Customer Reviews

The Maiden's Tale (Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries)

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The Maiden's Tale picks up shortly after the events of The Prioress' Tale. Saint Frideswide's abbot has put things to right in the abbey and has selected the new prioress who happens to be his sister. Dame Frevisse travels to London with the abbot in order to escort the new prioress back to the abbey. Once in London, Frevisse becomes involved in the intrigue surrounding the Duc d'Orleans, the Duke of Gloucester, and King Henry VI. We are treated to the return of many old "friends" from the previous books include Frevisse's cousin the Countess of Suffolk, the half-brothers of Henry VI, Jasper and Edmund from The Boy's Tale, and Frevisse's ecclesiastical nemesis, Bishop Beaufort. And of course, there's a murder or two to solve. Frazer excels at period writing. Her characters never seem to be 20th Century indviduals in a Medieval setting. Their attitudes and actions are completely consistant with the period. The entire mood is enhanced by the author's att! ention to details in things such as food and costuming. Although clearly part of a continuing series, the book can easily be read by a frist-timer who will likely then wish to read the previous outings. For those who like following the clues and beating the detective to the conclusion, this book may be less satisfying since a great part of its pleasure is in the reader's going along for the ride with the characters.

This is one of the most enjoyable of the Sister Frevisse mysteries. Dame Frevisse journeys to London to meet the new Prioress of her convent, and stays with her cousin Alice, wife to the ambitious earl of Suffolk. here she meets Alice's waiting woman, jane, horribly disfigured by a massive birthmark, but determined not to be shut away in a nunnery. Dame Frevisse is most reluctantly caught up in the political machinations of Suffolk and Bishop Beaufort, and jane is involved too. The sights and sounds of medieval London are vividly described, you almost think yourself there. The description of a medieval banquet is particularly enticing, as each course is described you see the range of delicious food that was served in those days (where did English cooking go wrong?) Dame Frevisse herself is a formidable character, pious, intellectual and shrewd, inclined to be a bit disdainful of anyone who isn't as clever or as pious as she is herself, I love reading her adventures, but I'm glad I don't have to meet her, she'd terrify me. The supporting characters are interesting as always, and the plot is gripping. This is a delightful book.

This historical series is set in fifteenth century England and features Sister Frevisse. As this entry opens, Sister Frevisse is being sent to London to meet the new prioress of St. Frideswide. she is asked, by her abbott, to stay with a relative who may make a donation to the priory. Sister Frevisse finds herself in the murderous political machinations of Henry VI and the Duc d'Orleans. This is an excellent series and gets better with each entry.

In the Maiden's Tale by Margaret Frazer, sister Frevisse journeys to London to meet her new prioress. While there Frevisse visits her cousin Alice who wants to involveher political intrigue of the time by use Frevisse as a secret messenger between The Duke of Orleans and King Henry the VI.

As in any tale of intrigue much is at stake, lives, love and peace between England and France. Frazer introduces us to Jane, the maiden of her book. A young woman who chose not to become a nun despite her "blemish" as the nuns called it. Jane is a stubborn and virtuous young woman who believes that she can find a life for herself outside the nunnery and works against odds to achieve this.

Frazer does an excellent job in presenting a tale of medieval mystery which is true to the period. This book is worth reading for the story of Jane and her unusual courage.

I found this book to be a slow read, and there is really no murder in it, other than a much-removed third party one. In it we do get to see the Duke of Orleans who was held captive in England for a total of twenty-five years, and we do see the intrigue that was behind his long period as a royal hostage. But the book was a slow-starter, and it really didn't pick up the pace until maybe just at the end. Also, even though we find out who was behind the murder and attempted killings, no one was brought to justice because of political repercussions. I hope the next book gets back to life at Sister Frevisse's nunnery. She seemed a bit out of place as a guest in her cousin's huge home.

Dame Frevisse and Dame Perpetua take Lady Adela to London to accompany their new prioress back to St. Frideswide. While there Abbott Gilford insists that Dame Frevisse send a note to her wealthy cousin Lady Alice, the Countess of Suffolk.
Dame Frevisse is drawn into the political manuvers of the powerful as Bishop Beaufort attempts to influence the king to release the Duke of Orleans to insure peace with France.
THE MAIDEN'S TALE by Margaret Frazer is not the best mystery in the series, but it serves its purpose to move the story forward.
Murder is small and vague in this medieval mystery, but the behind the scenes actions still read like the annals of today's political tomes. Reading is slow as the personal relationships among the characters the characters build to a satisfying conclusion.
Great summer read for lazy days.
Nash Black, author of SANDPRINTS OF DEATH

One of the earlier books in the series, Frevisse's cousin Alice, wife of the earl of Suffolk, is knee-deep in politics. Young King Henry is trying to broker peace with France, and they are close to it - but one of France's demands is the release of the war prisoner the Duke of Orleans. Henry's uncle and heir the Duke of Gloucester is adamantly opposed to his release, so Bishop Beaufort and Suffolk are trying to sneak Orleans into the palace to see the king in order to cement the deal. But one of Alice's messengers is found dead, so Frevisse is asked to take his place. Then an attempt is made at Orleans's life, and Frevisse now has to find the traitor before he strikes again. Frazer's in-depth research and excellent characterization make this an absorbing tale.

I am a great fan of this series, and in 2008 there are several of the books that have not been reprinted. The Maiden's Tale is one of them, and I was so glad to finally get a copy of it.

This one fills in the missing period after The Prioress' Tale that explains what happens after Domina Alys leaves St. Frideswide's in a kind of chaos. But more than that, it spins a tale of intrigue and portrays the political climate(s) of the day, when everyone with any power and influence seems to have kept servant-spies in other households to make sure the real masters were kept apprised of what was actually going on. Fifteenth century bugging/wiretapping...

As other reviewers have said, this story takes place almost entirely in London at Dame Frevisse's cousin Alice's town house. I found it delightfully different from many of the others and closer to a spy novel than a murder mystery, with some real history entwined with the fictional plotlines.

It was only after I started reading a new novel (different author but also with a historical background) that I realized the writing of the new book is nowhere near as good as Frazer's. What a master she is of immersing her readers right into the period!

Every book in this series is a bit different, from the POV to the ending. Good read.