Romances policiais inteligentes e diferentes pelo contexto e pela época.As personagens são coerentes e as histórias fazem sentido. os leitores têm uma parte na descoberta da solução do problema, porque a autora nos dá espaço para isso, ao não nos anunciar demasiado diretamente como Cadfael faz as suas deduções e descobertas.Em "Uma luz na estrada para Woodstock", conta-nos como Cadfael, um guerreiro galês algo grosseiro, finda a conquista da Normadia pelo rei Henrique, acompanha no seu regresso, de França para Inglaterra um nobre Inglês Normando, Roger Mauduit, que na sua terra, perto da abadia de Shrewsbury, disputa com esta umas terras que o pai tinha num testamento duvidoso deixado à abadia mas que ele insistia que lhe pertencia na mesma. A disputa seria resolvida perante o Rei, mas havia a regra de que quem faltasse à audiência, perdia. Vai daí na preparação para a audiência, Roger planeia o rapto do prior Heribert de shrewsbury. E consegue-o secretamente, mas na altura da audiência é o rei que falta pois o filho que vinha de inglaterra tinha naufragado e morrido, e a audiencia tinha sido adiada por 3 dias. Cadfael, suspeitoso, nesse momento sabendo de uma emboscada em que Roger tinha sido ferido, não acredita que fosse grupo de salteadores, descobre o prior que estava sequestrado e escondido no meio da floresta, liberta-o secretamente e leva-o para o sitio da audiencia. No terceiro dia o prior aparece, Roger, da surpresa, não consegue argumentar e as terras ficam para a abadia. Cadfael despede-se, Roger suspeita que tinha sido ele a libertar o prior. Mas Cadfael adverte-o que na emboscada quem o tinha ferido com aço não tinha sido um dos monges pois eles não tinham punhais. Todavia, na sua casa havia um jovem bem parecido e muito próximo da sua jovem mulher, Goscelin ...Depois, e isto passa-se em 1120, Cadfael, decide mudar de vida e ingressar no mosteiro.Em "O preço da Luz", Hamo FitzHamon de Lidyate era um nobre de má vida, muita bebida, comida e prepotência, com uma mulher (a 4ª ou 5ª) muito jovem e que teve uma apoplexia. história passa-se no natal de 1135. Curado pensou que era melhor dar qualquer coisa a Deus ou a Nossa senhora, para que os pecados que tinha, e eram muitos, se atenuassem. Decidiu que o mais barato era dar a renda anual de uma quinta ao curador de um altar de nossa senhora, em Shrewsbury, e dar dois candelabros que figuravam lírios em prata. E levam-nos à abadia, com pompa e magnificiência, acompanhado pela sua jovem senhora, um jovem criado com quem muito esta se requebra, uma criada alta e loira muito calada mas personalizada, e um velho criado fiel, mas sorumbático. Entre monges discute-se se nossa senhora preferia os lírios ou esmola para os pobres naquele inverno particularmente rigoroso. Os lírios são postos no altar de nossa senhora, mas desaparecem de noite e a única testemunha é um velho monge quase cego, que disse ter visto nossa senhora, mas que só podia falar daí a 3 dias. Cadfael, descobre que a criada Elfgiva, jovem, nórdica e loira, como o cabelo que se descobrira no altar, era a namorada de Alard um criado ourives que Hamo tinha, e que tinha feito os lírios mas que ao contrário do que Hamo prometera não o libertar quando acabara a obra daí ele ter fugido para uma cidade que se pensava ser londres mas afinal era Shrewsbury, pois havia a regra de que quem estivesse um ano e um dia a trabalhar nestas ciaddes com este privilégio adquiriam a liberdade. Cadfael, apesar da descoberta deixa Elfgiva ir para a cidade procurar o noivo, e levando os candelabros, porque afinal, Hamo não os pagara a Alard, e talvez nossa senhora preferisse algo diferente de lírios. O nobre Hamo e seu séquito volta à sua casa senhorial, com a jovem senhora conformada com a perda da criada, mas habituada ao seu luxo sem resistência para não ver denunciados os seus amores com o criado, nunca mais se vê Elfgida mas à abadia chega uma riquissima esmola para os pobres que naquele inverno lá estivessem em Shrewsbury.Em "testemunha ocular" o irmão Ambrose que costuma cobrar os impostos está doente, vai um irmão laico, o administrador William Rede, muito resmungão, fazê-lo coadjuvado por um jovem aprendiz, Jacob de Boudeon, que estava lá apenas há 4 meses e não era de Shrewsbury, mas era muito interessado apesar da sua aparência imberbe e honesta.Mestre William Rede, no fim do dia do pagamento, porém é apanhado por um desconhecido que lhe bate na cabeça, o atira ao rio e apanha-lhe a bolsa com o dinheiro. Salvo milagrosamente por um pescador furtivo, este é o primeiro suspeito, mas arranja um álibi. Outro suspeito é Eddi o filho de william, por ser jovem com quem o pai tem problemas, e está cheio de dívidas de jogo com quem o pai se parece dar mal o que é mútuo. Porém, vê-se no fim que um e outro gostam sinceramente e mutuamente. Outro suspeito é Warin Harefoot um vendedor ambulante que parece não ter eira nem beira e parece querer meter-se em tudo. Havia também um monge Eutropius que não se dava com ninguem e tinha estado por baixo da ponte. Afinal cadfael, espalha a história de que por cima da ponte onde william fora atacado estava num palheiro o mendigo Rhodri Fychan, que teria visto o caso e no dia seguinte ia ser interrogado por ele. Nessa noite no palheiro prepara-se uma emboscada e descobre-se o jovem Jacob de baudeon a tentar atingir o mendigo. Mas se ele fosse de Shrewsbury certamente saberia que Rhodri era cego de nascença. Magnífico instinto de Cadafel.
