Ellis Peters

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Wed January 7th, 2009, 5:55 am

Oh, yes, The Heaven Tree is wonderful. I think it's the very best of anything she wrote, and she wrote a lot of good books! I need to re-read it and put a review up at HistoricalNovels.info. I read an interview somewhere in which Pargeter said (in reference to the Cadfael mysteries) that she wasn't very good at villains. But her villain in The Heaven Tree may be among the best in fiction. He seems so real. His villainy is towering and monstrous, and yet you understand every step of the way why he feels and acts as he does. In fact, he doesn't seem like a villain at all through a large portion of the novel - though he's mesmerizingly interesting.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Wed January 7th, 2009, 1:39 pm

[quote=""Margaret""]Oh, yes, The Heaven Tree is wonderful. I think it's the very best of anything she wrote, and she wrote a lot of good books! I need to re-read it and put a review up at HistoricalNovels.info. I read an interview somewhere in which Pargeter said (in reference to the Cadfael mysteries) that she wasn't very good at villains. But her villain in The Heaven Tree may be among the best in fiction. He seems so real. His villainy is towering and monstrous, and yet you understand every step of the way why he feels and acts as he does. In fact, he doesn't seem like a villain at all through a large portion of the novel - though he's mesmerizingly interesting.[/quote]

The love/hate relationship between Harry (and then his son) and Isambard was quite something - and I just loved the way Pargeter tied them all together at the end for a big finish. Wow.

SarahWoodbury · Post by **SarahWoodbury** » Thu April 2nd, 2009, 12:31 am

I have read all the Ellis Peters books as well as the Heaven Tree Trilogy and the Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet she wrote as Edith Pargeter. Maybe because I have 4 kids, I love the Cadfael book where he discovers he has a son. Brother Cadfael's Penance, the last book before Ellis Peters died, is so well written and so wonderful. I was glad she was able to 'finish' the series before she died.

The Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet is an interesting counterpoint to Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh Trilogy. The books only tell of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last Prince of Wales, and they end, as the story must, tragically.

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Thu April 2nd, 2009, 9:24 am

I particularly liked A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury when she was writing as Edith Pargeter. The Brothers of Gwynedd quartet has some lovely writing, but at time it can be rather like watching paint dry.
I loved the Cadfael books but confess I used to read them for Hugh Berenger rather than Cadfael and I think I preferred the earlier ones. One Corpse Too many remains my absolute favourite of them, followed by St Peter's Fair and The Virgin in the Ice.

Anna Elliott · Post by **Anna Elliott** » Thu April 2nd, 2009, 6:53 pm

I love the relationship and dynamic between Cadfael and Hugh, too!

My two very favorite quotes from the series:

Cadfael to Hugh: "I hope I never do anything without due thought - even if the thought sometimes has to shift its feet pretty briskly to keep up with the deed"

Hugh: "Old friend, I doubt even you could bring Susanna into the fold among the lambs. Now she chose her way, and it's taken her far out of the reach of man's mercy. Oh, and I suppose you'll tell me that God's reach is longer than man's."
Cadfael: "It had better be, otherwise were all lost."

SusannaG · Post by **SusannaG** » Thu June 25th, 2009, 11:03 pm

I think I've read about a third to a half of them, and One Corpse Too Many is also my favorite.

They are good comfort reads, I find.

LambChop · Post by **LambChop** » Wed September 9th, 2009, 12:57 pm

[quote=""Margaret""]Oh, yes, The Heaven Tree is wonderful. I think it's the very best of anything she wrote, and she wrote a lot of good books! I need to re-read it and put a review up at HistoricalNovels.info. I read an interview somewhere in which Pargeter said (in reference to the Cadfael mysteries) that she wasn't very good at villains. But her villain in The Heaven Tree may be among the best in fiction. He seems so real. His villainy is towering and monstrous, and yet you understand every step of the way why he feels and acts as he does. In fact, he doesn't seem like a villain at all through a large portion of the novel - though he's mesmerizingly interesting.[/quote]

I'm currently reading the Heaven Tree and thoroughly enjoying it. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Wed September 9th, 2009, 4:46 pm

I have all the Cadfaels dotted about on various tbr piles, but I've never seen any of her other books in the shops.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Thu September 10th, 2009, 5:04 am

Heaven Tree has been reprinted in various editions, some with all three novels of the trilogy in one volume. It may be out of print at present, but shouldn't be too hard to find used.

LambChop · Post by **LambChop** » Thu September 10th, 2009, 7:36 am

I bought all 3 books from various sellers on Ebay and paid somewhere in the region of £12 - bargain

All 3 books were in very good condition too.