What do you think?
Rate this book
Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #12-14
Brother Cadfael: The Rose Rent / The Hermit of Eyton Forest / The Raven in the Foregate
In THE RAVEN IN THE FOREGATE Brother Cadfael finds that a young man working in the Abbey's herb garden is suspected of murder.
In THE ROSE RENT Brother Cadfael belives the motive for a callous murder is all too obvious, but he soon learns that when love and money are involved, nothing is straightforward.
In THE HERMIT OF EYTON FOREST Brother Cadfael's tranquil life as a herbalist is disturbed by the arrival of a saintly hermit and the disappearance of a young boy.
741 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2001
65 people want to read
About the author
Ellis Peters
199 books1,153 followersA pseudonym used by Edith Pargeter.
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), she had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) were set in Wales and its borderlands.
During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, and received the British Empire Medal - BEM.
Pargeter wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote the highly popular series of Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries, many of which were made into films for television.
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), she had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) were set in Wales and its borderlands.
During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, and received the British Empire Medal - BEM.
Pargeter wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote the highly popular series of Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries, many of which were made into films for television.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 20, 2020
Brother Cadfael Omnibus by Ellis Peters contains 3 novels: The Rose Rent, The Hermit of Eyton Forest and The Raven in the Foregate, the 12th, 13th and 14th of the Brother Cadfael series. All three take place in 1141-1142 in Shrewsbury Abbey, which is under the control of King Stephen, but an area in which Maud (Matilda, but called Maud to differentiate her from Stephen's wife Matilda) had formerly been in control. Obviously, some of the citizens of Shrewsbury prefer Stephen and some Maud during this civil war period. While The Rose Rent only makes mention of this historical situation, it plays a more major part in the other two stories.
The Raven in the Foregate is chronologically the first of the three, taking place during the Christmas season of 1141 and ending during the new year 1142. A new priest has been appointed for the town of Shrewsbury, and he is extremely strict and vicious toward "sinners." The townspeople hate him for several of his offenses toward them: refusing to bury an infant in consecrated ground, refusing to pardon a girl for the crime of adultry, etc. He is murdered and no one much cares, but it is necessary to find out who would commit murder. Cadfael has a new helper, Benet/ Ninian who he learns is a strong supporter of Maud, and is hoping to hide (this is Stephen country where supporting Maud is supposedly treason) and earn enough to go to Wales and down to where he can join the army supporting Maud, along with another Maud supporter, Sanan, who he has fallen in love with. A few people think Benet is guilty of the murder, but Cadfael is fond of him and so he helps Hugh (the sherrif who is his best friend) find the real murderer, but both are shocked when they find out what truly happened. An excellent story--5 stars.
The Rose Rent shows Judith Perle, a widow, who rents her home to the Abbey for one white rose each year, which is brought to her by Niall Bronzesmith, a leather worker who resides in the home.
The rose bush is however hacked before the rose is delivered and a young monk is killed nearby it. By careful investigative process, Cadfael solves all the crimes, and true love is confirmed. A charming romance story--3 stars.
The Hermit of Eyton Forrest tells the story of a 10-year-old boy, Richard Ludel, whose dying father left him in the care of the brothers at the Abbey until his majority, but whose grandmother, Dame Dionisia, wants him to marry to enlarge the property. Dionisia takes in a hermit with a helper, Hyacinth. Mishaps happen as the two stories merge. Dionisia kidnaps her grandson, murders occur, worker Eilmund falls and breaks his leg, and his daughter falls in love with Hyacinth. While the Abbey is currently in Stephen's land, supporters of Maud, Renard Bourchier and Rafe de Genville, intrude, and show all is not what it seems. Interesting story--4 or 5 stars.
Excellent background showing life as lived in rural England in the twelfth century. All the characters are well-drawn and believable. The plots are cleverly twisted and create reader involvement. All are crosses between historical mystery and romance. I enjoyed the book, and would like to read more by this author.
