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Brother Cadfael's Penance
- The Twentieth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
- Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
- Series: Brother Cadfael, Book 20
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
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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.
What listeners say about Brother Cadfael's Penance
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Joanna
- 10-18-12
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.
13 people found this helpful
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- BEK
- 06-06-17
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!
4 people found this helpful
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- Elizabisses
- 10-21-20
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.
2 people found this helpful
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- s
- 03-05-13
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
- 12-13-11
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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- Illini Two
- 01-02-12
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
- 06-05-11
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
8 people found this helpful
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- Jude Malta
- 07-19-19
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.
2 people found this helpful
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- margaret
- 02-21-21
some books you can read again and again
A gentle story despite it containing a murder and an attack in a castle. It's much more about family connections and honour. Parent and grown child.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mrs. G. Chew
- 08-12-17
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.
1 person found this helpful
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- R. Inns
- 09-22-15
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!
1 person found this helpful
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- Nonie
- 02-07-15
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
- 04-13-13
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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- M A.
- 01-29-22
Derek Jacobi is the perfect Cadfael
Loved Derek Jacobi's performance. I have watched all the adaptations of Cadfael he starred in & was hoping that his reading of the books would be as good. I wasn't disappointed. Wonderful to listen to & I know that I'll listen to his aduiobok adaptations as often as I've watched his screen performances and continue to get great enjoyment from them.
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- Grumio
- 09-23-20
much-loved monk
loved it Derek Jacoby Master story teller. classic tale of our favourite monk so well written
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- Wattie
- 08-09-18
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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- Pauline
- 11-30-20
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
- 05-27-16
A Great Listen
A fabulous presentation so well delivered by Derek Jacobi. A great way to enjoy this excellent book.