Saint Cuthbert Trilogy - Introduction
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The trilogy based around one of England’s most important saints — Cuthbert
The first book, Heaven in a Wild Flower, includes the saint among the cast of characters and therefore is set in the seventh century. The main character, Aella, who Cuthbert befriends, is a leather-worker and the patriarch of a Northumbrian dynasty destined to be deeply touched by the saint’s life and miracles. Thanks to the saint’s influence on him, Aella transforms from a talented craftsman who works leather into a learned scribe and biographer of his mentor. |
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A wealthy ninth-century thegn, Cynn, is an Anglian nobleman whose work is to carry on the family tradition of trading, supplying, breeding and training horses for the king.
But Cynn is also a cavalry commander because he lives in times troubled by Viking raids. His brother Galan is one of the seven monks who carry the coffin of St Cuthbert around the land to keep the sacred remains from falling into the Norsemen’s hands.
Cynn has the task of confronting a recalcitrant Viking leader who continues to slaughter and devastate in the north whilst other Danes become peaceful settlers. Tracking down and eliminating this merciless foe becomes Cynn’s life work.
The third novel is an anomaly since it falls slightly outside my preferred Anglo-Saxon period as it begins immediately post-Conquest.
Its two main characters are very different: Kenrick is a descendant of the previous two main characters but he is not warlike. Instead, he wishes to become a master mason and will succeed in building Durham cathedral to house the shrine of Saint Cuthbert.
One small spoiler, he is helped in this ambition by Thurgot, a shipwrecked traveller saved by Kenrick from drowning. I can say no more for fear of spoiling!
Heaven in a Wild Flower
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Book 1 of the St Cuthbert Trilogy. Aella is a leatherworker living in 7th century Northumbria. After surviving the war against the Picts, the king becomes his godfather, and Aella befriends Bishop Cuthbert.
Aware of Aella's skills, the monks of Lindisfarne commission him to make the cover of the Gospel of St. John as a gift for Cuthbert. Impressed by the masterpiece, Ecgfrith’s successor, King Aldfrith, sends Aella to Ireland to learn to read and write. Soon, Aella befriends a fellow student, learns to illuminate manuscripts, and falls in love. But can he achieve his dreams, and wed the love of his life? |
Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtakingly wonderful.
"I had forgotten how much I enjoyed stories set in the past, especially in Saxon times. I have loved writers such as Cornwell, Bernard Knight, Ellis Peters, Tremayne and many more and, Broughton is most definitely their equal. Imagine my delight also to find another author in this standing and that he has many more books to read.
Heaven in a Wild Flower is, I believe, book 1 of a saga that I feel compelled to read. I would see this book very much as the Sister Fidelma genre in that is not warrior-based, although our central protagonist, a master craftsman, is taken from his workshop to fight for his King. This is much more cerebral. We follow Aella from war, to a convenient Christian conversion, through to an academic life and back out again to make his mark in life."
"I had forgotten how much I enjoyed stories set in the past, especially in Saxon times. I have loved writers such as Cornwell, Bernard Knight, Ellis Peters, Tremayne and many more and, Broughton is most definitely their equal. Imagine my delight also to find another author in this standing and that he has many more books to read.
Heaven in a Wild Flower is, I believe, book 1 of a saga that I feel compelled to read. I would see this book very much as the Sister Fidelma genre in that is not warrior-based, although our central protagonist, a master craftsman, is taken from his workshop to fight for his King. This is much more cerebral. We follow Aella from war, to a convenient Christian conversion, through to an academic life and back out again to make his mark in life."
The Horse-Thegn
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It is the late ninth century and Northumbria is subjected to Viking attacks but also to Danish settlement.
Cynn is the royal horse-thegn, and striving for peace and integration on his estates, he is charged by the king with ending the pillaging of a foul band of raiders led by the elusive Edred, whose atrocities become increasingly violent, ending in open revolt against legitimate rule. Will Cynn achieve his aim of a durable and prosperous kingdom, as he enters the new century, in the face of these and other external threats? John Broughton’s historical knowledge is worn lightly but authentically in this gripping historical adventure novel, the second of the Saint Cuthbert trilogy. |
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Amazon Customer 5.0 out of 5 stars Another scintillating tale of Saxon Britain
This is the third novel I have read by Broughton and I just cannot get enough of them. They are well-researched with historic events portrayed through fictional characters that leap from the page in authenticity.
This is the second book in the Saint Cuthbert trilogy. I loved book one and I immediately bought the sequel, expecting to follow the characters. However this book is set two generations later, and this surprised me at first, but, this is a trilogy about the influence of St Cuthbert and not the characters that enabled Cuthbert in his life. Having said that, there are references and familial ties to the original protagonists and I think, upon reflection, I enjoyed this more.
This is the third novel I have read by Broughton and I just cannot get enough of them. They are well-researched with historic events portrayed through fictional characters that leap from the page in authenticity.
This is the second book in the Saint Cuthbert trilogy. I loved book one and I immediately bought the sequel, expecting to follow the characters. However this book is set two generations later, and this surprised me at first, but, this is a trilogy about the influence of St Cuthbert and not the characters that enabled Cuthbert in his life. Having said that, there are references and familial ties to the original protagonists and I think, upon reflection, I enjoyed this more.
The Master of the Chevron
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After the Norman Conquest, fate throws the contrasting characters of a studious monk and a bluff mason together for a lifelong friendship. The monk, Thurgot, senses Kenrick’s destiny, a man who saves him from drowning near the Farne Isles. His Christian beliefs entwine with Kenrick’s pragmatic talents to overcome the obstacles of revolt, persecution and financial hardship that these turbulent times present. Each is able to leave his mark in late eleventh- and early twelfth-century Northumbria.
Today, the visitor to Durham can admire the work of the first master mason. Follow his trials and tribulations in John Broughton’s third novel in the Saint Cuthbert trilogy. |
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Sashadoo VINE VOICE 5.0 out of 5 stars Creation in the midst of turbulent times
Having read the first two books in John Broughton's trilogy, I looked forward to reading the final episode, based on St. Cuthbert and those who followed his teachings and who revered the Saint long after his death. In the 11th century, England was a land of various kingdoms, with many monarchs vying for overall control of a divided land. The church, a powerful body in those days, was equally divided with various bishops courting favour with whichever monarch they thought would support their individual needs and requirements. The author has brought his prodigious talent to bear by mixing historical fact and a fictional tale that centres around two main characters, Kenrick, the, Master of the Chevron ' who becomes the master builder tasked with the creation of a new cathedral in Durham, and Thurgot, his friend who rises in rank within the church and becomes his chief supporter and advocate for his work. |
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