Customer Reviews

The Virgin in the Ice (Windsor Selections)

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This sixth in the series of tales of Brother Cadfael is less obviously a whodunit and much more of a thriller or twelfth century adventure story. It is set in the English Marches, amidst the chaos ensuing from the sacking of Worcester by supporters of the Empress Maud against King Stephen in November 1139. The action takes place in Ludlow (mid-way between Cadfael's normal haunts of Shrewsbury, and the beleaguered city of Worcester) where our hero is ostensibly nursing back to health a Benedictine brother who has seemingly been waylaid by a band of outlaws, stripped and left for dead.

Whilst in Ludlow, Cadfael also finds himself embroiled in the hunt for a party of three young persons missing after the attacks on Worcester and known to be heading for Shrewsbury, at which destination they have failed to arrive. With a bitter freeze and the winter's first snows on hand, there are grave concerns for their safety and well-being. One of the three is subsequently found dead - obviously killed and dumped in a watery (now icy) grave on the very night that the good monk's patient was attacked.

Unlike many another Cadfael tale, this one moves along with a gripping sense of urgency and with a fair amount of tension and excitement building gradually as things proceed. It contains Ellis Peters' usual meticulous attention to both historical and narrative detail and constitutes as riveting - and entertaining - a story as you are likely to find. As always, Cadfael is aware of details overlooked by others and never once loses sight of the smaller issues that are wont to become subsumed into the larger, weightier ones. He (and the regular reader) is provided with an unlooked-for reward in this volume, too.

This book has to be one of the very best of the Cadfael Chronicles and is unreservedly recommended for lovers of the genre. Its story line stands somewhat apart from others in the series, making it fairly unimportant where it is read in the sequence.

First be warned that you have to like historical mysteries, particularly those that take place in medieval times - life was slower back then, and news travelled even slower (depending on the weather, the method of transport, the level of political strife, the condition of roads etc). All of these conditions are brilliantly evoked in THE VIRGIN IN THE ICE, which contains several surprising subplots, including revelations about Cadfael's past.

Now to the review proper. If this is the first Cadfael you are reading, you might find understanding some expressions and the society he lives and works in somewhat hard to follow. Basically, the story is set in the middle of a bitter English civil war between two grandchildren of William the Conqueror. Cadfael is a Welsh soldier turned monk. His chosen specialization in herbs and gardening is combined with his knowledge about warfare (and wounds inflicted by men on each other) and the real world to make him a formidable medieval detective. Furthermore, as a monk, he is relatively protected (as far as one could be protected) from physical harm on either side. Cadfael's duties keep him mostly in one town - Shrewsbury and its immediate environs, but he has been known to travel. While most of the Cadfael mysteries are set close to Shrewsbury (a real town near the Welsh border), in this particular book Cadfael will travel closer to Ludlow, a major castle to the south of Shrewsbury. During his sojourn, he will have to solve several mysteries, such as the identity of the young woman he finds dead and encased in ice (hence the title), the name of her murderer and his motive, the whereabouts of two noble orphans whose uncle belongs to the opposing side in the war, and the whereabouts of a band of robbers terrorizing the countryside. Oh, and find out what exactly happened to a badly injured young monk.

If you have read Cadfael before, you will still find this book enthralling because of the deft way it weaves politics, religion, petty (and not-so-petty) crimes against a sharply delineated local backdrop.

Some readers find Ellis Peters's endless descriptions of the countryside boring. I find them enthralling and only wish her publishers would get the maps right in the paperback versions (I have discovered the map for one book in another). One of the charms of the Cadfael series is the discovery of the Shropshire geography in medieval times, made all the stronger by the fact that the now deceased author was a local. Geography in virtually every Cadfael story is crucial to the plot, and not just backdrop as it is in so much historical fiction. And yes, geography - notably the topography and the weather - was very important to medieval people. It mattered which path you chose in the face of an approaching storm - one choice led you safely (if rather cold) to a place of refuge such as an abbey or a cottager's farm, while another could lead you straight to bandits.

Virtually every Cadfael book has young lovers in it, and this is no exception. Here the young lovers are crucial however to the mystery, and their romance comes about as part of the plot, not incidental to it nor preceding it. If you don't like any romance in your mystery, I don't think this particular title offends very much - the relationship is hinted at, and is not a major part of the story.

