prised them apart, and the Norman passion for order had fixed and ratified the difference." Or is it?
Universal hypocrites aside, the real star of this novel is little Richard Ludel. "A fetching imp, truth to tell, but as often in trouble as out of it." He might have been made a lord after the sad passing of his father, "he had been admitted on arrival and departure to a sick-room that smelled of herbs and premature aging. Of what he did remember he went in awe. They had never been close enough got anything more intimate.", but this doesn't keep Richard from foiling Drogo's plot to recapture a runaway serf, accidentally find out about a love affair, and foil his grandmother once and for all. He even does some growing up. "Richard was staring at her, struck dumb with astonishment at finding her, not a token of embarrassment, but a real person with a great deal to say for herself." But I think he will be too innocent and distractable for a wife for some time.
"No one could quite determine exactly how young Richard came to know every twist and turn of the contention over his future."
Anyway, Cadfael had it all guessed some time before me. "they might have been two creatures out of the ancient forest, faun and nymph out of a profane but lovely fable." I blame my flu, obviously, for not working out the final twist of the story. But I did see the wonderfully pagan love story between the elvin hermit's apprentice and the forester's daughter coming. "It seemed to have been taken for granted by all of them, it seemed, that Cadfael was wholeheartedly a part of their conspiracy. How could it be otherwise?" What I'm saying is, Cadfael out-smarted me this time. So Jorahs beware!
June 17, 2014
This 14th tale in a series of 20 (according to Wikipedia) certainly has whetted my appetite for others in the series. There's a wonderful relationship between the sleuthing Brother Cadfael and Sheriff Hugh Beringar, the official investigator of crime in Cadfael's neck of the woods. Theirs' is not a Holmes - Watson sort of relationship so much as it is a partnership of equals, an alliance of church and state forged in order to bring justice to the corner of 12th Century England that they call home.
In this particular tale, the plot is believable, the characters engaging and the denouement quite satisfying. If Peters somehow makes appealing the idea of living in civil-war-torn England one thousand year ago, I can forgive her that. That Bougereau sanitized 19th Century rural France takes nothing away from his beautiful paintings, and in these tales at least a little bit of ugliness necessarily intrudes. Well, more than "a little bit" if you believe as Cadfael does that murder is a big deal.
In this particular tale, the plot is believable, the characters engaging and the denouement quite satisfying. If Peters somehow makes appealing the idea of living in civil-war-torn England one thousand year ago, I can forgive her that. That Bougereau sanitized 19th Century rural France takes nothing away from his beautiful paintings, and in these tales at least a little bit of ugliness necessarily intrudes. Well, more than "a little bit" if you believe as Cadfael does that murder is a big deal.
November 18, 2023
Another Brother Cadfael under my belt. This one was quite good. I love both the character of Cadfael and the medieval setting, and I needed something easy and fun. A little love, two murders, two mysterious strangers, and a conniving and unloving grandmother–what else could you ask for?
February 15, 2018
I have been slowly but faithfully making my way through this series, which is so wonderful. (I am going to be really sad when I've finished them all.) I've taken only to reviewing ones that are unusual or resonated with me beyond the normal "I love this series" feeling.
This book is one that stood out, not so much for the quality of the mystery but because it gives great insight into how the medieval world valued honor and loyalty. There isn't much of the medieval world that I'd trade for what we have today (medical care and standard of living come instantly to mind), but I think we could do well to emulate their code of honor.
At any rate, the musings towards the end of the book of the main characters, Brother Cadfael and Hugh Beringar, about what constitutes loyalty and honor are a good reminder of the values we should all live our own lives by.
This book is one that stood out, not so much for the quality of the mystery but because it gives great insight into how the medieval world valued honor and loyalty. There isn't much of the medieval world that I'd trade for what we have today (medical care and standard of living come instantly to mind), but I think we could do well to emulate their code of honor.
At any rate, the musings towards the end of the book of the main characters, Brother Cadfael and Hugh Beringar, about what constitutes loyalty and honor are a good reminder of the values we should all live our own lives by.
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