The Sanctuary Sparrow

I was sorting through some old files the other day when I came across a book report I wrote several years ago for a school assignment.
It presented me with a golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: writing a book review, and critiquing a piece of my writing…

The book is The Sanctuary Sparrow, a mediaeval murder mystery by Ellis Peters (a.k.a Edith Pargeter). It is one of the earlier books in The Cadfael Chronicles and I would definitely recommend it as something well written, enthralling and a little different from your run-of-the-mill murder mystery.

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Date: 18th February
Book Title: The Sanctuary Sparrow
Author: Ellis Peters
Publisher: Macmillian London Limited

The book is about…

The Sanctuary Sparrow follows the story of a young man who is falsely accused of robbery and murder. He is pursued by a lynching mob and is only spared (for the time being) because he accidentally stumbles upon the sanctuary of a Benedictine monastery. One of the monks there, Brother Cadfael, believes that he is innocent but has only forty days and nights to prove it.

The setting of this book is…

This book is set in a small town called Shrewsbury in the county of Shropshire. The civil war between the Empress and the King is still raging, but further south. The area the book encompasses is currently under a fragile peace but there is an underlay of tension and uncertainty. All the same, the winter is over and for the moment, the people are making the most of peace.

The main character in this book is…

The main character in this book is Brother Cadfael. He is a Benedictine monk with uncommon skills as a herbalist and an interesting past. Before he ‘took up his cloth’, he had several other occupations. In 1096, he joined the First Crusade under the command of the Duke of Normandy, Robert II. He lived in both the Holy Land and Syria for several years and also earnt a living as a sailor for a time.
When he eventually managed to return in 1114, the woman he’d been unofficially engaged to had married another. Cadfael became a foot soldier and fought in a conflict in Normandy. On his return, the nobleman that he was working for kidnapped Prior Heribert of Shrewsbury Abbey in an attempt to foil a lawsuit. Cadfael decided to free the Abbot and ended up laying aside his arms and joining the Abbey.

Some other important people in the book are…

Lilliwin is a travelling jongleur. Without family or fortune, he is trying to make his way through a country ridden with discord. He is honest but will need to prove it in order to escape the cruel penalty for a crime he did not commit.

Name three other characters. Write one fact about each character.

1.    Brother Anselm is a Benedictine monk who is a skilled and meticulous instrument maker and repairer. He teaches Lilliwin to read music.

2.    Hugh Beringar is the Deputy Sheriff of Shrewsbury. He is a fair man and is one of the few people in his profession capable of believing the maxim 'innocent until proven guilty'.

3.    Master Walter is a rich goldsmith who is inclined to be suspicious. He is strong in his beliefs and protective of his fortune. 

The biggest problem in this book is…

The most important element to this book is, as one would expect, solving the mystery. Clearing the name of an innocent is something that Brother Cadfael strongly believes in and as a result, he drives the plot. Throughout, it is clear that the mystery needs to be solved and unfolded before authorities before it becomes too late.

Some important events in the book are…

•    Master Walter’s gold was stolen
•    Lilliwin found sanctuary
•    Cadfael discovered the dead body in the river
•    Dame Juliana had a stroke
•    Susanna fled to Wales but was arrested
•    Lilliwin was pardoned

At the end of the book…

The end of the book brought, of course, the solving of the mystery. Despite this, the ending was bittersweet. The murderer was in the process of fleeing to Wales and was planning on getting married before she was captured.

I thought this book…

I believe that this is an excellent book. It is well written with a captivating, intricately woven storyline. The scene is set exceedingly well and you really get a sense that you are, in fact, in a mediaeval town. The events that occur throughout feel as if they are perfectly plausible and the times themselves are depicted in a manner that is accurate and yet manages not to come across as being overly dark or depressing. There is an element of the moralistic in the book that I find interesting. In particular, Cadfael’s thoughts and observations on human weaknesses and flaws.

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Wow, there's something very refreshing about reading one's previous opinions!
There's a lot of nice phrasing which I really enjoyed such as 'Without family or fortune, he is trying to make his way through a country ridden with discord'. It's almost difficult to believe that I actually came up with that sentence myself, it could be on a blurb! :)
Because of the inflexible structure we were given, it sometimes has a bit of a clinical feel about it but that can't really be helped so I shan't worry about it (much...).
If I were to do it again, I would like to edit it a bit more to give it that extra polish.
 All in all, I think that it was a pretty good review. I really liked that it was informative without giving too much a way.