Cornflower Book Group - A Morbid Taste for Bones

 

    "Scatter her bones over the stones, It's only a saint whom nobody owns."

    I don't know the origin of those lines, but they cropped up in a book today, spoken by the Scots writer Andrew Lang by the desecrated tomb of Queen Margaret in Dunfermline Abbey. Maybe they were Lang's own, but wherever they are from, they do nicely to introduce Ellis Peters's A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first of the Brother Cadfael Chronicles, in which the ambitious Prior Robert aims to acquire the bones of St. Winifred and take them from their Welsh resting place back to his Benedictine Abbey at Shrewsbury. The relics have been virtually neglected for years, but now that the villagers of Gwytherin find another party interested in their saint, they become proprietorial, and while some are happy to see the bones go to a new home, others are firecely opposed. While negotiations are proceeding, a local landowner who is a chief opponent to the move is murdered; it falls to Brother Cadfael to find his killer.

    I liked this book for its neatness - it's well-ordered and pleasingly controlled - and for the character of Brother Cadfael, his rich history, his shrewdness, his 'irreverence' based on respect for what warrants reverence. He is described as having "a certain spark in his eye" and "a notoriously worldly past", and so the herbalist monk is the most intriguing part of the story, and no doubt he develops interestingly as the chronicles proceed.

    Fast the book is not! There are a full hundred pages before the murder occurs, so much steady scene-setting, but I found it soothing, undemanding bedtime reading, with quite enough to hold my interest but not so gripping that I felt like rushing straight out to get the second in the series. There's a nice mood to the book, and some good lines - on Rhisiart the murdered man: "He had the voice that might have been expected from him, large, melodious and deep, a voice that sang what it felt, and waited for thought afterwards, to find that the thought had been there already in the feeling."

    So for me, not an outstanding book, but a pleasant enough one. What did you think of it? 

(ETA: The 'Books and Cakes' post for Brother Cadfael is here).

Comments

[Julie Fredericksen]

I found it to be a very enjoyable read, and a fast one. It took just one evening for me to finish it. I really liked that Brother Cadfael had a full, un-monkish life before joining the monastery. I think it gave him more wisdom than the other monks. (Can you tell I am not Catholic? Ha!)

Although I will not go out and buy a new B.C. book, I will see if I can spot the esteemed brother hanging about a used book shop or thrift shop bookshelf.

PS - I really dislike the off-putting book cover you use for illustration. The cover to my Grand Central Publications edition is much nicer and so much less grim!

[sakura]

Brother Cadfael was my first introduction to historical crime and I was hooked. I don't think I started with this one though, probably The Rose Rent. Such a beautiful title:) Since then I've gone to read lots of other different historical mysteries form the roman era to the early 20th century.

[Susan in TX]

I think you summed this one up quite well - it was very relaxing bedtime reading for me. And while like you, I didn't race out to pick up the next one, I would pick up another one if I came across it at my local used bookstore. It also made me think that the tome I have written under the alias of Edith Pargeter may be a little less daunting than it looks. :) I thought this was a good pick!

[Ruth M]

I'm so glad you liked Cadfael, Cornflower. I have read and reread the whole series for years, precisely for those qualities you described... soothing, reverent. The tone. A certain deftness of language. Goodness, I suppose it comes down to. Actually, Edith Mary Pargeter (OBE, BEM) is the author's real name. A scholar (Czech translations), not unlike Dorothy Sayers in that she's now remembered more for her detective fiction rather than her academic work.

[Sandy]

I enjoyed reading this book and I'm glad you included it Cornflower. I alwatys intended to try a Cadfael and have never seen the TV adaptaions.

Yes it was a light read but there is a place in my life for these!

[Dark Puss]

I am afraid this book lived up to my expectations having watched in the past a number of the TV adaptions. I thought it was pedestrian with fairly crude characterisation of the protagonists and little real sense of place despite (as Cornflower states) a great deal of scene setting. I felt the language, primarily when the characters spoke, was quite stilted in many places. It passed the time while I was flying out to Geneva last Sunday but I am most certainly not going to seek out another book by Ellis Peters. If this is one of the 100 must-read historical novels then I hope the others on Rennison's list pass a much higher quality threshold.

The next CBG book surely must wipe the floor with this one!

[Barbara MacLeod]

Yes, not having come across this writer nor the series of novels I found it a pleasant, easy read. I was unaware of it as a TV series; apparently it is very good.

[1] Having events relate to a monastery year makes a change as much of this is unfamiliar to me in this day and age. It reminded me of how much I enjoyed your recommendation (last year?) of:

The Morville Hours: The Story of a Garden by Katherine Swift
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morville-Hours-Story-Garden/dp/0747592586

(I tried to find your discussion of it and failed.)

[2] "Beyond the pale": I thought the term was wrongly used here but I was incorrect. The term has been around for a long time. I gather that it is derived from the use of a fence, i.e. paling fence, which marked the edge or border of the enclosed area, that which one would consider as home territory.

[3] Given that we are reading about monks and their Christian life, I thought the story had a rather "eye for an eye" feel about it. Therefore, basically, it did not sit right with me on the whole! (Ok... it's just a story! I will let it go at that!)

[4] To move on: I have started the next book you have chosen and want to say ... as they do in here in Glasgow ... it is "pure, dead brilliant"!

[Cornflower]

So glad to hear your comment - so far - on the Wilde, Barbara!
Since you mention it, here's a post on The Morville Hours: http://cornflower.typepad.com/domestic_arts_blog/2008/08/not-only-the-sunny-hours.html

[Cornflower]

Agreed - after a busy day, a light, relaxing read is very welcome.

