Wednesday, April 18, 2018

The 1977 Club: A Morbid Taste for Bones

I read a second book for The 1977 Club hosted by the bloggers Stuck in a Book and Kaggsy's Bookish RamblingsA Morbid Taste for Bones is the first Brother Cadfael mystery by Edith Mary Pargeter writing under the pen name of Ellis Peters.  Ultimately Peters wrote 21 historical mysteries set in 12th century Britain featuring amateur sleuth and monk Cadfael.  As an introductory novel I thought this was pretty good.  At less than 200 pages, Peters deftly set up the world and characters, providing a solid base for the future books.    

Cadfael is a Benedictine monk at Shrewsbury Abbey who came to the brotherhood late in life, which of course serves him well as a detective because it enables him to have knowledge his brethren and/or hoi polloi lack! In his secular life he was a soldier and a sailor and spent many years fighting in the Holy Land where he developed an interest in herbs and medicinal plants. 

In this first novel, Cadfael journeys with his Prior and a handful of other monks to Gwytherin, Wales to obtain for the broader glory of Shrewsbury Abbey the remains of St. Winefred who is buried there. Prior Robert is an ambitious man and wants to put Shrewsbury on the map, so to speak, by obtaining a reliquary.    Their goal is thwarted, however, when  local landowner Rhisart objects to the Saint’s bones being moved.  When the landowner mysteriously turns up murdered the game is afoot!  Did one of the Benedictines murder him in order to get their relics at any cost or did Rhisart have a local enemy who decided to take advantage of the controversy and take out a rival?

I really enjoyed the historical background of the story, the peek it provided into Welsh customs of the day vis-a-vis those of the English and Cadfael as a character. It is possible that there were anachronistic aspects in the book, but I didn’t notice any that took me out of the story. The mystery itself was a little weak. But considering this book is the first of 21, I can easily forgive this. 

Some of the books were adapted for television starring Derek Jacobi in the 90’s. I’ve seen bits and pieces of these, but never a full episode, but I expect they are pretty good.  

12 comments:

  1. I've never read any of the Cadfael mysteries. I think the time period just never appealed to me that much. But I know a lot of people who really like them.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Lark! That makes sense. The setting for a mystery is important and there are so many other sub-genres and periods that readers can choose from! :D

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  2. Hi Ruthiella, I wonder why their aren't more novels set in monasteries or Abbeys. The cloistered life particularly in the Middle ages fascinates me. How do the monks get along with each other, what's their life like, their relationship with God etc. A Morbid Taste for Bones sounds like a good start to an interesting series.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Kathy! One of the more interesting things about A Morbid Taste for Bones was Brother Cadfael's faith vs. his understanding of the secular world. The only other monk/mystery I have read is The Name of the Rose, which was amazing, but about 100 times longer than this book! :D

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  3. I've read several of the Brother Cadfael series over the years, but this is my favorite title--not necessarily my favorite book, but my favorite title. I do love medieval mysteries, though, whether or not they are set in monasteries.

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    1. Thanks for the comment jenclair! You read all the mysteries so I am not surprise you have read many of these! Do you have any other suggestions for good series set in the medieval period?

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  4. I picked up this novel in Shrewsbury Abbey itself in 2009 on a trip with my then high-school aged daughter. We wandered into the Abbey on a Sunday morning, and were kidnapped and made to sit through the service, offered tea and biscuits afterwards, and I bought some books in the gift shop. I like Brother Caefel but haven't been able to watch the TV shows because they are so dated. The books are good and very interesting to read, especially since I've visited the abbey.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Jane. You made me laugh when I read you "were kidnapped and made to sit through the service". :D

      That is so great you've been to Shrewsbury Abbey! I love how your reading and your travel intertwine.

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  5. I think I read one in this series and enjoyed it, but for some reason or other never got back to it.

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    1. Thanks for the comment carol! I am not sure if I will continue with this series but I am glad to have at least experienced the first one.

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  6. This is one of the only books this old that I've read, barring really obvious classics, and one of the only historical fiction novels I've read as well. I also enjoyed the historical setting, but felt the mystery was a bit thin.

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    1. Thanks for the comment DoingDewey! Ha, to me 1977 doesn't seem all that long ago. :)

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