Scarlet Seed [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Edith Pargeter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Edith Pargeter, who as Ellis Peters has created Brother Cadfael, has here written an enthralling historical romance. It is the final volume of The Heaven Tree Trilogy, set in 1232 on the border of Wales. Listening to it in audio is by far the best way to appreciate the vivid descriptions of cathedrals and castles, rugged Welsh hills, and strong characters battling for vengeance and justice. Mitchley's eloquent reading carries the listener spellbound from one rousing scene to another. His is no small feat. Not only are the events remote, but the action is difficult to follow for anybody unfamiliar with the first two volumes. Nonetheless, there is simply no resisting a team as effective as Pargeter and Mitchley. J.C. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Chivers Audio Books (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745166334
• ISBN-13: 978-0745166339
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,909,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "...a spark of that communicable fire...", April 23, 2000

By 

Janet B. Croft (NORMAN, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scarlet Seed (Paperback)

The Scarlet Seed concludes the trilogy begun with The Heaven Tree and The Green Branch. The quote above comes near the end of the book, where young Harry broods over the destruction of his father's church, then sees how the stones from it are not only being used to rebuilt war-ravaged homes but are inspiring new artists.

After being Isambard's prisoner for two years, Harry begins to see his captor's political position weakening; but Harry has begun to understand that his imprisonment has taught him to face an enemy without fear and honed his sense of honor. He realizes that he owes something to Isambard, and when an enemy blinds him, he helps Isambard conceal it as long as possible as his brother William tries to usurp Parfois. But when Isambard's former mistress Benedetta arrives at Parfois to try to negotiate Harry's release, William takes Isambard and Benedetta prisoner. Harry escapes and persuades Llewelyn of Wales to attack Parfois. In the beseiged fortess plague is suspected, and Benedetta and Isambard are locked in the church Harry's father built to die. The church is destroyed during the battle.

After the tragedy and catharsis of these events, Pargeter's meditation on the eternal nature of art is easy to skim over, but should be read carefully; here she ties together her themes and shows how creation is never wasted -- "Eyes that have once seen it see all things differently thereafter, having learned the measure of wholeness."