This particular title, along with ONE CORPSE TOO MANY, is strongly recommended to lovers of historical mysteries.

In Ellis Peters sixth Brother Cadfael chronicle a headstrong young woman, Ermina Hugonin, her younger brother, Yves and a nun flee Worcester and head towards Shrubbery as Maude's forces overpower Stephens in the 12th century. They never arrive, concerning Cadfael and the local Sheriff. After being called to Bromfield to nurse a fellow monk to health Cadfael begins to discover the mystery of their disappearance.

As is her usual style Ellis Peters makes quick work of capturing the readers interest and deftly furnishes the setting with appropriate details of twelfth century life. In this chronicle especially we learn of the dangers and uncertainties created by the great civil war between Maude and Stephen.

With each book I grow fonder of Brother Cadfael, the former warrior who has become a monk. Cadfael, because of his early life experiences has a great understanding of human nature and is slow to condemn those who fail to achieve perfection. He is constantly nurturing and makes an effort to safeguard those younger and weaker than he. In The Virgin in the Ice, Cadfael truly excels and comes into his own. We see him as both an active participant in the events and one who is able to analyze and understand human nature and thus is able to unwind the mystery.

For anyone who is fond of Medieval Mystery the Brother Cadfael Chronicles shouldn't be missed and this is one of the better.

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read this review unless you have read Pilgrim of Hate or Brother Cadfael's Penance! Unlike Brother Cadfael, who hugs his precious secret and private joy to his thankful breast, I can restrain my "pen" only with the greatest difficulty. I want to publish the news abroad, but also have an obligation not to spoil the thrill of future discovery for readers who will follow.

All Ellis Peters' movels in this fabulous series offer excellent mysteries per se; indeed, many offer overlapping crimes by multiple malefactors. Yet to my medievally-inclined mind, the most satisfying are those novels which reveal more fascinating details or penetrating insight into the psyche and active past of our favorite monk-turned-sleuth. For Cadfael has been a soldier, sailor, sinner and Crusader--in his own unabashed words--in late 12th century Wales, England and the Holy Land. After 40 years of lusty living in the World, he willingly gave up arms forever, to take up the cowl and honor the cross.

But the cream of Peters' novels are those in which we meet the special characters do dear to Cadfael: his Saint, his best friend, Hugh, his lost amours and now...? What a joy for readers who have grown to love and respect this dedicated monk, as he gradually reveals his personal journey into a past not so dead after all! Peters makes a great case for mixed marriage in VIRGIN, as she does for the role of a faithful mistress in LEPER. Guilty men believe they see the ghosts of their victims here, as in BONES. The murderer thinks he can slip in an extra crime amid the general carnage, as in ONE CORPSE, but luckily for justice, Brother Cadfael does not permit these foul deeds to remain unnoticed on go unpunished. Vengeance may belong to the Lord, but Cadfael hovers nearby to provide a helping hand when necessary. Don't keep your curiosity frozen in a shroud of ice along with the unnamed virgin; read this wonderful mystery and be enlightened--not to mention--superbly entertained!

In the severe winter of 1139, the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud is still in progress with refugees fleeing from the sacked city of Worcester, and marauding bands of robbers taking advantage of the situation and preying on the weak. At Bromfield Abbey, 20 miles from the Shrewsbury Abbey home of Brother Cadfael, a visitng monk has been savagely beaten and left for dead. As his condition worsened, the Abbot sends for Cadfael with his greater knowledge of defence wounds and their treatment. Deputy Sherriff Hugh Beringar has also been informed that the two teenaged children of a nobleman are missing, en route to the safety of the Abbey, accompanied by a young nun. After listening to the feverish ravings of the sick monk, Cadfael searches for and finds the body of the nun, frozen in a pond. Hugh and his men hack the block of ice containing the body, free and upon the ice thawing, Cadfael finds that the nun has been savagely raped and smothered. The young missing travellers are found and, in his methodical fashion,Cadfael, with his knowledge of affairs of the heart and awareness of human failings, helps to unravel several mysteries which beset the teenagers, as well as unravellling a mystery of his own former life as a crusader. It's a simple read of an age in which violence is no stranger to everyday life, and where the powerful hold sway over the lives of the ordinary people.

The late Ellis Peters outdoes herself with this adventure of the indomitable Brother Cadfael, when two virgins, a young nobleman, a monk burning with unforgotten desire, and a travelling gang of outlaws cross paths.

