The Leper of Saint Giles

The Fifth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael

By: Ellis Peters

Narrated by: Johanna Ward

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Setting out for the Saint Giles leper colony outside Shrewsbury, Brother Cadfael has more pressing matters on his mind than the grand wedding coming to his abbey. Yet as fate would have it, Cadfael arrives at Saint Giles just as the nuptial party passes the colony's gates. He sees the fragile bride looking like a prisoner between her two stern guardians and the bridegroom, an arrogant, fleshy aristocrat old enough to be her grandfather. And he quickly discerns this union may be more damned than blessed. Indeed, a savage murder will interrupt the May-December marriage and leave Brother Cadfael with a dark, terrible mystery to solve. For the key to the killing - and a secret - are hid among the lepers of Saint Giles. Now Brother Cadfael's skills must ferret out a sickness, not of the body, but of a twisted soul - in the fifth Brother Cadfael Chronicle, a work that displays Ellis Peters' special genius at her best.

©1981 by Ellis Peters (P)1998 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Each addition to the series is a joy. Long may the Chronicles continue." (USA Today)

Another great listen!

Any additional comments?

I have been slowly going through the BC series, and have enjoyed them all thus far. But I want to comment specifically on the reader, Joanna Ward. There have been some comments on this, and other BC books, about her being a bad choice. I have to strongly disagree. Of the readers I have heard so far, she is clearly the top one. Her ability to add Welsh inflections, where needed, are terrific, and her male/female character voices are as good as anybody else's given that any reader, male or female, is going to be challenged to sound authentic doing the "other sex".

I have just started "Virgin in the Ice", and the reader (Vanessa Benjamin, I believe) is already bothering me immensely.

I wish that Joanna Ward had read them all.

Worth the time!

I enjoy the intrigue and romantic tension (as well as tension relief). It’s not really a romance and I am happy for that. I don’t like really sappy novels. This one did not fall into that trap. It’s really a good listen.

Another well written Brother Cadfael mystery

What made the experience of listening to The Leper of Saint Giles the most enjoyable?

Well written story; well told

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

While the plot is good; the enjoyment for me is in the telling.

What does Joanna Ward bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Like many peiople I

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

The whole series gives a wonderful picture of 14th century England. It is also provides a peep into customs, religion and the basics of forensics and criminal psychology. Reading in chronological order provides a good insight into a civil war not often written about.

Narration not up to par

The accent did not match the locality. Female versus male voices were hard to distinguish.

Great!

I like brother Cadfael and this is my favourite narrator of the series. I wish there were more than these two books read by her.

The ending became predictable to me

I enjoyed the story and the reading very much. The ending was predictable, but, nonetheless, a very enjoyable book.

Excellent story, decent performance

As ever, Ellis Peters delivers an interesting mystery with creative characters set in medieval England. The single disappointment was the reader’s pronunciation of the name Cadfael. As he is the main character, it seems like the author would have made an attempt to discover how the name is usually pronounced or at least referred to other similar words as a guide. Israel, Raphael, Cadfael. Even Cadfile would have been acceptable but it is tedious to continually hear our favorite monk called “Cadfle.” This isn’t the only mangled name in the reading. Unfamiliar names can be a challenge to pronounce, but simple research should be part of the performer’s preparation.

great read

you will feel yourself transported to a world gone - a time when wolves still roamed England

Questionable Narration

The narration of Ms Ward wasn't bad, except when she was speaking Cadfael's voice. The voice she used, supposedly to mimic Welsh speaking, was more reminiscent of Calcutta or Bombay. It was quite annoying. Only the excellence of Ellis Peters' story carried me to the conclusion. I'll make it a point to avoid Ms Ward's narration in the future.

The best of Cadfael

This is my favorite Brother Cadfael story, with unpredictable twists and turns and plenty of apropos spiritual reflections. It is superbly narrated!