This book series was highly recommended to me by my good friend, Deb (Following the Narrow Path). This isn't my normal reading although I do like mysteries. It took me a bit to get started. Even though it's a rather small paperback that I would normally finish in only 2-3 days, I had trouble getting in to it. I'm not sure if it was the language which is definitely richer than most modern day equivalents of the genre. It was a nice change & challenge for me. The basic plot is set around a group of Benedictine monks in the 1137 who are going to nearby Wales to bring back the relics of a saint. While in the village in Wales a local & prominent villager is murdered & many think it is the work of the saint. Brother Cadfael, a monk who came to the vows late in life & led a very colored life previously, is the one who solves the mystery.
The more I read, the more I enjoyed. I never did figure out the final "who-done-it" until the very end although the clues were there. I wasn't sure I was going to read book #2 (I requested the first three books through PBS) but I finally decided to give it a try. I have the first three listed on my summer reading challenge so I plan to at least try those.
My favorite quote from the book occurs near the very end of the book & I wanted to share it here. Brother Cadfael is speaking, "I do believe I begin to grasp the nature of miracles! For would it be a miracle, if there was any reason for it? Miracles have nothing to do with reason. Miracles contradict reason, they strike clean across mere human deserts, and deliver and save where they will. If they made sense, they would not be miracles."
I think that sums up life rather well.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Oh thank goodness! I'm not here all alone. Thanks for leaving me a comment. It helps that I'm not always talking to myself. Right? Hello?