This is a book that is not in the series of Brother Cadfael mysteries, as it is not a novel; it is a book that contains three separate stories about Brother Cadfael. As such, it is a wonderful little book; one can never have too much of Brother Cadfael, and I am sorry that the author, Ellis Peters (the pen name of Edith Pargeter, English fiction author and translator works from the Czech language into English) died in 1995, a year after the publication of the last mystery in the series.The first story in the collection, A Light on the Road to Woodstock, is set in the autumn of 1120; not-yet-Brother Cadfael ap Meilyr ap Dafydd, in his early fifties, has just returned from being a man at arms in the war waged by Henry I of England to secure the union of England with Normandy; before that, he was in the First Crusade to the Holy Land, and had lived for several years in the Holy Land and in Syria as a sailor. He is now in the service of a nobleman, Roger Mauduit, who asks Cadfael and another man (a former Benedictine monk) to remain with him until he gets a suit settled that he has with the Abbey of Shrewsbury.The second story, The Price of Light, is set at the Abbey in 1135. It is Christmastide, and a nobleman, Hamo FitzHamon of Lidyate, a harsh, brutal, alcoholic man, has reached a certain age, and has decided to get right with God not by reforming his life, but by giving the Abbey a magnificent pair of silver candlesticks. He arrives at the Abbey with his retinue, and the candlesticks are with ceremony installed at the high altar on Christmas Eve; however, the next day, they turn up missing, and Brother Cadfael learns what has happened to them, and decides according to his lights how to best deal with the situation.Eye Witness, the third story in the collection, is set again at the Abbey in 1139, or (chronologically) between the third and the fourth books in the regular series. It is time for the rents to be collected on all of the numerous Abbey properties in the Foregate and in Shrewsbury, and Master William Rede, the chief steward of Brother Matthew the Cellarer of the abbey, is put out that Brother Anselm, Brother Matthew’s clerk, has fallen ill just at the time when the rent rolls are being made ready for the collection. He does allow, though, that young Brother Jabob, just four months into his novitiate, is an able clerk, though apparently too willing to see good in everyone and everything, even disreputable peddlers such as Warin Harefoot, who is living in the common guesthouse of the Abbey for a time. Brother Eutropius is also employed under Brother Matthew, and has been in the Abbey just two months; but nothing is known of him, as he is of mature age, taciturn, and keeps himself apart from the other brothers. The mystery in this book occurs when William Rede goes out to collect the rents, and is knocked over the head, robbed of the rents, and tossed into the river, with only the fortuitous presence of Madog of the Dead Book fishing on the river at the time saving him from drowning. Naturally, Brother Cadfael is able to uncover who did this dastardly deed.I very much enjoyed this short story collection; would that there was more Brother Cadfael material for me to read!
What do You think about A Rare Benedictine (1991)?
I read the Cadfael books a long time ago, when they were new, and haven't thought about them for a long time. This book was on the end table in my parents' living room (we're visiting for the Easter weekend), and I picked it up idly, not intending to read more that the jacket blurb. I hadn't read it before; it wasn't part of the series; it wasn't even a novel, but three short stories. So I read the first one. And then the second. And the third. The language in this book (the whole series, really) is a marvel. True to the 12th century, and sounding more like Shakespeare (who was 16th Century) than a modern writer. Some of the turns of phrase made me stop and reread just to admire the author's facility and economy with the language, to evoke the time, the setting, and the characterizations. I may need to re-read this series. I wonder if the library has them as e-books.