The Raven in the Foregate is chronologically the first of the three, taking place during the Christmas season of 1141 and ending during the new year 1142. A new priest has been appointed for the town of Shrewsbury, and he is extremely strict and vicious toward "sinners." The townspeople hate him for several of his offenses toward them: refusing to bury an infant in consecrated ground, refusing to pardon a girl for the crime of adultry, etc. He is murdered and no one much cares, but it is necessary to find out who would commit murder. Cadfael has a new helper, Benet/ Ninian who he learns is a strong supporter of Maud, and is hoping to hide (this is Stephen country where supporting Maud is supposedly treason) and earn enough to go to Wales and down to where he can join the army supporting Maud, along with another Maud supporter, Sanan, who he has fallen in love with. A few people think Benet is guilty of the murder, but Cadfael is fond of him and so he helps Hugh (the sherrif who is his best friend) find the real murderer, but both are shocked when they find out what truly happened. An excellent story--5 stars.
The Rose Rent shows Judith Perle, a widow, who rents her home to the Abbey for one white rose each year, which is brought to her by Niall Bronzesmith, a leather worker who resides in the home.
The rose bush is however hacked before the rose is delivered and a young monk is killed nearby it. By careful investigative process, Cadfael solves all the crimes, and true love is confirmed. A charming romance story--3 stars.
The Hermit of Eyton Forrest tells the story of a 10-year-old boy, Richard Ludel, whose dying father left him in the care of the brothers at the Abbey until his majority, but whose grandmother, Dame Dionisia, wants him to marry to enlarge the property. Dionisia takes in a hermit with a helper, Hyacinth. Mishaps happen as the two stories merge. Dionisia kidnaps her grandson, murders occur, worker Eilmund falls and breaks his leg, and his daughter falls in love with Hyacinth. While the Abbey is currently in Stephen's land, supporters of Maud, Renard Bourchier and Rafe de Genville, intrude, and show all is not what it seems. Interesting story--4 or 5 stars.
Excellent background showing life as lived in rural England in the twelfth century. All the characters are well-drawn and believable. The plots are cleverly twisted and create reader involvement. All are crosses between historical mystery and romance. I enjoyed the book, and would like to read more by this author.
November 8, 2017
Bit of a random combination, as this is not the order they were first published in, but all particularly good examples of the Brother Cadfael series.
The Rose Rent: Intriguing tale of a young widow and her pursuers, and the discovery that the first love doesn't have to be the last or the only meaningful one. Amazing fixation from Cadfael on the imprint of a shoe. In my opinion, the pool of suspects was too small to make the whodunit hard to guess.
The Hermit of Eyton Forest: The tale of plucky schoolboy foiling a hardened criminal's plot. Peters writes child characters well, and the deception and suspense is high.
The Confession of Brother Haluin: A moving story of a monk who thinks that his lover and child died in an abortion attempt finds peace with himself is rewarded with the truth, that both his love and his son lived. Sweet, mature, and deeply solemn
The Raven in the Foregate: An examination of the components of faith felt more strongly and with a broader, lowlier demographic in mind than elsewhere in the series. A sweeping, sad, and uplifting overview of a community.
The Rose Rent: Intriguing tale of a young widow and her pursuers, and the discovery that the first love doesn't have to be the last or the only meaningful one. Amazing fixation from Cadfael on the imprint of a shoe. In my opinion, the pool of suspects was too small to make the whodunit hard to guess.
The Hermit of Eyton Forest: The tale of plucky schoolboy foiling a hardened criminal's plot. Peters writes child characters well, and the deception and suspense is high.
The Confession of Brother Haluin: A moving story of a monk who thinks that his lover and child died in an abortion attempt finds peace with himself is rewarded with the truth, that both his love and his son lived. Sweet, mature, and deeply solemn
The Raven in the Foregate: An examination of the components of faith felt more strongly and with a broader, lowlier demographic in mind than elsewhere in the series. A sweeping, sad, and uplifting overview of a community.
October 13, 2023
Not my favorite in the series. The stories are relatively the same as any other book in the series and this may just be a point where they are getting a bit boring for me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews