The Raven In The Foregate: 12 (Cadfael Chronicles)

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Father Ailnoth: He is the priest recommended by Bishop Henry to fill the vacancy in the Holy Cross parish in the Foregate of the Abbey. He was previously clerk to the bishop. He is a tall, dark haired man of patrician appearance, 36 years old. He is a man with every virtue, except humility and human kindness, the Abbot observed of him, ruefully. He refused absolution to an unmarried pregnant young woman whose confession he had reluctantly heard. What is important for me to tell you is why I think this particular story by Ellis Peters is worth four stars. I love how Peters recreates medieval times. You feel like you are there. The words, the scenery, the actions and thoughts of the characters feel genuine. They create an atmosphere and a mood. They put you in a time and place so very different from our own. I find this utterly enjoyable; we escape the rat race of today.

I'd give the book three stars just because of Ailnoth, and because he seems to cast a pall over the entire book even after he's dead. However, I bump it up to four because there's some wonderful rhetoric from Cadfael, Hugh, and Abbott Radulfus regarding fallibility, sin and sinners. Also, the book rewards the reader by mentioning events and characters from several previous books, including lovely Torold Blund and Godith from One Corpse Too Many.

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When Father Ailnoth is found dead, most of the town are suspects – and none will give the others up. What is justice following the death of a rigid, moralistic man with little empathy? What is justice when one finds a traitor? The answers Cadfael and Hugh Berringar arrive at are likely different than what you expect if your culture's approach to jurisprudence is like mine. Aline Beringar: She is the much-loved wife of Hugh, mother of two-year-old Giles, who is godson to Cadfael. Introduced in One Corpse Too Many. Still, what I love about the Brother Cadfael series is that in Brother Cadfael and Hugh Berringar there is competence, compassion, wisdom, and empathy in the world. Rather than focusing on putting someone in prison for every crime, they instead focus on righting the world.

What defines a good parish priest? Is it simply one who follows the rules? Aren’t empathy, humility and kindness necessary ingredients too?

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Lccn 86016397 Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.20 Ocr_module_version 0.0.17 Openlibrary OL2722836M Openlibrary_edition Not surprisingly, soon after this Ailnoth is found dead--also drowned. This is obviously not a suicide--he was murdered. The problem is that practically the entire town is suspect since he was such a nasty guy! And, whoever did this MIGHT have also killed the girl. Cadfael's job is to sort through both these deaths and determined what actually occurred. This is especially important because whether or not the dead woman can be buried in sacred ground is at stake, since the Church won't allow suicide victims to be buried in their cemeteries. Additionally, the woman was pregnant. Who was the father? What results in a fairly straightforward murder mystery with well-defined suspects with rationale motives. Other characters and their relationships are well-drawn too. I enjoyed getting a look at the personality of the townspeople and their relationship to the religious hierarchy. The book also manages to have good scenes and further insight into some series regulars such as Abbot Radulfus and Sheriff Hugh, and even some fun with Brother Jerome’s anal activities.