—Wendy
This book is a prequel, and consists of three stories.'A Light on the Road to Woodstock'The origin story! How Cadfael ap Meilyr ap Dafydd, a Welsh Crusader from Trefriw, in Gwynedd, an experienced and accomplished man-at-arms, became Brother Cadfael in the autumn of 1120, after serving King Henry by warring for 17 years. He took service with an English wool-merchant when he was 14. He then signed up to be a crusader in Shrewsbury after his master died, but not before the master had sent him to the monks to learn how to read and write for a year.A knight, Roger Maudit, taking ship home asks Cadfael to serve him awhile longer until a lawsuit Maudit had filed against the abbey of Shrewsbury is settled. Maudit's father had given Rotesley Manor to the abbey, but under the condition he be allowed to live there until his death. Unfortunately, the original documents did not say what should happen to Rotesley after his death. However, he had written letters later making clear his intent that Rotesley was to go permanently to the abbey. Roger did not want to give Rotesley to the abbey, so he makes plans to appeal to the King's judge to settle the case on the evidence in his possession, unaware of the evidence the abbey has. However, a little known rule is that if one of the sides fails to appear, the case will be decided in favor of the one who is in court. At first, Cadfael does not take sides, but he performs the job he was hired for. He picks an honorable path, doing right for both sides in a manner which would have made King Solomon proud. When the job is over, he asks to join the Benedictine Brothers.'The Price of Light'A small episode of righting wrongs. Brother Cadfael helps a brave indentured (villein) maid (view spoiler)[go to her runaway betrothed Alard, escaping an evil lord who betrayed both of them after promising them manumission in exchange for Alard's work in making a pair of beautiful candlesticks, but the evil man reneges on his promise after the work was finished (hide spoiler)]
—aPriL does feral sometimes
It occurs to me that one thing that's lacking is a book titled something like Brother Cadfael's Technology. There's an herbal, I gather, but what I'm talking about is a book explaining, for example, why the spades have only an iron tip, and are otherwise made of wood. And what about wheelbarrows? There are some hand-wagons that may be precursors, but I don't recall a true tricycle wheelbarrow in the whole series.This book is not it. But it's still a useful addition to the series.The preface is an explanation of how this book of short stories came to be written. The placement is essentially nineteenth out of 21 (after Summer of The Danes, but before The Holy Thief). But it needn't be read in that order. It's a mixed bag as far as chronology is concerned. Peters' habit of dating her stories is not entirely abandoned in this triptych. Exact dates aren't provided, but it's possible to get pretty close. The first story, telling how Brother Cadfael made the decision to enter the monastery, is clearly set in 1120, since the sinking of the White Ship delays legal proceedings in the middle. There's little explanation of why a man who had no real plans for his future chose to take the cowl. It seems that the longings of a relapsed oblate played a big part in it. And meeting (then Prior) Heribert and helping him out isn't irrelevant, of course. One thing that's not clear to me is why the royal legal court was at Woodstock at this point. It's just stated as a fact, with no elaboration. People who think that Cadfael is too meddlesome will be surprised that he just gives the lord he's leaving a hint, and leaves an unresolved matter for others to settle.The second story is also about bad marriages. I don't know what Peters had against marriage. And it's clearly not all marriages, because there are good marriages in the series. Perhaps it's just the idea that marriage was considered almost totally irrevocable at the time, so bad choices become life sentences. I should say that the villain in this piece is anything but 'lustful'; he's so often drunk that he often passes out before reaching bed. His wife is, if anything, sex-starved. The husband is greedy, yes. Gluttonous to the point of severely imperiled health. A cruel and covetous master to his villeins, there's no doubt. But not lustful.The third story includes Madog of the Dead-Boat,for once in time to save somebody who nearly drowns. I have to say I didn't like it much. I certainly didn't care for the fact that someone will be done to death for simple assault (and attempted murder) in the course of a theft. In all these stories I tend to resort to Heledd's lament in Summer of the Danes: "You foretell another death. What does that amend?". But I liked the conceit. I was easily able to figure out the shortcoming of the eyewitness, because I'd seen a story based on the same premise before. But I won't spoil it for those who haven't.I also liked the explanation of why the person who finds the hidden treasure doesn't just make off with it himself. I've known people who were unlucky that way, and I'm not surprised the discoverer settles for a lesser reward, rather than take a chance. A fairly flawed reasoning for honesty, but not a rare one.I was a little surprised that there was no story about wine in this book. My initial response on reading the title was that there might be a story about brandy. Oh, well. I should point out that, like other people, I didn't care for the 'woodcut' style illustrations. I always have problems with the bizarre perspective in that style of illustration. I've always known that this was a deliberate stylistic quirk. It's not that people didn't know HOW to achieve realistic perspective--there's no doubt that this had been known since ancient times. They just apparently decided that other elements were more important. But I was raised in a society with true perspective, and I find the distortions disturbing.
—Valerie
