Customer Reviews

Brigid of Kildare: A Novel

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Heather Terrel's "Brigid Of Kildare" is a warm book about friendship, discovery, and religion all wrapped around the historical setting of the distant past. The author follows the life of Saint Brigid, the possibly apocryphal saint of Kildare, Ireland, and her attempts to not only win the souls of the pagan Irish for God, but also keep an independent Ireland from the clutches of the Roman Catholic Church while also looking to endear the church to the particularly Irish brand of Catholicism. In the present, we follow Alexandra Patterson as she works with the Sisters of St. Brigid to appraise relics that they would like to auction to raise funds for the convent. Along the way, Alexandra discovers the hidden 6th century Book of Kells, a priceless illuminated manuscript pre-dating the Book of Kells, and two other scrolls of period writing by a scribe named Decius. As the plot continue, we learn more about the lives of Brigid & Decius and their growing bond as well as Alexandra's efforts to date the manuscript and scrolls without violating either the Sister's trust in her or her belief system.

While I greatly enjoyed the book, I can see how people may feel that it is somewhat light fiction. The author somewhat skips across the surface of her characters and spends much more time developing the overall story rather than dwelling in certain places from time to time. However, the book is already 256 pages - a good number - and I can't think of anything that I'd cut to make room to flesh out the characters. As a history buff I enjoyed the "what if's" throughout as well as the historical references that the book offers to help the backstory. Above all else, I thought Brigid was an extremely believable and likable character and by the end of the book, it was hard not to fall in love with her as her friend Decius had done.

The religious aspects of the book are very muted while also being neutral in opinion. The author neither bashes the Catholic faith nor tries to win you to the cause. As a non-denominational born-again Christian, I enjoyed the even-handedness of the topics. Brigid & Decius are devout Catholics and are treated as such. Alexandra is not, but neither does she go on some "religion is evil rant". I also have to truly commend the author on "allowing" Brigid & Decius to have unrequited love for eachother while steadfastly remaining true to their vows. This was an unexpected and welcome aspect.

Other things of note are that the reader needs to pay attention to the chapter headings and the year. The author skips forward and backward throughout the book, not only between past and present, but also within the lifetime of Brigid. If you are not paying attention you can easily get thrown from the plot and start to wonder what the heck is going on. The book is also a page turner. I took very little time to read through the book's 256 pages and was disappointed that I was done when I had finished the book. In my mind, that's the sign of a good novel - whether you wish there were 50 more pages to read when you've completed the last sentence. I though about giving the book 4 stars because although thoroughly enjoyable, I felt that the present-day story line with Alexandra could have been much more developed (along with the character issue I mention above). However, it's hard to argue when the present-day theme is obviously the side story to the main plot line.

Wow! This book is why I rejoice in the fact that I'm an Amazon Vine member. A true treat to the reader this book is seamlessly told through the eyes of three different people. It opens with a letter from the Roman spy/scribe, Decius, and then leads us back in time to the early childhood of Saint Brigid (or should I say Bishop?) of Ireland. We are then effortlessly on the part of the author, brought to the present day through the narrative of Alex, an accomplished appraiser of antique relics. While at first I was a little hesitant to read a book that places much emphasis on the banned gospels that have received much attention since the publication of the blatantly inaccurate, even for historical fiction, Da Vinci Code; I discovered to my pleasantness that the author doesn't go to the length of discrediting the original Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John but rather instead embarks upon a story of the origination of the First image venerating the Virgin Mary. And it is all done in such an intriguing manner. The story opens like a mystery novel and never fails to keep the reader's interest. The author comes across as intimately knowledgeable of detailed history concerning, Rome, Ireland, and early Christianity. And she manages to imbue her novel with rich historical details in a manner that is entertaining, easily understood, and grasped by the reader. I couldn't put this book down and read it in one sitting. Even though, this makes the second novel about Brigid of Ireland that I have read. This one is by far the best. And it instills one with an appreciation for the strength and bravery of Celtic Women and how that model of womanhood can be inspiring today. I consider this book a must read.

Wish you could travel to Ireland at a moments notice? Interested in history, religion and culture? Brigid of Kildare fulfills all of those needs with a beautiful style that will sweep you into the early years of Christianity in barbaric Ireland (Gael).

Witness the transformation of Saint Brigid as she becomes the strong and forceful Christian warrior that brings Christianity to the rocky shores of Ireland - a county struggling with warring tribes and formidable outside forces - and Decius, a conscious torn scribe on a mission that could tear down the legendary saint and all of her hard work.

This book was an absolute delight to read and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in Ireland, history and especially religion. It's so interesting to see how Ireland's Christianity first came to be and the struggles Brigid faced, personally and politically.

