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The Virgin in the Ice
- The Sixth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
- Narrated by: Vanessa Benjamin
- Series: Brother Cadfael, Book 6
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 01-24-12
- Language: English
- Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $19.57
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
It is June in the Year of Our Lord 1143 when Elave, young clerk to William of Lythwood, returns from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his elderly master's body. His mission is twofold, to bury William in his home abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, and to deliver a dowry to William's adopted daughter Fortunata. But Elave, suspected of harboring views inimical to church doctrine, is held for ecclesiastical trial. And when Aldwin, the Lythwood family clerk hired in Elave's absence, is stabbed to death, Elave is incarcerated not only for heresy, but for murder. Fortunata's dowry, an intricately carved box with mysterious contents, holds the key to the mysteries that spring up around Elave and the Lythwood family. Shrewd and patient, Brother Cadfael is at his best here. Performed by Tony Award-winning actor Derek Jacobi, this sixteenth chronicle of Brother Cadfael is sure to delight old friends and new fans.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Simon Prebble Preferred
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1 out of 5 stars
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destructive abridgements
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It is the Summer and Autumn of the Year of Our Lord 1143 in which the gentle monk, Brother Cadfael, is forced to leave the tranquility of his herb garden to find the whole truth behind the murder of a young women whose body was unexpectedly discovered in a newly tilled field recently acquired by the Shrewsbury Abbey in a land exchange.
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3 out of 5 stars
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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.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Disappointed in Abridged
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5 out of 5 stars
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It is June in the Year of Our Lord 1143 when Elave, young clerk to William of Lythwood, returns from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his elderly master's body. His mission is twofold, to bury William in his home abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, and to deliver a dowry to William's adopted daughter Fortunata. But Elave, suspected of harboring views inimical to church doctrine, is held for ecclesiastical trial. And when Aldwin, the Lythwood family clerk hired in Elave's absence, is stabbed to death, Elave is incarcerated not only for heresy, but for murder. Fortunata's dowry, an intricately carved box with mysterious contents, holds the key to the mysteries that spring up around Elave and the Lythwood family. Shrewd and patient, Brother Cadfael is at his best here. Performed by Tony Award-winning actor Derek Jacobi, this sixteenth chronicle of Brother Cadfael is sure to delight old friends and new fans.
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It is the Summer and Autumn of the Year of Our Lord 1143 in which the gentle monk, Brother Cadfael, is forced to leave the tranquility of his herb garden to find the whole truth behind the murder of a young women whose body was unexpectedly discovered in a newly tilled field recently acquired by the Shrewsbury Abbey in a land exchange.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Matthew Bartholomew, unorthodox but effective physician to Michaelhouse college in medieval Cambridge, is as worried as anyone about the pestilence that is ravaging Europe and seems to be approaching England. But he is distracted by the sudden and inexplicable death of the Master of Michaelhouse - a death the University authorities do not want investigated.
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review
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The Beekeeper's Apprentice, or On the Segregation of the Queen
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This program includes a preface read by the author. In 1915, Sherlock Holmes is retired and quietly engaged in the study of honeybees when a young woman literally stumbles into him on the Sussex Downs. Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes - and match him wit for wit. Under his reluctant tutelage, this very modern 20th-century woman proves a deft protégée and a fitting partner for the Victorian detective.
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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- Abridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 14
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 7
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It is December in the Year of our Lord 1138 when Gervase Bonel dies after eating sauce laced with poison served which had been served with a partridge. The active ingredient found in the sauce was monkshood, poison if ingested and otherwise known as Wolfsbane. Brother Cadfael made the oil. Who used it as poison? Cadfael assesses the motives of Bonel’s Welsh natural son and his stepson, and deals with Bonel’s widow, who at one time long ago was Cadfae's sweetheart. Drawing upon his knowledge of both herbs and the human heart, Cadfael ultimately uncovers a deadly recipe for murder.
Publisher's Summary
The winter of 1139 will disrupt Brother Cadfael's tranquil life in Shrewsbury with the most disturbing events. Raging civil war has sent refugees fleeing north from Worcester. Among them are two orphans from a noble family, a boy of thirteen and an 18-year-old girl of great beauty, and their companion, a young Benedictine nun. But the trio, never reaching Shrewsbury, have disappeared somewhere in the wild countryside.
Cadfael feels afraid these three lost lambs, but another call for help sends him to the Church of Saint Mary. A wounded monk, found naked and bleeding by the roadside, will surely die without Cadfael's healing arts. Why this holy man has been attacked and what his fevered ravings reveal soon give Brother Cadfael a clue to the fate of the missing travelers. Now Cadfael sets out on a dangerous quest to find them. The road will lead him to a chill and terrible murder and a tale of passion gone awry. And at journey's end awaits a vision of what is best, and worst, in humankind...in Ellis Peters's most stunning depiction yet of love and war.
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What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars65
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4 Stars29
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3 Stars7
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2 Stars7
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1 Stars4
Performance
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars29
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4 Stars9
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3 Stars5
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2 Stars4
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1 Stars3
Story
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars38
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4 Stars7
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3 Stars2
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2 Stars2
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1 Stars2
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Pixie Spritely
- 01-07-10
Excellent story, narrator a bit rough
Having listened to Ward narrate the previous books, I really can't listen to Benjamin's voices for male characters. She sounds as though she's telling a story to little children and using her "big bad wolf" gruff voice. I shall repurchase this title with the Thorne narration.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Vivian
- 01-06-04
THE BEST
I have listen to a lot of Ellis Peters', Brother Cadfael books and this is my favorite so far. Reader is very good. Look forward to downloading the 2 or 3 Ellis Peters i do not have.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Bodiccea
- 12-22-16
Sooooooo boring
Any additional comments?