"Virgin" propells you on a ride through twelth century England in civil war when men were men, monks were monks and women were in many ways stronger than both.

Prepare yourself for a surprise from the sometimes overly saintly Brother Cadfael when he meets a stranger from the far east who has a tale that shakes the good monk's foundations and warms the reader.

The characters in "Virgin" are drawn in vivid colors reflecting the times they find themselves in, and new readers of the Brother Cadfael chronicles will be inextricably drawn to more and more from Ms. Peters.

It's 1139 and winter in Worcester on the border between England and Wales. Two orphans in the charge of a Benedictine nun fleeing the internecine war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda have disappeared into a blizzard. Enter a mysterious stranger (gasp!) in search of them and Brother Cadfael temporarily abandons the cloister to take up again the sword of the crusader he once was to go in aid. A you-are-there setting, unexpected plot turns, and characters minimally drawn for maximum effect, Ellis Peters ends The Virgin in the Ice with the best sword fight since Captain Blood: "Now have ado with a man!"

This is my favorite of the Brother Cadfael series, but more, reading these novels is a twenty-lesson tutorial in writing superbly to formula. There is always murder most foul, young lovers in peril, repulsive villains, confounded authorities, and Cadfael triumphant, and it all works, every time.

This was the first Ellis Peters novel I have read. I understand that she continues the Cadfael series, and I would be interested in checking out the other books. Brother Cadfael was an interesting mix of the world (due to his previous life outside of the ministry-as a soldier) and the Spirit. He was very smart, but was not my favorite detective. The thing I loved the most about this book was Ellis Peters' descriptions about people and situations. The description that struck me the hardest was the one of the woman's body Brother Cadfael found in the beginning. I'd like to conclude by saying that the historical information was invaluable as well. A mystery with a historical context is something I thoroughly enjoy!

I came late to mystery-reading, so I missed out on the PBS series about Brother Cadfael, much less the now-classic book series upon which it was based. But I had certainly heard references to them, so when I came across a copy of The Virgin in The Ice at a used bookstore, I grabbed it. I'm glad I did.

I did worry that I might miss something by coming in at book 6 in the series. I'm glad to report that the story works perfectly well as a standalone novel. Maybe I'd get more out of it if I'd read the previous books, but you certainly don't need to worry that you'll be lost.

The basic premise of the tale is a little confusing to summarize, but it works rather well in the context of the story. It's 1139, during a civil war. Among those running away from the sacked city of Worcester are two noble siblings and their nurse, a young Benedictine nun; another victim of the unrest is a seriously injured monk, whom Brother Cadfael is called upon to doctor. The people and events shortly become tied together. Given the nature of the story, there is indeed a dead body and the need to find out Whodunnit.

In a way, I think it's necessary to read this novel with a sense of how new and remarkable accurate "historical novel meets mystery" was when this was first published in the 1980s. Because Ellis Peters spends a fair bit of storytelling time painting a sense of what it's like to live in 1139, either as a doctor or an 18-year-old noblewoman, rather than chasing around in "action scenes" after the murderer. That might be a positive for you, if you like historical novels but aren't so much into mysteries, but those of us "trained" on faster-paced stories might need to take a deep breath. I felt the story was just a little slow to get started -- but I very much got into it, and I like the book a lot. It's also a short novel and a relatively fast read, making it a perfect "airplane novel."

Bottom line: the story is entertaining, the history well-done. I see why this series is considered a classic. It deserves the accolades.

This is another in Ellis Peters' Cadfael series. As period pieces, these books are quite good, and they make an enjoyable read on that basis. Brother Cadfael and the other ongoing Shrewsbury characters are well-drawn and believable. As mysteries, these stories are engaging if not always awfully difficult to figure out. Cadfael bases a lot of his sleuthing on his assessments of the character of other protagonists, which can sometimes make the plots a bit transparent.

Also, keep in mind that the pace of life was considerably slower in the 12th century than it is today. Nowhere will you get the urgency or the sometimes frenetic pace of a John Grisham or Robin Cook tale. This can be a blessing, though.

This particular installment is one of the better ones. It is a good light read for the general reader and is especially interesting for Brother Cadfael fans because of the extra insight into earlier events in his life. The who, what, when and where remain a puzzle until it all gets sorted out at the end.