You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
rachaelinpa's review against another edition
4.0
I love these books, Brother Cadfael is like an old friend, who wouldn't love to know him???
rebcamuse's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I might go back to the audiobook format for the series, but I did enjoy this read. The characters are great, including the foe who becomes a friend. The political aspects between Stephen and Maud are left a bit blurry, with King Stephen getting more airtime, but the introduction of Godric near the beginning makes for a fun ride. This is definitely character-driven, although I found Cadfael's manipulation a bit tedious at times. Aline Siward is hard to picture in my mind, and I found it difficult to sympathize with her character, but I did love Godric, Torold Blund, and especially Hugh Beringar, one of the more interesting characters.
noondaypaisley's review against another edition
4.0
This is the one that showed there was going to be a lot more to the series. A love story, a good solid set of confusing things going on, some fun characters and good old clever Brother Cadfael at the centre of it all. A good fight scene to make some Medieval Justice too.
arianenewell's review against another edition
3.0
This is also the book that the British tv series began with. Made me look up more history on King Stephen and Empress Maud, always a good sign when a book makes me do that. I am slowly acquiring the audios of the series in my audio folder. No doubt, I will have to listen to every one.
mudder17's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I enjoyed this second book in the series even more than the first book, in part because I think it's more developed with two major, but interlinked stories. I loved the play between Hugh Berenger and Brother Cadfael and I loved the three other major protagonists, Godric/Godith, Torold, and Aline. As usual, every time Brother Cadfael speaks, I picture Derek Jacobi, and this just makes me want to rewatch the series! My library doesn't have the next book in the series, but I will be looking for a copy elsewhere so I can continue with it!
I enjoyed this second book in the series even more than the first book, in part because I think it's more developed with two major, but interlinked stories. I loved the play between Hugh Berenger and Brother Cadfael and I loved the three other major protagonists, Godric/Godith, Torold, and Aline. As usual, every time Brother Cadfael speaks, I picture Derek Jacobi, and this just makes me want to rewatch the series! My library doesn't have the next book in the series, but I will be looking for a copy elsewhere so I can continue with it!
madiantin's review against another edition
4.0
Cadfael is awesome. I love the premise of these stories. I love the idea of a Welsh fighter who'd gone about battling and killing and knowing the bad things of the world going, "Well sod this for a game of soldiers" and deciding to become a Benedictine monk in Shrewsbury. How did Peters think of such a fabulous character?
The stories don't require too much brain power. You know the boy will get the girl and justice will be served and everything will end happily ever after...except for...y'know...those 95 men who were killed. I mean, it's important to not think TOO much about what was actually going on at that time. Things were so so so bad for the common people during the time of Stephen and Matilda's fighting that I'm sure most people thought it was the end of the world. And it was for many.
But setting that aside, these are really fun little stories. And I think this one may be one of the best.
I love the fact that Cadfael is almost omniscient at times. I love the cadence of the language. I love that Peters wrote it in a way that I can believe this was actually how people spoke. I love the casual interweaving of God into daily life. It feels like that's really how it would have been. I would love to have lived in the Middle Ages for about a day with the possibility of being able to leave whenever things got too uncomfortable. =D.
The stories don't require too much brain power. You know the boy will get the girl and justice will be served and everything will end happily ever after...except for...y'know...those 95 men who were killed. I mean, it's important to not think TOO much about what was actually going on at that time. Things were so so so bad for the common people during the time of Stephen and Matilda's fighting that I'm sure most people thought it was the end of the world. And it was for many.
But setting that aside, these are really fun little stories. And I think this one may be one of the best.
I love the fact that Cadfael is almost omniscient at times. I love the cadence of the language. I love that Peters wrote it in a way that I can believe this was actually how people spoke. I love the casual interweaving of God into daily life. It feels like that's really how it would have been. I would love to have lived in the Middle Ages for about a day with the possibility of being able to leave whenever things got too uncomfortable. =D.
puella63's review against another edition
4.0
A fine tale. The guilty one was easy to find because there were no other candidates.
Still, several likeable characters and a nice development of the series.
Still, several likeable characters and a nice development of the series.
onetrooluff's review against another edition
3.0
Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine monk who came late to the cloister, uses his knowledge of herbs and of people to solve mysteries. These books are set in medieval England, during the period in which the Empress Maud and King Stephen were vying for the throne. In the midst of this turbulent time, Brother Cadfael works quietly in his herb garden, making medicines and enjoying the peaceful abbey life after being abroad in the world for a great number of years. When a mystery is at hand, he uses his detective skills to root out whoever is to blame. These books are a fun read, and quite well written. Cadfael, the Abbot, and several other characters are very well-created. Several of the stories were made into a TV series on PBS, starring Sir Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael (very well cast, I might add).