Brother Cadfael's Penance

By Ellis Peters

November, 1145. The bitter rift between King Stephen and Empress Maud at last has a chance of reconciliation. Brother Cadfael is faced with a shocking revelation: one of the hostages is his illegitimate son.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Jun 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781784080709

Ellis Peters

Ellis Peters (the pen name of Edith Pargeter, 1913–1995) is a writer beloved of millions of readers worldwide and has been widely adapted for radio and television, including her Brother Cadfael crime novels, which were made into a series starring Derek Jacobi. She has been the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger, Edgar Award for Best Novel, Agatha Award for Best Novel, and was awarded an OBE for her services to literature in 1994.

Reviews for Brother Cadfael's Penance

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The cover shows a courtyard with two men in armour surrounded by onlookers, one of whom (the Empress Maude) is standing on steps. This is an early scene in the book in which Cadfael journeys to Coventry to take observe an attempt at reconciliation between King Stephen and Empress Maude. Cadfael is in Coventry to find out what has happened to his son who was taken prisoner when Philip FitzRobert changed allegiance from the Empress to King Stephen. Cadfael's son,Olivier de Bretagne, was a close friend of Philip's but refused to turn traitor with him. Other knights also were taken captive for the same reason and the whereabouts of all of them has been established but no-one knows where Olivier is. Olivier's friend and brother-in-law, Yves, meets Cadfael on the road to Coventry because he also searches for Olivier. When they arrive at the abbey where the meeting will take place, Yves sees Brien de Soulis who was in charge of the castle where Olivier was taken prisoner. Yves, incensed that this traitor dares to come to the meeting, immediately draws his sword and challenges de Soulis. When de Soulis is murdered a few days later, suspicion turns to Yves especially since he stumbled over the body in the dark after church. The Empress, who believes Yves did kill de Soulis, takes him under her protection. However, on the road from Coventry, Yves is abducted and it is believed Philip FitzRobert arranged that. Cadfael decides to try to find Yves and Olivier even though his prior only gave him leave from the monastery until the end of the meeting. Thus Cadfael is absent without leave but he feels a greater duty to his son and Yves. The story of Cadfael's penance is another chapter in the war between King Stephen and Empress Maude. I have always loved these books by Ellis Peters and this one was no exception although there was less detection and more politics in this story than some of the earlier ones. But Peters makes you feel as if you are right there in the Middle Ages which is a real gift. This is an era of history that I really knew nothing about until I started reading her books. I keep meaning to read more fact-based writing about this civil war but I haven't done so yet.

[rbeene-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Brother Cadfael mysteries.

[meredy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Six-word review: Tender, brilliant conclusion to Cadfael's journey.Extended review:Never before have I been inclined to use the word "tender" to describe a murder mystery, but it fits this one.As is the case with a number of the Cadfael books, especially in the later episodes in this twenty-book series, the real focus of the story is not the mystery or the solution of the mystery; that is simply the occasion of it. Something else is more prominent: a romance, medieval political conflict, disguise and deception, the meaning of religion and piety, the secrets of a troubled soul, the inner journey of Brother Cadfael.In this volume it is the latter that comes to the foreground.And appropriately so. From the books alone, without consulting other sources, there is no doubt in my mind that the author knew this would be the last Cadfael book. Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me at all if she had written or at least outlined much if it far earlier in the series and saved it up until it was time to draw back the last curtain.Here at last we see the full flowering of Cadfael's relationship with Olivier de Bretagne; his remembered past with Maryam viewed from the peace of "all passion spent"; his drive to fulfill a mission given uncompromising expression; and his vocation put to a final test, transcending habit--and habit--to become a renewed choice.I began reading Cadfael in January of 2013, having no notion of how fond of the characters--and of the author's beautiful prose--I would become. Now, sad as I am to reach the series end, I can't imagine a more fitting conclusion. It leaves me free to imagine Cadfael carrying on indefinitely, doing what he does best, yet with the settled serenity of questions answered and doubts resolved. No author could do better for a beloved character than Peters has done for her Brother Cadfael.Now I wish that I hadn't given my paper copies away as I completed them. This one, at least, is a keeper for my shelf.

[fuzzi_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been putting off reading this, the last of the Brother Cadfael series, but I'm glad I finally did take the plunge. Without spoilers: Brother Cadfael finds himself having to leave his duties in order to assist in brokering a peace between Empress Maud and King Stephen. There's also some unfinished business from previous books that is being addressed, so don't read this until you've read the previous entries. Nice swan song.

[amanda4242_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've enjoyed the few Cadfael books I've read, but this one didn't do much for me. I went in expecting a mystery, but the murder and the search for Cadfael's missing son take a backseat to the politics behind the war that was devastating the country at the time.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The culmination of Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael chronicles released the year before her death at age 92. When news is brought to Shrewsbury that Olivier de Bretagne, a staunch supporter of Empress Maud, is missing after Philip FitzRobert, son of Robert of Gloucester, turns to King Stephen's side of the war, Cadfael requests permission to go seek freedom for his son even though Olivier doesn't know he is Cadfael's son. The abbot grants him 3 days to do so, but when that isn't enough, Cadfael abandons his religious orders in pursuit of his son's freedom. Nicely executed and a satisfactory conclusion to her 20 novels even though there is plenty of room for continuing the series had Ellis lived.

