Customer Reviews

Sanctuary Sparrow: The Seventh Chronicle of Brother Cadfael

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Barely four weeks past Easter of the Year of Our Lord 1140, with Shrewsbury and all its region secure within the King's peace, the conventual peace of Matins within the great Abbey church of St Peter and St Paul is suddenly and most rudely shattered. Hunted and hounded by an angry mob into the comparative safety of sanctuary within the House of God, a terrified young man, accused of robbery and murder, and closely followed by his accusers and would-be executioners, disturbs the midnight office of the good monks of Shrewsbury. And so starts the seventh Chronicle of Brother Cadfael, in which the mediaeval sleuth finds himself with yet another wrong to right, by once more putting his mind to the solving of one of Shrewsbury's small mysteries.

In this particular case, the mystery is no greatly complex affair but it is, in any case, largely subsidiary to Ellis Peters' painting of a finely detailed picture of life in twelfth century England, and more especially here, within a moderately wealthy family household. There are some unexpected twists and developments along the way, though, and there is certainly nothing predictable about the way the story works itself out, although the ending is no particular surprise either.

In some respects, this is one of the best of the Cadfael books. Its opening pages contain some of Ellis Peters' finest writing, with her descriptions of the running to ground of young Liliwin and the reactions of Abbot Radulfus being quite hair-raising in their potency. The tale unfolds at a sure and steady pace thereafter, too, ensuring that it is always difficult to put the book down, right up until the final exciting, and rather tear-jerking, denouement.

Following a weddding feast where a young man has been entertaining the guests with songs and tumbling, the unconscious body of the host, a parsimonious goldsmith, is found, near his empty treasure chest. A hue and cry is called, blaming the minstrel and an angry, drunken crowd pursues him to the Abbey of Shrewsbury, where he claims sanctuary. The Abbot is forced by custom to grant him food and shelter for 40 days, but urges Cadfael to investigate the claims made against the minstrel. The household of the goldsmith is not a very happy one with the ageing daughter of the house forced into the role of unpaid and unappreciated servant, without the chance of making a life of her own, and with the grandmother as mean as her son, carping and acid tongued. An extremely nosy neighbour of the goldsmith has determined who was responsible fot the theft and seeks to profit by this knowledge, but is murdered before he can tell anyone his suspicions. Cadfael, as usual, patiently sifts through all the tiny clues which would probably escape the attention of anyone else, and fights hard to clear the minstrel's name. It's another Brother Cadfael triumph of love and justice over the evil doers.

I caught this on TV late one night and I liked it so much that I ordered some of the books. Derek Jacoby who plays Brother Cadfael is a brilliant actor and brings the sleuthing monk to life really well. Each story contains a romance as well as really good observations about medieval life which I enjoyed. I'm planning a trip to Shrovesbury later this year to see the Cathedral so I can see what it feels like in person to walk in his footsteps. I love these and will certainly pick up more of this series.

A troubadour seeks sanctuary in the church from a mob who want to hang him for murder in this medieval mystery THE SANCTUARY SPARROW by Ellis Peters. Father Cadfael befriends the young man, helps him to unit with his love, and discovers a murderer hiding outside the church.
Nash Black, author of QUALIFYING LAPS.

My first exposure to Cadfael, on PBS was with this story. It is possibly the one I remember most. In the end I think you can see how it will play out, but until two thirds of the book, you still should be guessing. The thing about Cadfael and Ellis Peters is that the world that she crafts is detailed exquisitely. She uses prose, sometimes a great deal, but she gives you imagery in her mystery's that transcend them into historical fiction.

Conan Doyle lived during his protagonists adventures. Peters uses her imagine to spark ours. The stories coupled with the Mystery Series go hand and hand, and with Derek Jacobi as the Cadfael, it is a winner all around.

The Sanctuary Sparrow has enough clues, and the background of the give and take of the Abbey and the Shire make all the more sense as part of the story. Part of the great fun of the Cadfael stories is to see how the politics of the Abbey progresses through the various stories, and how well Cadfael's friends and enemies are succeeding in their own lives

If you are a person that just wants to enjoy a fun book and likes historical mystery's, this book is for you. Similar to "The Name of the Rose" in context, but much easier to understand! (although "The Name of the Rose" is great also) I would recommend this book to anyone. Reads very quick and characters are understandable. Have fun!

Peters weaves a darn good tale. While it ends in the usual Peters's fashion with the love-birds off to a good start to a bright future, she constructs one of the most suprisingly vicious villians of the chronicles. She adeptly juggles a complex plot line and insighful characterizations.

The story line is full of surprises and excellent suspense. The ending isn't up to Peters' standards, though. Enjoyable reading none the less.

This is the first brother Cadfael book I read and it was one the better ones. I liked the plot and the mystery, however I thought the ending was a bit syruppy.