After the death of Lord Ludel, his son Richard, a student at the Benedictine Abbey, becomes the new lord of Eaton. Meanwhile, a hermit has taken up residence in Eyton Forest, a holy man's arrival causes confusion among the Monks, Richard disappears, and a corpse is found in the forest. It is time for Brother Cadfael to leave his peaceful herb garden and track down a ruthless murderer. Unabridged. September '98 publication date.
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Charmingly and humourously told. (TLS )
--This text refers to an alternate
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Book Description
In his fourteenth chronicle Brother Cadfael's tranquil life as a herbalist is disturbed by the arrival of a saintly hermit and the disappearance of a young boy.
--This text refers to an alternate
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IT WAS on the eighteenth day of October of that year 1142 that Richard Ludel, hereditary tenant of the manor of Eaton, died of a debilitating weakness, left after wounds received at the battle of Lincoln, in the service of King Stephen. Read the first page
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IT WAS on the eighteenth day of October of that year 1142 that Richard Ludel, hereditary tenant of the manor of Eaton, died of a debilitating weakness, left after wounds received at the battle of Lincoln, in the service of King Stephen. Read the first page
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Nicholas Casley
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This is the fourteenth novel in Ellis Peters's Cadfael series, and if you've got this far, there's not much more to say! There is the usual well-written scene-setting, and the usual well-thought-through plot. It is interesting how the crime may appear solved, but there always remains open an issue that will suddenly - and convincingly - push matters along a new twisted path.
Peters's continues her good way with words, writing clearly and persuasively, and with an eye to informing too. For instance, of the settlements of Eaton and Eyton, she says there was "barely a mile between" them: "The very names sprang from the same root, though time had prised them apart, and the Norman passion for order and formulation had fixed and ratified the differences."
There is a rare and welcome faint whiff of homosexuality in this novel, with the young lad Hyacinth arousing a "slight stir of disquiet ... in those cloistered breasts". And, "What was an antique saint doing with an unnerving fairy thing in his employ?" It is surprising how Peters's never referred more often to the temptations of the same sex that all monasteries by their very nature must have had.
No doubt a few holes can be picked in this tale, for example it is strange to say the least that the hermit should be accepted and established as such so soon after arriving in the area, but Cadfael is such an enjoyable character that we can forgive such small matters. As usual, Peters employs well the ever-tolerant Cadfael as a lightning rod for the sense of the humane. So, when Hugh the Sheriff talks of black sheep, Cadfael argues that, "There are very few all black ... Dappled, perhaps ... most of us have a few mottles about us."
As for historical matters, the author always remains on sure ground. Although one might question the actual need in canon law for a priest to officiate at a wedding at this time, Peters's insistence on the accuracy of the historical framework, in particular the latest events in the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, re-assures me that any divergence from historical fact will be slight and short-lived.
Peters's continues her good way with words, writing clearly and persuasively, and with an eye to informing too. For instance, of the settlements of Eaton and Eyton, she says there was "barely a mile between" them: "The very names sprang from the same root, though time had prised them apart, and the Norman passion for order and formulation had fixed and ratified the differences."
There is a rare and welcome faint whiff of homosexuality in this novel, with the young lad Hyacinth arousing a "slight stir of disquiet ... in those cloistered breasts". And, "What was an antique saint doing with an unnerving fairy thing in his employ?" It is surprising how Peters's never referred more often to the temptations of the same sex that all monasteries by their very nature must have had.
No doubt a few holes can be picked in this tale, for example it is strange to say the least that the hermit should be accepted and established as such so soon after arriving in the area, but Cadfael is such an enjoyable character that we can forgive such small matters. As usual, Peters employs well the ever-tolerant Cadfael as a lightning rod for the sense of the humane. So, when Hugh the Sheriff talks of black sheep, Cadfael argues that, "There are very few all black ... Dappled, perhaps ... most of us have a few mottles about us."
As for historical matters, the author always remains on sure ground. Although one might question the actual need in canon law for a priest to officiate at a wedding at this time, Peters's insistence on the accuracy of the historical framework, in particular the latest events in the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, re-assures me that any divergence from historical fact will be slight and short-lived.
By Petronella
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although the ingredients of Ellis Peters' Cadfael stories are predictable - drama, suspense, a delicate love story - she always produced an unmissable read.
Format:MP3 CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is another ejoyable book by Ellis Peters for which I find it very interesting to know how life was in the middle ages.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Hermit of Eyton Forest by Ellis Peters
As with all of the Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters, this was very good. I thoroughly enjoy all of her Cadfael books.
Published 5 months ago by Eleanor Wasserman
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Hermit of Eyton Forest
One of a Cadfael series of books by Ellis Peters Very good read as a detective story but also gives an insight into the 12th century monastary life in this country I have now got... Read more
Published on 4 July 2009 by Mrs. Doreen Watkinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Child marriage, holy man and forest fawn all in one
A child is being forced to marry, a holy man comes round with a forest fawn. A man is murdered and the confusion is total. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2002
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