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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I picked up the book because I loved the TV show. Needless to say, it was just what I needed. Short and sweet.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A historical mystery novel; more historical than mystery but immediately after I've written this I feel the need to recant this description. It is a lot more balanced than the claim, but the medieval atmosphere is very immersive and one of those things the reader will notice from the very beginning. Close attention is paid to a world where the terms English and Welsh are more racial than geographical, the names of kings recall events too deep in the past for the layman or even someone exposed to historical narratives to recognise. Even the names of the main characters are unfamiliar. It all takes time to get used to. Speech and description are also rendered medieval/distant by Peters' poetic language, and the characters conversations can seem a tad formal, but that I think preserves a certain beauty of that time and place. Despite all this, the mystery is intelligent, considered and fast-paced in moments of suspense, and the main detective Brother Cadfael is very likeable: reserved in judgment but assuringly just, with quick eyes and a quicker wit.
(The book is maybe not as fast-pacing as readers who come from the Cadfael tv series will like it to be, since there are more loose ends and diversions here, and more time paid to the secondary characters. Cadfael is rendered slightly different, more...plucky, more quick and sharp with his answers especially when emotionally invested. Jacobi's Cadfael is milder, though not without the strength recognised and foregrounded here.)
(The book is maybe not as fast-pacing as readers who come from the Cadfael tv series will like it to be, since there are more loose ends and diversions here, and more time paid to the secondary characters. Cadfael is rendered slightly different, more...plucky, more quick and sharp with his answers especially when emotionally invested. Jacobi's Cadfael is milder, though not without the strength recognised and foregrounded here.)
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a reread and perhaps not quite as entertaining as I remembered through being worn a little thin. I haven't read most of the series, but keep rereading the first one to reorient myself, intending to keep going, and then not doing so and then starting the cycle again. Cadfael is a great character though, and I like the exploration of Welsh/English tension.
First in the series of Brother Cadfael mysteries. A fun read, well-written and clever. Great to know there are 19 more books in the series!
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Religious bigotry, Murder