[fdholt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brother Cadfael's penance is the last of the Cadfael Chronicles. Olivier de Bretagne has been captured in the long war between the Empress Maud and King Stephen but has not been offered up for ransom as so many others have been. Brother Cadfael goes to a conference of bishops trying to end the war with Hugh Beringar and to seek word of Olivier. He breaks his vows when he does not return to Shrewsbury with Hugh. Of course there is murder and the accused is Olivier's brother-in-law. Cadfael gets involved and is at the siege of La Musarderie when all is unraveled.There are several maps which help place the action as well as a genealogical table of Maud and Stephen. (And where was this table when it would have helped and was needed in earlier books of the seriesSince this is the last Brother Cadfael mystery, I was disappointed that all the action takes place outside the Abbey. Does Prior Robert ever become Abbot? What about Brother Mark and his wish to become a priest? Does Brother Oswain stay at St. Giles? Will Brother Jerome stay the thorn in Brother Cadfael's side or will he mellow with the years? These and many others will remain forever untied.

[altheaann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the last in the 20-volume Brother Cadfael series, and the second in the series that I've read. (I previously read #11).
I'd sort of expect any writer to be getting a bit weary of a scenario or character after 20 installments, however nothing of the kind came through for me. I thought this was a quite well-written book, not too bogged down by tropes of the mystery genre, with a nice mix of politicking and family drama. I found it to be more convincing and believable than many medieval mysteries, as well.

[mugsynoir · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brother Cadfael novels have been set against the backdrop of the war between cousins King Stephen and Empress Maud for control of England during the twelfth century. Yet this struggle itself is not usually a central aspect of the Cadfael stories. In this, the twentieth Brother Cadfael novel (and alas, the last), the struggle is a major theme that helps drive the story forward, and Peters uses it masterfully.
A peace conference has been arranged by the archbishops at Coventry to bring an end to the war. Hugh Beringar, the Shrewsbury sheriff and dear friend of Brother Cadfael, is attending as a loyal subject of King Stephen. When Brother Cadfael learns that several prisoners are being held in secret without being offered for ransom, and that one of those prisoners may be his son, Olivier de Bretagne, he begs the abbot’s leave to attend the conference and bargain for Olivier’s release. The abbot warns Cadfael to go the conference, but no further, in his search.
Cadfael’s son, Olivier, resulted from his love with a Syrian woman during his service in the Middle East during the Crusades. This was years before his entry into the cloister. Peters had introduced Olivier to an unsuspecting Cadfael in an earlier novel, The Virgin in the Ice.
Accompanying Hugh and Cadfael on the journey is a young valiant, Yves Hugonin, Olivier’s brother-in-law. Yves exhibits the hot-blooded impulsiveness of his youth and during their entrance to the meeting, draws sword on a nobleman who had traitorously switched allegiances to Stephen. While that situation ends without bloodshed, later that night, Hugonin finds the body of that same nobleman stabbed dead and is accused of the murder himself. Cadfael sets out to investigate the murder and prove Yves innocent, and the trail leads him to a castle some distance away Shrewsbury. There, Olivier is being held by Lord Philip, the nephew and enemy of Empress Maud. To gain Olivier’s freedom, Cadfael offers himself as ransom.
Peters uses Brother Cadfael’s Penance as a brilliant study of loyalty. She raises the issue of how competing loyalties can be reconciled: family loyalty, that of a father and son; loyalty of allegiance and fealty to one’s ruler, or loyalty to an oath taken to God? Each alternative is artfully considered and the difficulties wonderfully described in heartrending detail.
Cadfael is not the only one with difficult decisions about loyalty. The brother and a loyalist of Empress Maud, Lord Robert, is the father of Lord Philip. They are on opposite sides in the war, and Philip considers his own ideas on loyalty when he witnesses Cadfael’s devotion to Olivier, and the sacrifices he’s willing to make regarding his worldly body and his soul.
In this final installment in the Brother Cadfael series, the murder mystery takes a back seat, but is still cannily solved by Brother Cadfael. It is somewhat of a surprise, but well tied into the story overall.
Peters’ prose is elegant, beautifully paced, and utterly convincing for the period. Her presentation of the historical setting, and the customs and habits of the times are expertly woven into the story.
Stephen Thorne provides a wonderful, resonant, reading of the work. His theatrical training and experience makes him an excellent choice for bringing Peters’ characters to life. Thorne switches between narrative and the various voices smoothly and never interferes with the telling of the story. The emotions he conveys are convincing and empathetic. It is sad that there will be no further Brother Cadfael novels for him to read.

