Yet another lucky find at the local thrift.
A good book for aspiring writers to read, as we get to see Cadfael, a beloved character, develop. We get to see Brother Jerome, fully developed in his righteous smarm. Peters used the stories in this book - in my opinion - to develop Cadfael as a character, bringing in other characters after Cadfael was fully formed. So very instructional.
And the stories are great, though the denouement of the third was a bit abrupt.
So I've just finished reading Ellis Peters' "One Corpse too Many," which is probably my favorite Brother Cadfael book.
It's a little heftier than her other books and broods over a dark subject: Murder at the time when so much death occurred at the hands of the partisans for Empress Maud and King Stephen as they battled for the heart and soul of England.
Peters excels at characterization and pacing, especially so in this book, which has two mysteries wrapped in one. As with Tolkien, there is more than one ending, but Peters paces them briskly and doesn't make the second feel overdrawn.
And as much as I love Derek Jacobi's portrayal of Cadfael in the British TV series, the books are so much better. So many thoughtful tidbits to read and to ponder as we figure out how to navigate a world that is as perilous from Cadfael's as it is distant.
This bit, from One Corpse Too Many's opening page, gives me something to ponder: "Cadfael was left to do everything alone, but he had in his time laboured under far hotter suns than this, and was doggedly determined not to let his domain run wild, whether the outside world fell into chaos or no."
That, of course, did not mean inaction in the sight of injustice, but certain, deliberate, intelligent action that kept peace and the desire for peace at its center. I try to remind myself of that a lot these days.
Not that we shouldn't be worried about the outside world. But we have such a small chance of impacting the outside world in a meaningful way, we're always going to be better off trying to mind the little world we're in.
And I know I'm judgy, but whenever I hear people offering advice and I can see their own lives are a mess, I'm a lot less willing to listen to that advice.
So I'm trying harder to mind my own store.
First of all, spoilers. If you haven't read Ellis Peters' "The Leper of St. Giles," don't watch the video. I'll try to keep spoilers in the text to a minimum.
It was YouTube and Derek Jacobi who introduced me to Brother Cadfael. I think I've watched them all. Then I started finding the books at local thrift stores. I read all I could find. Then last Christmas I asked for more books.
They're enchanting.
Mysteries, by design, tend to be character- and place-driven, and this one certainly checks the boxes. I love that with nothing more than a keen eye and a wealth of experience, Brother Cadfael can suss out any mystery. Yet even as he does, he remains askance at times of human behavoir.
And Peters' writing is perfect. She's not pretentious, nor too ornate, nor is she too spare. She doesn't weigh the text down with accents, or jargon, or what have you -- though in the books I've got, she does offer a glossary at the back. I've read a few period pieces where accents would be involved and they can be heavy-handed. Peters recognizes that nothing should get in the way of the story, and thus generally avoids patois.
