Brigid of Kildare
A Novel
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- 10,99 €
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- 10,99 €
Descrizione dell’editore
Rich in historical detail, Heather Terrell’s mesmerizing novel Brigid of Kildare is the story of the revolutionary Saint Brigid and the discovery of the oldest illuminated manuscript in the annals of the Church, a manuscript that contains an astonishing secret history.
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 the most important and sacred manuscript ever made—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 is 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bookish appraiser Alexandra Patterson uncovers the secret history of a renegade saint in Terrell's subdued third novel (after The Map Thief). In need of funds to spread their saint's message, the Sisters of St. Brigid decide to sell off a clutch of gold and jeweled relics. In her assessment of their value, Alexandra discovers an ancient manuscript that just might be the lost Book of Kildare, an illuminated manuscript that surpasses in beauty the Book of Kells. She confers with Trinity College professor and old flame Declan Lamb, who backs her hunch. As these contemporary amateur sleuths uncover the manuscript's mysterious origins, Terrell traces in a second plot line the life of Brigid and her faithful scribe, Decius. Despite a promising premise, Terrell's matter-of-fact storytelling and dry weaving of past and present leaves little mystery or magic for readers to pursue.