[wolfepack-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was brought to this book via a recommendation in a Facebook group of mystery fans, so I was expecting a murder mystery. This one is the last in the series and the only one that I have read, so let that be a caveat for this review. Other books in the series may be mysteries.A murder occurred early in the book and an innocent man was accused and kidnapped because of it. However this was not the driving force of the book. Rather the driving forces were 12rh century English/Welsh politics, with emphasis on rapidly changing loyalties and military intelligence activities of the time. In addition I learned something about siege tactics. The book would have been a good companion to The Queen’s Spymaster, though that covered the 16th century.The most entertaining sub-text of the book was its treatment of the Welsh peasantry and yeomanry. They were portrayed as having great intelligence, courage and personal loyalty; all while being pawns in the ‘great game’ of English empire building. The scenes demonstrating those traits were my favorites.Oh yes, the murder. Some important but unpleasant guy was knifed in the chapel. A nice guy was accused, and kidnapped to receive punishment. Brother Cadfael figures out where the innocent is being kept and uses his positional influence as a monk and his knowledge of the politics of the time to get him released. At the end of the book the real murderess, an influential aristocrat, encounters Cadfael in a different chapel and reveals that she did it, without any 'detecting' effort on Cadfael’s part.As I said up top, I was expecting a murder mystery, so I was disappointed. Going in with different expectations, one might find the exploration of the war and politics of the time to be interesting.

[gunnargrey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As the series progresses, the mysteries become less important to the story, with less of Cadfael's sleuthing, and the adventures more so. There's very little investigation here, but a rousing adventure and a great series of scenes of a castle under siege. A wonderful ending to a series that's become a classic.

[benfulton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's odd that this was the last Cadfael mystery, as the issues that are dealt with are really life-resolving, now-I-can-die-in-peace sorts of issues. Perhaps Ms. Peters had an inkling that this would be the last, or near last, of her brilliant series. As with all in the series, the historical detail is incredible and the characters seem to fit perfectly into their times. Almost for the first time we see the intensity and determination that must have been the soldier Cadfael, but without ever losing the serenity of the monk. There is a murder but it's almost an afterthought to the main plot. A lovely ending to the series starring one of the most thoroughly likable characters in all of detective fiction.

[seoulful · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Here we have Brother Cadfael of the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul in Shrewsbury musing upon the shortening days of November and the fleeting nature of life. "It may be that God is reminding me that I am approaching my November. Well, why regret it?...go contentedly into the earth with the moist, gentle, skeletal leaves, worn to cobweb fragility, like the skins of very old men..." But Cadfael has yet a task to do, a responsibility of fatherhood now that his son made known to him only recently, is in mortal danger. Will Cadfael break his vow of obedience to the Benedictine order to fulfil this responsibility? Will the pull of the calm within the pale draw him back from the world he re-enters to help his son? We are charmed by Ellis Peters in this the last book of her Brother Cadfael series, charmed by her beautiful imagery, colorful portrayal of the medieval world and her leading character, a man who bridges the best of the world he long served and the cloister he loves.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good. Like most Ellis Peters, very rich characters - established and new ones alike. There's a lot in this one about fathers and sons, and ties that bind even where there's no understanding. But a happy ending, overall - even the one who despaired of rulers finds a place for himself. And it's great to see Olivier again.

[dwwilkin_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have reviewed many of these in this series in the last few days as I try to finish the series before the end of 2008. Well one to go, but after this, the penultimate, can it get better? If you can get past that there is little need for a mystery, for the body is truly a device to continue the action of what is a first rate historical. We have spent twenty tales with Cadfael and Hugh and the others of the times. We have Bishop de Clinton, and Earl Beaumont, and even King Stephen. Now we meet Empress Maud but more importantly her nephew Phillip. The tale of what takes place in and around the events of the Coventry Peace conference of 1145 and how Cadfael and Hugh find their way there and the actions that Cadfael must see to of a personal nature is worth the price of admission.The body, the murder is not important. We have 19 tales that have set this up to be what Pargeter, what Peters seems to do better, give us the setting of this civil war and a story to encompass it. This is the must read of the series.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

not my favorite in this series, but still good

[arcona_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The last book of a series which I thorougly enjoyed. The whole series is a comfortable, slow read where nothing moves quickly. Like the others in the series, it is full of quiet philosophical observations by the good Brother, as he solves one murder after another. An enjoyable read.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cadfael's son Oliver de Bretagne, is captured and there's a refusal to acknowledge where he is and there's no demand for ransom but there are rumours and Cadfael has an opportunity to attend a conference and find out about him. To add to the confusion a contentious nobleman is dead, apparently by Oliver's Brother-in-Law Yves Hugonin, and as usual Cadfael intervenes to help.Added to that are some serious issues that Cadfael has to deal with about his vocation and his loyalty to the order. I'm sad to see that this is the last in the series, and it's a good end to the series.