3.5
Brigid of Kildare
ByPublisher Description
A mesmerizing novel of the revolutionary Saint Brigid and the discovery of an astonishing secret history—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room and The Other Einstein, writing as Heather Terrell
“Authentically told and fascinating, Brigid of Kildare brims with historical detail—highly enjoyable.”—Susan Fraser King, author of Lady Macbeth
Fifth-century Ireland: Brigid is Ireland’s first and only female priest and bishop. Followers flock to her Kildare abbey and scriptorium. Hearing accounts of Brigid’s power, the Church deems her a threat and sends Decius, a Roman priest and scribe, on a secret mission to collect proof of Brigid’s heresy.
As Decius records the unorthodox practices of Brigid and her abbey, he becomes intrigued by her. When Brigid assigns Decius a holy task—to create an important and sacred manuscript—he finds himself at odds with his original mission and faces the most difficult decision of his life.
Modern day: Alexandra Patterson, an appraiser of medieval relics, has been summoned to Kildare to examine a reliquary box believed to belong to Saint Brigid. Hidden within the sacred box is the most beautiful illuminated manuscript Alex has ever seen. But even more extraordinary are the contents of the manuscript’s vellum pages, which may have dire repercussions for the Catholic Church and could very well rewrite the origins of Christianity.
“Authentically told and fascinating, Brigid of Kildare brims with historical detail—highly enjoyable.”—Susan Fraser King, author of Lady Macbeth
Fifth-century Ireland: Brigid is Ireland’s first and only female priest and bishop. Followers flock to her Kildare abbey and scriptorium. Hearing accounts of Brigid’s power, the Church deems her a threat and sends Decius, a Roman priest and scribe, on a secret mission to collect proof of Brigid’s heresy.
As Decius records the unorthodox practices of Brigid and her abbey, he becomes intrigued by her. When Brigid assigns Decius a holy task—to create an important and sacred manuscript—he finds himself at odds with his original mission and faces the most difficult decision of his life.
Modern day: Alexandra Patterson, an appraiser of medieval relics, has been summoned to Kildare to examine a reliquary box believed to belong to Saint Brigid. Hidden within the sacred box is the most beautiful illuminated manuscript Alex has ever seen. But even more extraordinary are the contents of the manuscript’s vellum pages, which may have dire repercussions for the Catholic Church and could very well rewrite the origins of Christianity.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesBrigid of Kildare Reviews
3.5
“Mostly good storytelling. Interesting way to use fiction to explore other types of historical narratives, particularly for women in the early church. Loved the plot. But I found the narration, dialogue, and characters of the modern sections stiff, tacky, and two-dimensional. Particularly in their dialogue and the development of what motivated the main character, Alex. She just wasn’t a very well-fleshed out character. I think even Brigid could have been better developed. Her journey to conversion is not convincing for me. Also was clearly written by a person interested in church history and Christianity but doesn’t truly understand it on a spiritual level. So many subtle heresies other than the ones obviously mentioned, which betrays a lack of true understanding of the Catholic theology of the Marian doctrines. It lacks the touch of someone who has encountered the Holy Spirit on a personal level. The romance is written by someone who has clearly experienced romantic love. The spirituality, though, feels written by someone who hasn’t experienced life-changing spirituality. Though it’s a great attempt at mimicking the behaviour of one who has.”
“Alexandra Patterson is an appraiser of antique artifacts, and she is summoned to Kildare, Ireland to evaluate some items from the Abbey of Saint Brigid that the order seeks to sell to raise money. What she discovers in the treasure trove of items is a reliquary box with a leather-bound manuscript that might even pre-date the Book of Kells. Also among the artifacts are a story of Brigid’s life, penned by a monk named Decius, who was sent by Pope Simplicius to spy on the Abbey, and on Brigid in particular in order to document the allegedly heretical practices of the faithful in Ireland. There are also letters Decius wrote to his brother that chronicle his time, but that he never sent and hid before he had to return to Rome. Decius, however, becomes intrigued by and even falls in love with Brigid (from afar).
Brigid is the true force behind Ireland’s conversion to Catholicism; she was baptized by St. Patrick, who left the task of this conversion to her. Accordingly, we get Brigid’s story from the fifth century interspersed with the modern-day efforts to authenticate these ancient documents.
Ms. Terrell, also known as Marie Benedict, does historical fiction about strong females very well. I have read and enjoyed a number of her more recent works under the Marie Benedict name, and I enjoyed this earlier offering as well.”
About Marie Benedict
Marie Benedict, the pen name for Heather Terrell, is the New York Times bestselling co-author of the Good Morning America Book Club Pick The Personal Librarian and author of The Other Einstein and Carnegie’s Maid, among other novels. As Heather Terrell, she wrote The Chrysalis, Brigid of Kildare, and The Map Thief. A lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies, Benedict is a graduate of Boston College and of the Boston University School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
Other books by Marie Benedict
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