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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
A great final novel for the series, unlike many final volumes it did not just wrap up the left over plot lines, but the story itself was great.
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I closed this book with a bittersweet smile. It is always a joy to spend time with Brother Cadfael and his eleventh century world but Brother Cadfael’s Penance marks the close of the series and it is sad to know that I will never again enter Cadfael’s world and tread on new paths, left to retrace the paths I’ve already crossed. Still, it is not quite the end: I have the companion volume, A Rare Benedictine, to read yet.
It may seem a strange word to describe a series that is ostensibly about a monk solving murders but the word that comes to mind when I think about The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael is: gentle. The world of Cadfael’s cloister and Shrewsbury, crafted with Ellis Peters’s exquisite prose, is beautiful, and one may be amazed at the mystery’s twists and turns but be assured that everything will turn out alright. While Peters generally does stick to the same types of characters, they are hard not to like. The religiosity of Cadfael is strong and present but never overpowering. While often historical mysteries, especially those of the cosy crime variety, turn to comedy, as if overburdened with a sense of their own novelty, Peters does not – the characters may be idealised but not caricatures we’re meant to laugh at.
Brother Cadfael’s Penance feels a little more dangerous than the other volumes in the series – Cadfael heads into the thick of a dispute between the Empress Matilda and King Stephen and ends up in a besieged castle. As someone who read the whole series – albeit in over three years – it has a powerful resonance as a closing chapter.
It may seem a strange word to describe a series that is ostensibly about a monk solving murders but the word that comes to mind when I think about The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael is: gentle. The world of Cadfael’s cloister and Shrewsbury, crafted with Ellis Peters’s exquisite prose, is beautiful, and one may be amazed at the mystery’s twists and turns but be assured that everything will turn out alright. While Peters generally does stick to the same types of characters, they are hard not to like. The religiosity of Cadfael is strong and present but never overpowering. While often historical mysteries, especially those of the cosy crime variety, turn to comedy, as if overburdened with a sense of their own novelty, Peters does not – the characters may be idealised but not caricatures we’re meant to laugh at.
Brother Cadfael’s Penance feels a little more dangerous than the other volumes in the series – Cadfael heads into the thick of a dispute between the Empress Matilda and King Stephen and ends up in a besieged castle. As someone who read the whole series – albeit in over three years – it has a powerful resonance as a closing chapter.
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Excellent✨ A great ending for the series and so satisfying as a finale.
This is a fitting end to a truly fantastic series. These books got me through a tough and unpleasant year, and I'm grateful to end the novels with this one, which has all the thoughtful weight of the entire series (although substantially less mystery than usual!).
Loved the entire series and this was a wonderful conclusion to the adventures of Brother Cadfael.
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated