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Book Review of Brother Cadfael's Penance (Brother Cadfael, Bk 20)

Brother Cadfael's Penance (Brother Cadfael, Bk 20)
cyndij avatar reviewed on + 1032 more book reviews


The 20th and final book in the Brother Cadfael series. I've really enjoyed reading this series again. Not necessary to read them in order, but this one deserves to be read last...everything points to Ellis Peters intending this to be the end. The themes of loyalty, morality, and duty ripple all through here, along with the awareness of mortality and the legacies we leave behind. Part of the plot is familiar, with a young man accused of a murder he did not commit, but the main thrust is Cadfael's determination to find and free Olivier; the unveiling of the murderer is almost an anticlimax. Cadfael's return to the abbey is a comforting ending to this series, which has long been at the top of my "comfort reads" list.