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St. Peter's Fair

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St. Peter's Fair

By: Ellis Peters
Narrated by: Johanna Ward
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About this listen

 St. Peter's Fair is a grand, festive event, attracting merchants from across England and beyond. There is a pause in the civil war racking the country in the summer of 1139, and the fair promises to bring some much-needed gaiety to the town of Shrewsbury. Until, that is, the body of a wealthy merchant is found murdered in the river Severn. Was Thomas of Bristol the victim of murderous thieves? And, if so, why were his valuables abandoned nearby?

Brother Cadfael, that shrewd but kindly monk, offers to help the merchant's lovely niece Emma. But while he is searching for the killer, Thomas of Bristol's wares are ransacked and two more men are murdered. Emma almost certainly knows more than she is telling - as others will soon realize. Cadfael desperately races to save the young girl, knowing that in a country at war with itself, betrayal can come from any direction - and even good intentions can kill.

St. Peter's Fair is the fourth chronicle of Brother Cadfael, of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, at Shrewsbury.

©1981 Ellis Peters (P)1997 Blackstone Audiobooks Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense War
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I loved this tale as I did the three previous ones but sorely missed Stephen Thorne as the narrator. Tales about monks with a largely male cast of characters sounds far better with a male narrator. A hard task to follow one as good as Stephen Thorne too. Bring back Stephen Thorne! Please!

Wrong narrator!

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I love the Cadfael stories and was therefore able to cope with this audiobook but I would certainly not recommend it to someone who is not a fan. Sadly, the narrator has a very poor, staccato delivery and cannot do a Welsh accent to save her life. She would have done far better not to try rather than give us the very odd mixture of accents that we get. As other reviewers have stated she also has some very strange pronunciations of normal English words. Despite this, the quality of the story wins through.

What did you like best about this story?

A great medieval mystery - fully up to Ellis Peter's best standard.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She really did not seem to have got to grips with the characters at all and cannot do accents.

Any additional comments?

Don't let the poor quality of the narration put you off the Brother Cadfael books.

Excellent story, poor narration

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narration of the book is littered with amazing poor diction. The pronunciation of some of the words was astonishing, As the story went on I started to just listen out for the next blunder which really took the shine of what is one of my favourite Cadfael stories.

What other book might you compare St. Peter's Fair to, and why?

It is part of a cannon of books which can be read in sequence but they are strong enough to stand alone.

What didn’t you like about Johanna Ward’s performance?

Nothing really. Please see my comment on poor diction.

Do you think St. Peter's Fair needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It is part of a cannon of books which can be read in sequence but they are strong enough to stand alone.

Good story lost in the telling

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This reader's dreadful mispronunciation of a great many words, and slight twanging accent makes this a very uncomfortable listening experience. Unfortunately this is the ONLY unabridged recording I could find anywhere, so it's Hobson's choice. It also seems strange to have a book about an exclusively male community read by a woman.

Excellent story badly spoilt by reader

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I am in the process of building up my collection of the whole series of Cadfael books and am, as usual, completly delighted with the book itself, however it is let down by the reader. Cadfael is Welsh, albeit years away from his native ground, but he would, I think, retain the accent and musical cadences of the language. Unfortunatly, on first hearing, his accent moves between West Contry and Irish, with a touch of Sheffield here and there. I suppose I have been spoiled by the readings by Stephen Thorne, who in my opinion, is the ideal 'voice of Cadfael'. Do not let this spoil the experience, though. I soon found that I was able to listen to the book and hear Stephen Thorne's voice.

Good Book - Let down by narration

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