Bouncing back and forth from the fifth century to present day, Terrell does a wonderful job keeping the plot understandable and fast-paced all at once. More so, her clear descriptions help you feel the dewey grass of Ireland as you trek alongside Brigid and Decius.

A true pleasure to read I highly recommend Brigid of Kildare and look forward to reading Terrell's other works of art.

[...]

This novel is both a historical novel about St. Brigid set in 5th century Ireland and a flash forward to a mystery about a manuscript from that time found by a modern researcher.

The details of Brigid's early life and her development of a magnificent abbey in Kildare are quite vivid and interesting. Brigid's father was a warlord king, and her mother was an educated, free-thinking woman who educated her daughter in several languages and religious teachings. Brigid's mother also persuaded her Druid husband to let their daughter be baptised by St. Patrick himself. A Roman monk, a scribe, is sent by the Vatican to spy and make sure the Irish church is not teaching heresy. Meanwhile, the book keeps returning to the story of a modern-day researcher who arrives at the same abbey in Kildare to authenticate and appraise religious artifacts for a nun there. The researcher discovers an exciting historical find which is hidden within the artifact.

The pace is sometimes a little slow, but the story is enticing an original.

Brigid was one of the pantheon of Irish god and goddesses the Christians wanted to drive from the hearts and minds of the Irish people. It was ironic then that a girl named after this pagan goddess would be selected by none other than St Patrick himself to lead the Irish people into Christianity. This Brigid would become a leader in the growing Christian community, and her activities would come to the notice of the Vatican. In order to investigate rumors of heresies being spread in Ireland a young scribe was dispatched to observe and report on Brigid's activities. An account of those activities has been hidden away not resurfacing until the present day, drawing another woman into the story. The three plot lines entwine through the novel, much like the intricate borders on the ancient illuminated manuscripts that feature so prominently in this story.

This is a charming novel, one that draws the reader into the 5th century and the conflicts that raged as the Irish were being drawn into Christendom. There is little doubt as to how the novel will end but the reader is left with much to think about. How different would our world be if certain voices were respected rather than silenced?

Heather Terrell manages to create a story that bounces back and forth between ancient history and present day in a way that doesn't lose the reader. And what a story it is. A modern-day art appraiser finds what could be a priceless lost artifact, and the story centers around the creation of this relic: the lost Book of Kildare, while simultaneously chronicling the early church's attitudes toward women.

I enjoyed the book and found no fault with Terrell's style. My only criticism has to do with character development. I would have liked a bit more detail on motivations, etc. If I could, I'd give the book 4.5 stars, as the positives definitely outweigh the negatives on this one.

If you're interested in ancient Irish history, the early history of the church, or historical "detective" stories, you'll probably find this a good read.

Fans of Heather Terrell know her style, and they'll find it in this book.

The Heather Terrell style includes:

1- A richly detailed story world, pulling the reader in.

2- A compelling conspiracy.

3- A story that travels between different periods in time, weaving the past intot the present.

Add some really fun characters, an ancient manuscript, and a nod to bibliophiles everywhere (and what book ever suffered from having a lovable bibliophile as a protagonist?) and you get Brigit of Kildare.

First a cautionary note. This novel, while not primarily a "faith promoting" story, will probably have greater appeal to people who are inclined towards religious belief than it will to those not so inclined.

That said, this is one of the rare books I have read recently of which I can truthfully say, in time honored cliché: "I couldn't put it down" -- literally. It is a beautifully woven tale from three points of view: Brigid of Kildare, Decius, a Roman monk sent by the Vatican to report on the heresies of the Gaelic Church, and Alexandra Patterson, an antiquarian artifact appraiser and specialist.

The author, Heather Terrell has skilfully given each of these characters a distinctive voice in which to tell the story. The story itself moves seamlessly back and forth between the fifth century AD and the present day -- with a twelfth century epilog. This can be a hazardous device in any novel as the author will often leave the reader confused as to what exactly is going on. Heather Terrell does not make this mistake, and there is an interesting reason for it.

As a graduate of the Boston University School of law with ten years of litigation experience under her belt, Terrell builds her narative using the same skills that are required to present a convincing case to a jury. She gently introduces historical facts in a way that makes them almost transparent. In fact, when I started reading, I viewed the novel as pure fantasy fiction. About half way through I suddenly thought -- "but wait -- there's more", and I took Brigid of Kildare to Google where I discovered a wealth of information on this very real Irish Saint. A Saint, no less, second only to the universally known St. Patrick, the very patron Saint of Ireland.

The story itself tells of the discovery of an ancient manuscript predating the Book of Kells by nearly a half century, and of how it came to be created -- and why. It shares the additional ancient texts scribed by Decius that amount to a biography of Brigid, and the personal thoughts of that devout monk in the form of letters to his brother in Rome.

