Sanctuary Sparrow, the (The Cadfael Chronicles) (original 1983; edition 1995)

Another VERY good one in this excellent cozy mysteries series set in Medieval England, in Shrewsbury near the border to Wales. My next one will be Monk's Hood. It feels repetitive to write another review, please see instead these two reviews:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/447895 for "The Leper of Saint Giles" and
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/448561521 for St. Peter's Fair

I highly recommend the series. They do NOT have to be read in order, except 6 and 10 have to be read before 20, say my friends. The first one is not one of the best, so beware. Don't be put off if you insist on starting there. You get delightful writing and a clear mystery that is fun to follow and filled with action. The monks are great characters, each with their own particular idiosyncrasies. They become real people because in all the books their character doesn't change; so the more you read, the more you enjoy going back to meet them again. Some are nicer than others, so don't think this is totally unrealistic. These characters are more than nice versus bad, they are unique individuals: one LOVES anything to do with music, another has a good heart but always breaks things and makes messes, and then of course there is Brother Cadfael (pronounced Cad-file). He is Welsh, worldly, has fought in wars, been to the Holy Lands and now has returned and fills out his monastical duties working in the Abby's herbarium and solving crimes. Oh, I forgot. I was going to keep this very short.

My advice, don't start with book one. Start with my favorite so far, "The Leper of St. Giles". "The Sanctuary Sparrow" is almost as good but the mystery was a teeny bit harder to follow. As usual, all the threads tie up nicely. As usual, Brother Cadfael explains how he thinks for us, the Deputy Sheriff, Hugh Beringar, and the Abbot. As usual, the writing is NOT salacious, but lovely. As usual the crime gets solved and each get their fair due, in one way or another. You recognize a lovely constancy to how the stories unfold and are resolved. Lovely series. I just couldn't keep my mouth shut, could I?!

The narration of the audiobook by Vanessa Benjamin was absolutely wonderful. No complaints whatsoever.

Completed Jan 22, 2013 ( )

When the father of the bridegroom is assaulted and robbed during the wedding festivities, suspicion is cast on the young minstrel who provided the entertainment at the wedding banquet. He reaches the monastery just ahead of his pursuers and is granted 40 days of sanctuary. That's plenty of time for Cadfael and sheriff's deputy Hugh Beringar to get to the truth of the matter. There are plenty of other suspects, including the nosy neighbor and even the bridegroom himself.

I always learn a lot about life in medieval England from the Cadfael books. This one focuses on domestic life, and the management of a middle class household. I even learned a new word. The young man who found sanctuary at the monastery was a jongleur. Ellis Peters excels in all areas of mystery writing – plot, characters, and setting. Her books have become “go-to” reads for me when I want to escape with a good book. ( )

A good book, easy to read, and nice and short. ( )

Once more we are drawn into medieval life in town and Abbey of Shrewsbury, England. We see the structure of Abbey life as the monks go through the offices of the day and perform each his duties. We see the town life particularly in the routines of the guilds and the wealthy families. And we catch a glimpse of the life of a traveling juggler, this one bursting in upon Matins at the Abbey and claiming sanctuary from a howling mob. We see individuals of integrity such as Brother Cadfael, resident herbalist and sleuth at the Abbey, his superior, Abbot Radulfus, fair and insistent on the laws of sanctuary and Hugh Beringar, the no-nonsense, but fair sheriff of the shire. We see in other individuals the effects of avarice and bitterness and hopes denied. Ellis Peters continues to delight with her old cast of characters as well as the new who bring depth to the totality of medieval life. ( )

My first exposure to Cadfael, on PBS was with this story. It is possibly the one I remember most. In the end I think you can see how it will play out, but until two thirds of the book, you still should be guessing. The thing about Cadfael and Ellis Peters is that the world that she crafts is detailed exquisitely. She uses prose, sometimes a great deal, but she gives you imagery in her mystery's that transcend them into historical fiction.

Conan Doyle lived during his protagonists adventures. Peters uses her imagine to spark ours. The stories coupled with the Mystery Series go hand and hand, and with Derek Jacobi as the Cadfael, it is a winner all around.

The Sanctuary Sparrow has enough clues, and the background of the give and take of the Abbey and the Shire make all the more sense as part of the story. Part of the great fun of the Cadfael stories is to see how the politics of the Abbey progresses through the various stories, and how well Cadfael's friends and enemies are succeeding in their own lives. ( )