Odo's Hanging

by Peter Benson

Bishop Odo, half-brother of William l, commissions a hanging to commemorate the King's conquest of England. The man he chooses to design this tribute, Turold, a Norman renowned for his skill but not his temper, reluctantly travels to the convent in Winchester where nuns will implement his sketches. He's accompanied by his old friend Rainald the monk, sent to liaise with the nuns and their abbess, and the narrator Robert, his young, devoted but mute apprentice.

Weaving in the dramatic sequence of events portrayed by the Bayeux Tapestry, Peter Benson gives a striking impression of the politics, conflicts and religious beliefs of the era. With this intricately wrought and absorbing novel, he has brought to life a fascinating period of English history.

Genres: Historical Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Peter Benson was born in 1956 in Kent, UK and is the award-winning author of seven novels. His work has been described as ‘a far-reaching exploration into unlikely relationships’ and is characterised by the precision of its language, characterisations and approach.

Reviews

[Tish · Rating 2 out of 5]

The making of the Bayeux tapestry as told by Robert, the mute teenage apprentice/foster son of the tapestry's designer. I wanted to like this book as I love the topic. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of Benson's writing style. Although there were many interesting revelations about the making of the tapestry and medieval life then, I was continually jarred by the disjointed narrative. It was unclear to me whether the narrator was mentally challenged as well as mute, or maybe he was just ruled by his hormones. Brief glimpses of self-important Bishop Odo and power-struggles about content were interspersed with long passages about Robert's attraction to and quite explicit seduction of the baker's daughter. My favorite parts were the bits where Robert describes various scenes from the tapestry. This will not be on my re-read list.

[Angie Annetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Quirky History Lesson

I like a bit of quirk, me. But shove a history book under my hooter and that's me dashing out the door and into the nearest pub. A friend gave this book to me after he'd dropped it in his bath. And I'm glad he did. It is a delight. You get a history lesson without realising it's happening. And without the yawn and nodding off. It's fairly oddball and would make a stonker of a movie. I'd love to weave the words 'weave' or 'woven' into this review, but note that some other clever buggers have beaten me to it. Pfffft.
Go forth and buy this book. Live a little. Read a fab book and do some of that learning stuff on the way.

[Mercedes Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives us an interesting backdrop to the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry. It’s pretty much accepted that Bishop Odo commissioned the tapestry for his cathedral, but who stitched it and who designed it leaves much to the imagination. Here is a possible story that answers the questions nicely. Written in third person from the perspective of Robert, a young mute helper of Turold (who was the designer and inserted himself as the dwarf), we get a disjointed witness whose head is often in the clouds. Because the mute could only express himself through thought, the prose was frustratingly jumbled. We do get the story, but we have to work through Robert’s distractions, including his obsession with the girl next door. What we do see is a nasty, bullying Odo who keeps butting heads against Turold who refuses to humor him. But even their arguments are usually pointless or hard to follow:

“I compare you to no one, my Lord. You are quite unique. There is no one like you.”—
“No one likes me?” Odo’s face twitched, and his right eye blinked five times.
“I did not say that.”
“You did!”
“I did not. I…”
“And you contradict me again.”
“I said that there is no one like you, not that…”
“And you repeat it!” The Bishop was pale now, he was blinking again, and rubbing his forehead.
“My Lord…”
“Guard!”

And Turold ends up in jail for a couple of weeks. This is typical of the dialog between the two of them. Odo starts out as a tyrant and ends up cowed and uncertain, mostly because he fears his brother King William, who is watching the progress of the tapestry. William suggests a panel of his own which remains secret until the end, driving Odo crazy. This, too, enlightens us as to one of the tapestry’s mysteries. Who is the mysterious Aelfgyva?

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bishop Odo commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry and this is the story of Robert, the dumb young assistant of the designer, Turold. William the Conqueror, his queen, Matilda, the defeated English, the nuns in the abbey who embroider the tapestry, Martha, the baker’s daughter with whom Robert falls in love and Rainald, the monk who is the independent Turold’s conscience, are all part of a rich character-driven novel. The relationship between Odo and William is particularly fascinating. Stylistically unusual but very convincing.

[Thevogon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unsatisfying blend of history, might be history and fantasy which seemed to serve no particular purpose. Little sense of period in compensation.

[Michael Harling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cowpoke with the face like weathered rawhide spit a gob of tobacco juice into the dusty prairie dirt. “Odo,” he drawled, “you sure led us on a bodacious chase, but we’ve got you now. And if there ever was a man needed hangin’, it’s you. String ‘em up, boys.”

This is sorta what I expected the book to be like. It isn’t. It is, instead, a story about the Bayeaux Tapestry. It is a compelling story, however, from the point of view of a unique narrator. Even if it doesn’t uncover the real story of how the tapestry came about – no one really knows – it provides a prolonged and deep look into what life was like at the turn of the last millennium, I mean, the one before this last one. The characters are well-drawn, the settings vivid and the action sort of slow but interesting nonetheless.

I do recommend it, but if the first paragraph of this review interested you more than the second, I’d read something like True Grit instead.

[KG Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical Novel based on the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the defeat of King Harold. The story of the story is told by the mute assistant to the designer/artist. The needlepoint (tapestry is a misnomer) is well known here in England and used for teaching young students the story of this battle.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the perspective of the book written by a mute teenager. The scenes of the tapestry described almost as a dream. Gave a good view of the Norman Conquest and life at the time. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Glennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully woven!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, woven around the commissioning and production of the famous Bayeux Tapestry, and found the characters deeply compelling.

[Boris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Niet supergoed geschreven, vooral heel leuk om te lezen als je net het tapijt van Bayeux bezocht hebt.