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The Leper of Saint Giles

The Fifth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael

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The Leper of Saint Giles

By: Ellis Peters
Narrated by: Johanna Ward
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Setting out for the Saint Giles leper colony outside Shrewsbury, Brother Cadfael has more pressing matters on his mind than the grand wedding coming to his abbey. Yet as fate would have it, Cadfael arrives at Saint Giles just as the nuptial party passes the colony's gates. He sees the fragile bride, looking like a prisoner between her two stern guardians, and the bridegroom—an arrogant, fleshy aristocrat old enough to be her grandfather—and he quickly discerns that this union may be more damned than blessed.

Indeed, a savage murder will interrupt the May-December marriage and leave Brother Cadfael with a dark, terrible mystery to solve. The key to the killing—and a secret—is hidden among the lepers of Saint Giles. Now, Brother Cadfael's skills must ferret out a sickness not of the body, but of a twisted soul.

©1981 Ellis Peters (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Historical Mystery Traditional Detectives Fiction Detective
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Critic reviews

“There’s grey matter under that tonsure and oodles of scholarly medieval info to be gleaned.”

(Observer)

“Successful and gripping…Once again Ellis Peters has combined a proper, carefully plotted detective story with a carefully detailed, convincing evocation of medieval life.”

(Times Literary Supplement (London))

“Cunningly contrived with a great sense of period detail.”

(Yorkshire Post)
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Most relevant
I loved the story but have already read it several times so I knew I would. BUT for the first time ever with an Audible book I was very disappointed with the reader. Stephen Thorne has read all the other Cadfael book I have listened to and I really feel it needs a male voice. More disappointingly she was particularly bad at the required accent for a Welshman and she, like so many people , think all country folk speak with the "oh ar" accent that dreadful TV peasants use. I am a proud Salopian born and bred here and know no one who speaks like that. If readers are unable to genuine local accents they should not try to differentiate Te voices but just use expression and emotion to read the different voices. I am also disappointment when people make no effort to find out. The proper pronunciation of place names which is probably the producer or directors job, not the reader .

Not my favourite reader

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If you could sum up The Leper of Saint Giles in three words, what would they be?

very well crafted

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Leper of Saint Giles?

Spoilers - the reveal at the end of who the leper was, which if am honest I had suspected, but the way it all comes out was very well done.

What does Joanna Ward bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

She carries the charaters well, th

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really, but it wouldn't hurt it

Any additional comments?

Very good story.

Wonderfully twisting tale of murder

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Very enjoyable, Joanna Ward, made the characters real, and believable. This.made the.story more appealing for the listener.

Entertaining and enjoyable .

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

Yes...it is a good Ellis Peter story...well written and interesting.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Totally! Her ludicrously bad attempt at a Welsh accent for Cadfael was so irritating and jarring that it spoiled the experience for me. It would have been better if she had not tried...I am amazed that the producers accepted it. Rather than being absorbed by the story I was constantly being wrenched into the present whenever Cadfael spoke!

Good story, spoiled by narrator

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Stephen Thorne did a great job with Cadfael, so it's sad he didn't read them all. Still Joanna Ward is reasonable if you're happy with a reader rather than a performer- she (thankfully) avoids putting on silly voices as some do!
It's a great story, no question, and unabridged, thank God.

Great story but not best narrator

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