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Brother Cadfael's Penance
- The Twentieth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
- Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
Non-member price: $25.59
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In the summer of 1138, war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud takes brother Cadfael from the quiet world of his garden to the bloody battlefield. Not far from the safety of the Abbey walls, Shrewsbury Castle falls, leaving its ninety-four defenders loyal to the empress to hang as traitors. With a heavy heart, Brother Cadfael agrees to bury the dead, only to make a grisly discovery: 95 bodies lie in a row, and the extra corpse tells Cadfael that the killer is both clever and ruthless. But one death among so many seems unimportant to all but the good Benedictine.
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Publisher's Summary
It is nearing the end of the Year of Our Lord 1145. A monk vows to abandon all earthly ties, but how can Brother Cadfael obey when his son is captured in battle? Olivier de Bretagne is one of many young knights taken prisoner in the current power dispute in Britain, but he is also Cadfael's son, and the monk cannot be objective. A council is planned at Coventry to try to appease the warring factions, and Brother Cadfael asks leave to attend, knowing he must do all in his power to find and deliver his son. This most thrilling and humane of Ellis Peters's novels is filled with excitement, intrigue, and a meticulously depicted medieval background.
Tony Award winning actor, Derek Jacobi, performs the narration, lending a powerful voice to this twentieth chronicle of Brother Cadfael.
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What listeners say about Brother Cadfael's Penance
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Pauline
- 30-11-2020
Brother Cadfael's Stories
I am both mermerised by Derek Jacobi's voice and how he carries me into a visual place of Brother Cadfael et el. To say I love this book and the narrator is not enough, but I want more that's for sure!
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- Lynette
- 27-05-2016
A Great Listen
A fabulous presentation so well delivered by Derek Jacobi. A great way to enjoy this excellent book.
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- Joanna
- 18-10-2012
Disappointed in Abridged
I Love this series. I am just disappointed that this recording is an abridged version. I wish I could get the whole series, unabridged, and read by Patrick Tull.
12 people found this helpful
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- BEK
- 06-06-2017
Truly missing the UNABRIDGED version
I've listened my way through every one of Cadfael's adventures, enjoying each one immeasurably. All of them were unabridged, and most were narrated by Patrick Tull. While I have no complaint with Derek Jacobi's narration...I sorely regret not being able to listen to this last adventure unabridged!
3 people found this helpful
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- s
- 05-03-2013
Medievil mystery greats
What made the experience of listening to The Brother Cadfael's Penance the most enjoyable?
Derek Jacobi is a superb actor who is able to bring all his talent into his voice for this superb performance of a wonderful story.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Brother Cadfael - cause he is a real 'mensch'
What about Derek Jacobi’s performance did you like?
Jacobi is familiar with this character so he brings much humanity and authenticity to the performance.
If you could take any character from The Brother Cadfael's Penance out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Brother Cadfael - want to hear about how it was during the crusades.
Any additional comments?
Ellis Peters novels are always wonderful and historically correct.
1 person found this helpful
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- Oenophile
- 13-12-2011
Some of my favorite things!
I have every one of the cadfael books from audible. Love them. Also watched them on public television.
Listened to them many times. Derek Jacobi is fantastic both as an actor and as a narrator.
The only thing I am sorry for is that the author has passed on and there will be no new Cadfael stories forthcoming.
1 person found this helpful
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- Elizabisses
- 21-10-2020
Abridged abridged abridged
I love Jacobi’s reading and I love the author, characters and story. I do NOT love buying a book to find it’s been abridged, cut down to plot points, losing all depth and nuance. Whole journeys and conversations are missing! I really wish audible or the recording company would label the abridged books. What a disappointment.
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- Illini Two
- 02-01-2012
Entertaining mystery in a turbulent time
If you could sum up The Brother Cadfael's Penance in three words, what would they be?
Interesting, fun, thoughtful
Who was your favorite character and why?
Brother Cadfael who keeps his broad prospect inspite of confining surroundings and violent circumstances
1 person found this helpful
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- S. Coakley-Evans
- 05-06-2011
Not good
Sadly the essence of this story has been lost in the abridging. The essential individuality of the main characters and the attention to detail such as the minutae of everyday medieval life and seasons is absent. Read the book
7 people found this helpful
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- Nonie
- 07-02-2015
excellent
this was a wonderful story, I thoroughly recommend it. what an amazing time I had lost in this time of cadfael
1 person found this helpful
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- Harriet
- 13-04-2013
Brilliant!
First off it's a brilliant book! The plot is incredibly interesting, all the more because it's about a medieval monk with a past. The voice done by Derek Jacobi is excellent. He narrates it wonderfully and having the man who played Cadfael in the tv adaptation read him in the book gives it that extra credibility.
1 person found this helpful
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- Grumio
- 23-09-2020
much-loved monk
loved it Derek Jacoby Master story teller. classic tale of our favourite monk so well written
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- Jude Malta
- 19-07-2019
A great story
I really love the Cadfael stories and this is one of my favourites. Shame it isn’t unabridged but beautiful done by Sir Derek Jacobi, my one and only Cadfael.
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- Wattie
- 09-08-2018
A Great Listen
Not your usual Cadfael crime drama but a great story no less. Told well by Sir Derek Jacobi.
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- Mrs. G. Chew
- 12-08-2017
One of my favourite Cadfael stories
Sir Derek Jacobi is perfect as a narrator, having played Cadfael in the tv series. It's a shame the novel is abridged, but I shall work my way through the rest of the series in due course as full books.
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- R. J. Bartlett
- 04-04-2017
A great final chapter for Brother Cadfael
As a fan of Brother Cadfael I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Derek Jacobi reads it well too.
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- lesley mcghee
- 16-09-2016
highly recommended love Cadfael Derek Jacob is fab
Derek Jacob I brings to life the story's of brother Cadfael. You can picture yourself in medieval times. the storyline and plot is brilliant.
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- R. Inns
- 22-09-2015
Fantastic portrayal of Cadfaels character.
Cadfaels shows his wonderful rounded deep character qualities in this moving tale of heroism. Age doesn't matter.What an encouragement!
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