Customer Reviews

The Confession of Brother Haluin

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Sometimes I can figure out "who done it," but not this one. It keeps you hooked until the end. A monk who has been with the order for 18 years is seriously injured, and given Last Rights. He wants to give a final confession: That he killed his former lover and their unborn child! Alas, he eventually recovers from his injuries, although permenantly crippled. He goes in search of the girl's mother to confess to her and ask forgiveness. He goes on foot, with crutches, accompanied by Brother Cadfael. The story doesn't become an strange mystery until he arrives at his destination. Then, you're on the edge of your seat until all the questions are answered. A very good book, as are all of Ellis Peters' Cadfael stories.

THE CONFESSION OF BROTHER HALUIN is the fifteenth installment in Ellis Peters' Cadfael series. These tales provide a romanticized vision of life in twelfth century England, making the times seem so pleasant that you almost want to live there. The countryside is lovely, there is generally a hint of romance in the air, and life moves at a measured, unrushed pace. No pavement, no pollution, and no hustle and bustle. Glossed over are the poverty, poor nutrition, disease, and general stench (people rarely bathed). Life, especially in the cloister, is peaceful and idyllic.

In this story, Brother Haluin is badly injured in a fall. Fearing for his life, Haluin makes a sickbed confession to Cadfael and Abbot Radulfus. He tells of a burden of guilt, carried since his youth, over a love affair that ended badly. Upon his recovery, Haluin pledges to embark on a pilgrimage to his old home. With Cadfael as his companion, he makes the hard journey only to meet with some surprises. A murder soon follows. Is there a connection between this new death and Haluin's troubled past? Trust Cadfael to uncover the truth.

This story poses some intriguing problems, but the answers are frequently quite transparent. Suspense and surprising twists aren't Peters' strong suit. Instead, she specializes in pleasant tales with happy endings, delivered in a beguiling prose style. She runs true to form in THE CONFESSION OF BROTHER HALUIN. The outcome is a happy one, if not hard to see coming, and the experience is a pleasing one.

Like most of the books in this series, THE CONFESSION OF BROTHER HALUIN is a very ordinary mystery. What makes this and the other Cadfael tales enjoyable is the pleasant world Peters creates and the charming, unhurried way in which she tells the tale. The Cadfael books are nice to read and, on the strength of that, I recommend them. You will find them especially enjoyable if you like a bit of history and some romance along with your whodunit.

BUT! Now Brother Cadfael belongs to history, and the readers who love him so.

Start at the beginning and READ THIS SERIES! Miss Peters had an unparalleled gift for conjuring the most beautiful images with her words. I mean, how many people can write about the grim and gritty middle ages and almost make you want to live there? When Cadfael digs in his garden and breathes in the scent of his herbs, you are there, my friend.

In this volume we meet Brother Haluin, whom we take to our hearts straight away. This book never fails to wring my heart, and yet leave me with a sweet feeling of satisfaction at the end. A 'keeper'. Like me you will read this book over and over again.

I was deeply impressed by the book. I really like the fact that English monasticism of the early 12th century is presented in a positive light and the characters are so human. Typically, monks are presented as irrelevant to understanding the human condition. Here, Ellis Peters give us a glimpse of a very positive "alternative lifestyle The note of redemption so common in this series was especially striking here. Through unbelievable horrors, strength for good arises.

In the severe winter of 1142, the roof of the Abbey of St.Peter and St.Paul collapses under the weight of the heavy snowfall. One of the monks assigned to the task of repairing the roof is Brother Haluin who falls and crashes to the ground, unconscious and badly hurt. Cadfael nurses hin through the first night and is present when he awakens and gives a deathbed confession to the Abbot. Recovering, he is given permission to make a pilgrimage to the grave of a young woman that he feels he has wronged and accompanied by Cadfael, hobbles on crutches to the manor where he was formerly employed before becoming a monk. There they meet Roscelin, a noble youth in fosterage there to learn his knightly skills, as was the custom, and to separate him from Helisande, a girl of his own age and, because of his father's second marriage, his aunt! The two has become fonder of each other than was proper and so were separated by the family to prevent incest. At the manor, Helisande's old nurse is murdered and the lady of the manor delights in reminding Haluin that the poisonous herbs, whose use had been taught to him by Cadfael, caused the death of Bertrade, his love. It's an involved but absorbing plot which is sorted out by Cadfael in his inimical style and to everyone's satisfaction.

Is anyone else sick of audible audio editions as the ONLY digital format available for certain books? I really DO NOT LIKE books to be read to me - I want to be able to read these books myself on my Kindle!

This novel is one of two by Ellis Peters that I've now read. But I'm hooked! Although I've only read a couple of this series about the medieval detective Cadfael, my appetite has been whetted, and I'm certain to read more!

Peters' command of the English language is outstanding, as is her precise portrait of medieval times. The intriguing element of mystery that makes detective Cadfael's presence essential to the plot clinches this novel as a romping success.

If you enjoy mystery, as well as a writer's ability to make excellent use of the English language with colourful descriptions, you are sure to enjoy this book.

A tight read, but a very predictable plot. The strength and joy of it are Peters's prose and characterizations.

A quick read book. Brother Haluin is such a great character. To do what he did and then forget about his past is true devotion to God. I loved this one.

Hard core Cadfaelians may find this particular story too simple as you can pretty much from the beginning assumes what is about to happen. Yet Ellis Peters still keeps her writing style and has points to make. She will keep you off balance so you are not sure that you know the answer. In an interview on the DVD of Brother Cadfael - A Morbid Taste for Bones (1994), Ellis peters said that because they have trouble adapting her stories for video, which she would attempt to simplify the stories.

Although I have read the book and am sad that they did not make a video of this journey, I must say that Stephen Thorne's reading gives an added dimension to the story allowing you to race ahead or contemplate the past as he make the characters come alive with his unique voice for each.

This of course is book 15 in the series and so many things have been said, does not need to be said again. So lets hear the confession of brother Haluin and sojourn trough 12th century England with him as he takes a journey of the soul.

One Corpse Too Many: The Second Chronicle of Brother Cadfael