I've been enjoying the Brother Cadfael series but after several hours of listening, I have to give up on this one. After a promising start, the story unravels into one group of people travelling across country looking for one person, another couple heading out looking for someone else, yet another one travelling here and there. It goes on and on and on with little or no action other than riding or walking about. I suppose at some point someone will find someone else but I've reached the end of caring.
As others have mentioned, the narrator is not very good at male voices. She has a lovely speaking voice but tries a bit too hard with the male voices. She's also a bit louder with the male voices, which resulted in my constantly adjusting the volume. Life is too short for this kind of aggravation!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Christopher
- somerset, Australia
- 07-29-11
Good story marred by poor reader
The story is up to Peters' usual standard. Unfortunately, the reader seems unable to offer a Welsh accent, and all the male characters sound the same, which caused me a lot of confusion at times. The 13 year old male character sounded like a 6 year old. Poor narration.
Unfortunately, in Australia, we are unable to download the version with the male narrator. Pity.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Pearl Margareta
- Sweden
- 08-05-18
Wasted money on this recording!
I am sorry to say that this recording is NOT what I am used to, when other narrators have read the Cadfael books.This narrator, Vanessa Benjamin, is making some characters too pompous (Cadfael and Hugh Beringar are not pompous!) and sometimes it is hard to understand Who is saying What, for example, when two males are talking! Only female and children are o.k. Besides that - here and there in the recording there are odd tin-scraping noices, like nails on a tin roof. Not nice at all!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JH Porter
- 11-26-17
5-star story, 4-star reading
I missed Cadfael's Welsh accent, as Stephen Thorne reads it. But still a good and satisfying mystery.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- Tucson, AZ USA
- 03-04-17
Bait and switch
Again. Buying thru amazon, audible set this up so you don't get the version you think you are getting. Not only that you then have to deal with audible instead of Amazon if you want it fixed. Amazon fixes problems. Audible makes excuses.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Maureen
- Portland, Australia
- 08-01-13
Cadfael to the rescue
Good old Cadfael does it again - a touch of forensic observation, a dose of kindness and a plateful of tolerance for the folly of girls in love. The only down-side of this audiobook was the occasional recording or production fault that left some words out or allowed a nasty electronic signal to overlay the narrator. This detracted a little from the performance and made the product seem a little shoddy. Better 'proof-reading' by editorial staff could pick up these faults before release.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Rhonda
- Kentucky, Australia
- 10-25-12
Why on earth did they choose this narrator?
Surely it would make sense to use a male narrator for a novel whose main character is a man, indeed most of its characters are men. Or at least one who doesn't sound so laboured when reading 'male voices' (her own voice when reading descriptive passages was pleasant) - they were irritating in the extreme. Maybe I am just too used to Stephen Thorne. Although Joanna Ward manages it - just.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth
- 02-28-12
A good story odd read
Would you consider the audio edition of The Virgin in the Ice to be better than the print version?
I read the book before I listened to this version of it, I also watched all the BBC series so I was exposed to the story before. I think that hearing a book gives a whole new meanings and makes it a different experience if the narrator is good. Not better or worse just different.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Virgin in the Ice?
Well the two I liked the most was the tower scene with Eve and Olivier in the tower, and at the end with Olivier and Cadfael.
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
I found the narrators male voices to be comical and not realistic, it was distracting. Her regular speaking voice was fine. Some people just can't do characters and this narrator is one.
Any additional comments?
The story is good enough to get beyond the narrator who is not the worst I have listened to, but by far not the best either.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nigel
- 05-13-13
Good story, problemswith the narration.
Fans of Cadfael will enjoy the story. The only problem is the narrator. She reads the story line well but can't pull off a "male voice" and as most of the characters are male it rather sounds a bit silly.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- shirley
- 01-24-14
disappointing in parts not a clear download
Would you try another book written by Ellis Peters or narrated by Vanessa Benjamin?
no i don't think so these stories are best read my a man
What did you like best about this story?
the cadfael stories are always good
Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Vanessa Benjamin?
derick jacobi
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
no reaction
Any additional comments?
i have always enjoyed books on tape or cd i found this one not as enjoyable as my others
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lucy
- 06-08-17
Great story, terrible delivery
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Bring back Stephen Thorne
Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Vanessa Benjamin?
Stephen Thorne
Any additional comments?
It's always galling when the narrator mispronounces words. When VB got the name of one of the principle characters wrong, I gave up.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan
- 12-01-15
Great story - poor naration
The story is the normal high quality, but the reader has Cadfael far too english
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C
- 11-18-15
good story / presentation could be better
despite a good story. names mispronounced and no Welsh accents made it an annoying listen.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Aileen
- 06-02-14
medieval mystery tour
I always enjoy the Brother Cadfael mysteries, as long as I don't listen to them one after the other - the utterly formulaic nature of the writing becomes irritating. There is something very soothing and engaging about these books, and the Virgin in the Ice is very typical of the series.
The narrator has a nice voice, but she give Cadfael a very posh, pompous upper class accent. This is really a strange choice, given that Cadfael is very Welsh (a fact that is repeatedly commented on in the narrative) and very down-to-earth. The accent and characterisation is completely wrong for him. I found that jarring throughout the book.
Otherwise, a nice, fun mystery that unfolds gently.