[B R Wombat]

I think Cornflower sums the book up well. I enjoyed it and thought it a good choice but didn't immediately rush for the next in the series. I disagree with Dark Puss in that I felt that some of the dialogue captured Welsh voices rather well and made me hear them as I read. I also disagree with Julie about the cover. I liked that it showed the position of the corpse, which is part of the plot, and its woodblock look suited the book's period.

[Sarah Bussy]

I'm sorry to say Cornflower that having turned over forty pages I just couldn't be bothered to turn any more. The whole thing felt decidedly dead to me. Admittedly I don't like historical novels anyway and so that alone would account for my lack of engagement with the book. I was disappointed though because I remember enjoying the TV series. However, my feelings are no reflection on the book's qualities. It's just that I can't see them. Which is hardly surprising because I don't care for crime, mystery or thrillers novels either. Sorry.

[Cornflower]

At least you gave it a try, Sarah!

[anne]

This is the second time I have tried to read one of the Caedfel series and I am afraid I just gave up as before. I like thrillers and I like historical books but I got to the stage in the book where the murder was committed (quite far in) and lost interest. I felt the characters were failing to capture my interest. Just not for me.

[Julie Fredericksen]

I have never liked woodblock prints and I am sure that's really why I dislike this cover.

[Cristina (Rochester Reader)]

I've only read one Ellis Peters Cadfael novel before ('The Devils' Novice') and that was in High School. Although I don't recall much of the story I believe I enjoyed it. A few years ago I watched several episodes of the TV adaptation so I wasn't expecting anything fantastic.
I'm still in the first half of the book but I was pleasantly surprised by the traces of humour sprinkled throughout. I cannot recall this being prominent in the TV series and I found Cadfael's TV Shrewsbury to be a bit dark.
The novel, however, is quite picturesque in its description of Shropshire and Wales and I was longing to go back to North Wales whilst reading it!
I'll report back again when I've finished the novel but I can say that I am finding it a pleasant read populated with interesting characters and believable (as far as I can tell!) dialogue.
Thank you Cornflower, for reintroducing this series to me :-)

[Cristina (Rochester Reader)]

I quite agree. The language is soothing and yet cleverly used. So many current-day mystery books may have good plots but I get annoyed by sparse use of language. I love it when the prose is well-thought out and flows beautifully.

[efi]

i dont regret having read this book,however,i will not read another of the series.the tv adaptation sounds interesting though.a light,calming reading but nothing more.

[Anji]

It didn't take me too long to read and I had been struggling to find something to say about it. You summed it up quite nicely, Cornflower. Like the first in any series it is an introduction and they aren't always the best of any series are they? Every story has to start somewhere. Hopefully the later books in the series developes into something with a lot more intrigue.

[Jill]

Your comments dear Cornflower reflected my own response to this, my first reading of a Cadfael book. I think I enjoyed this because I read it straight on top of The Pillars of the Earth so I was already immersed in the Matilda/ Stephen conflict and the monastic background. I watched some of the boxset of the 1994 - 1998 Cadfael TV series starring Derek Jacobi, who does a very believable and sympathetic interpretation of the character. I wouldn't rush to read another but I certainly wouldn't be averse to reading another in the series sometime either.
PS I was wondering what you would choose as the recipe for this time and I was predicting some sort of honey cake. The lemon and poppyseed muffins are inspired. Thank you.

[jodi]

The first time I tried to read a book in this series was years ago and I gave up. Could not relate to it even with the amount of scene description. What helped me this time was that I now have seen abbey ruins and walked around them and could picture it more vividly. The story was a good one and I too would get another book either from the library or the used book store.

[Kenneth]

As has been stated once the story was set, I found the book enjoyable.Now that I know the main character,the other books in the series ,will make more sense.I hope to get back to another of the series, that I have on my bookshelf.

[Leyla Sheehan-Gruarin]

Thanks so much for the chance to 'read a book' with you. I am a pretty serious Catholic and I was ready for the worst (a la DaVinci Code et.al). Thankfully there was none of that nonsense----just a benign little read. In the end, a story more about the human condition than murder. Brother Cadfael was the only really fleshed out character in the book. I liked it but probably won't seek out more.

[Becky]

Well, I read "A Morbid Taste" early, due to a busy March, and, due to same busy March, ended up unable to check the discussion till now! However, I enjoyed the book--have enjoyed most/many of the BC books I've read. Unlike Dark Puss, I enjoyed the deliberately paced feeling of the writing--it didn't read as stilted to me. The glimpses of another world view and another way of organizing one's life and values were interesting, and I thought Ellis Peters's observations (through BC's eyes) of people hungry for power and control were insightful. As you pointed out, Cornflower: not a great book, but a pleasant one!

[Dark Puss]

Hello Becky, glad you found this book more to your tatse than I did. What I said was the language, primarily when the characters spoke, was quite stilted rather than the writing (which I called pedestrian).

[Bernie]

I enjoyed Cadfael's 'observations' about the other characters especially the other monks. I had read Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose some years ago which is also about monks and murders but is quite a dark tale. I was surprised how light this book was as a monastic murder mystery and didn't expect to find it an amusing read. I don't know if I would read any others in the series but I did find it a relaxing read.

[Julie Fredericksen]

My 20-something daughter read "The Name of the Rose" and felt the same way about it as you do. In fact, she was a lot more vocal about her dislike of the book than that it was a "dark tale". I was happily surprised that this Cadfael book was in a much lighter vein than what she had described to me about "The Name of the Rose".

[Dark Puss]

The Name of the Rose is in a different league to this Cadfael, but I guess I can see why some might not enjoy it. It is one of many books (and essays) by Eco that I have been enormously entertained by.