I learned that Kildare, or, more properly called Cill Dara, and its abbey, and its Patron Saint Brigid are very much real and alive in the minds of the Irish. I felt a burning desire to include Cill Dara on the list of places I must visit ere I pass this life.

Quite simply, I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.

"Brigid of Kildare" is not an earth-shaking novel; in fact, it positively plods along at times, using the formula popular at the moment of going back and forth in time (and feeding off the also-current trend toward exhuming old half-forgotten Christian sidelines), but it is overall fairly readable without giving the reader anything in the way of action. It wants to be a whisper of "The Da Vinci Code" but lacks any high drama; it did, however, present to me a character from antiquity that really existed, and who I ultimately ended up looking into a bit closer.

A religious-relic analyst, present-day Alex - a young lady who is searching for something really explosive in the way of a find - is given the task of authenticating relics being safeguarded at a rundown abbey in Ireland. Purporting to be the legacy of sixth-century St Brigid, the nun-curator in charge wants them proven beyond any doubt with the purpose of auctioning them off to a proper bidder for the betterment of the abbey. Alex, with a good reputation from a spotless firm of authenticators, is tapped for this. Upon getting an opportunity to really examine the relics without the eagle eye of the nun watching her every move, she discovers something she never imagined - and which takes her all the way to the Vatican to research, with another investigator she isn't sure she trusts.

The story veers between Alex in the present day and a fictionalized imagining of St Brigid herself, as the first female priest/abbess of Catholic Ireland. Brigid desperately wants the Pope to recognize the power of women, and especially Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Catholic faith, but she is running into a serious stone wall in this regard. Not only doesn't the Pope want to entertain this line of thought, he actively sets out to sabotage everything Brigid is trying to accomplish. What he doesn't count on is the emotions of his spy turning against his assignment.

It's good that this book wasn't a weighty tome - the lack of suspense would seriously undermine a determination to finish reading it - but for the size of it, it delivers an interesting presentment of a life led by forthright women in two time periods. I did not get a feeling of Brigid as a force to be reckoned with, but I did see her as earnest in her aim. I would have appreciated more filler on the style of life of sixth-century Ireland, which I'm sure was not as settled and serene as it was made to appear, with just hints of raids and unrest.

Not a page-turner, and not a trip book, unless you want something to doze off with, but a good minor historical novel.

Heather Terrell has captured a tale of a medieval Coptic Book of Kildare that predates the Book of Kells. A tale of Brigid of Killdare a 5Th century monastery devoted to the saint Bridgid, The appraisal by Alex, a modern reliquaries, and her find of a book in a hidden secret compartment in one of the

relics she has been sent to appraise

.

This is a tale of a time split nature from a goddess of Paganism selected by St. Patric to lead the Irish people into Christanity. Brigid who has been raised in the old religion yet was selected to ease her followers to Christ.

It is also a story of Mary the mother of Jesus, who is hidden from any acknowledgement

by a church who felt that women had no place in leadership.

In the other side of this modern time split adventure we have Bridgid the goddess selected by St. Patrict on his death bed to finish his life work.

Holy Roman church gets wind of this Bridgid and her good works with so many followers send a scribe Decius ,to spy on Bridgid and report back to the Holy Roman church any "Hersey" of Bridgid. Does she lead her followers in the old ways and not Christanity?

Decius and Bridgid soon find that they are one in mind, and decide to put forth a Book of Kildare and to introduce The Mother of Jesus through the beauty of illustration.

In the writing of this illumination, Decius write daily to his brother his day to day thoughts and finds. He cannot send these letters as messengers are not a reality, only a rare travel headed to Rome. So they are hidden in his room under a floor board......a collection that is later written as a companion to the illustrated Book of Kildare.

Back and forth the telling of this story as to the finder Alex in a modern world and Bridgid and Delius in the 5Th century.

It is a Romantic Love mystery of the work of illustration, daily diary and the product that is finished to be hidden in a holy relic, The Coptic Book of Kildare.

It is suspected by Alex that this newly found Book of Kildare actually precedes the Book of Kells!

What a find for Alex and Brigid's Monastery to have found a lost piece of history.

A medieval Romeo and Juliet from 5Th century to a modern romance from Alex and her find.

The research of the period 5Th century are sound and full of history. I could have done with more historical but that's just me.

The authors fiction of the finding of the Book of Kildare is unique and believable.

I found this novel to be a delightful reading and enjoyed the movement back and forth.

I believe this will not sit well with a strong historical student however, as a breezy delightful reading it will hit the mark.

I hope you enjoy my review.

Sierra