Brigid of Kildare

By Heather Terrell

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345505123
• ISBN13: 9780345505125
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Lovely little read!

Loved following the three timelines and three protagonists! Truly a good read that keeps you entertained.

Great Historical Novel

Heather Terrel's "Brigid Of Kildare" is a warm book about friendship, discovery, and religion all wrapped around the historical setting of the distant past. The author follows the life of Saint Brigid, the possibly apocryphal saint of Kildare, Ireland, and her attempts to not only win the souls of the pagan Irish for God, but also keep an independent Ireland from the clutches of the Roman Catholic Church while also looking to endear the church to the particularly Irish brand of Catholicism. In the present, we follow Alexandra Patterson as she works with the Sisters of St. Brigid to appraise relics that they would like to auction to raise funds for the convent. Along the way, Alexandra discovers the hidden 6th century Book of Kells, a priceless illuminated manuscript pre-dating the Book of Kells, and two other scrolls of period writing by a scribe named Decius. As the plot continue, we learn more about the lives of Brigid & Decius and their growing bond as well as Alexandra's efforts to date the manuscript and scrolls without violating either the Sister's trust in her or her belief system. While I greatly enjoyed the book, I can see how people may feel that it is somewhat light fiction. The author somewhat skips across the surface of her characters and spends much more time developing the overall story rather than dwelling in certain places from time to time. However, the book is already 256 pages - a good number - and I can't think of anything that I'd cut to make room to flesh out the characters. As a history buff I enjoyed the "what if's" throughout as well as the historical references that the book offers to help the backstory. Above all else, I thought Brigid was an extremely believable and likable character and by the end of the book, it was hard not to fall in love with her as her friend Decius had done. The religious aspects of the book are very muted while also being neutral in opinion. The author neither bashes the Catholic faith nor tries to win you to the cause. As a non-denominational born-again Christian, I enjoyed the even-handedness of the topics. Brigid & Decius are devout Catholics and are treated as such. Alexandra is not, but neither does she go on some "religion is evil rant". I also have to truly commend the author on "allowing" Brigid & Decius to have unrequited love for eachother while steadfastly remaining true to their vows. This was an unexpected and welcome aspect. Other things of note are that the reader needs to pay attention to the chapter headings and the year. The author skips forward and backward throughout the book, not only between past and present, but also within the lifetime of Brigid. If you are not paying attention you can easily get thrown from the plot and start to wonder what the heck is going on. The book is also a page turner. I took very little time to read through the book's 256 pages and was disappointed that I was done when I had finished the book. In my mind, that's the

Standard Heather Terrell fare

Fans of Heather Terrell know her style, and they'll find it in this book. The Heather Terrell style includes: 1- A richly detailed story world, pulling the reader in. 2- A compelling conspiracy. 3- A story that travels between different periods in time, weaving the past intot the present. Add some really fun characters, an ancient manuscript, and a nod to bibliophiles everywhere (and what book ever suffered from having a lovable bibliophile as a protagonist?) and you get Brigit of Kildare.

A Wonderful Novel of Suspense and Faith

First a cautionary note. This novel, while not primarily a "faith promoting" story, will probably have greater appeal to people who are inclined towards religious belief than it will to those not so inclined. That said, this is one of the rare books I have read recently of which I can truthfully say, in time honored cliché: "I couldn't put it down" -- literally. It is a beautifully woven tale from three points of view: Brigid of Kildare, Decius, a Roman monk sent by the Vatican to report on the heresies of the Gaelic Church, and Alexandra Patterson, an antiquarian artifact appraiser and specialist. The author, Heather Terrell has skilfully given each of these characters a distinctive voice in which to tell the story. The story itself moves seamlessly back and forth between the fifth century AD and the present day -- with a twelfth century epilog. This can be a hazardous device in any novel as the author will often leave the reader confused as to what exactly is going on. Heather Terrell does not make this mistake, and there is an interesting reason for it. As a graduate of the Boston University School of law with ten years of litigation experience under her belt, Terrell builds her narative using the same skills that are required to present a convincing case to a jury. She gently introduces historical facts in a way that makes them almost transparent. In fact, when I started reading, I viewed the novel as pure fantasy fiction. About half way through I suddenly thought -- "but wait -- there's more", and I took Brigid of Kildare to Google where I discovered a wealth of information on this very real Irish Saint. A Saint, no less, second only to the universally known St. Patrick, the very patron Saint of Ireland. The story itself tells of the discovery of an ancient manuscript predating the Book of Kells by nearly a half century, and of how it came to be created -- and why. It shares the additional ancient texts scribed by Decius that amount to a biography of Brigid, and the personal thoughts of that devout monk in the form of letters to his brother in Rome. I learned that Kildare, or, more properly called Cill Dara, and its abbey, and its Patron Saint Brigid are very much real and alive in the minds of the Irish. I felt a burning desire to include Cill Dara on the list of places I must visit ere I pass this life. Quite simply, I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.

Capturing the Beauty of Kildare

Heather Terrell has captured a tale of a medieval Coptic Book of Kildare that predates the Book of Kells. A tale of Brigid of Killdare a 5Th century monastery devoted to the saint Bridgid, The appraisal by Alex, a modern reliquaries, and her find of a book in a hidden secret compartment in one of the relics she has been sent to appraise . This is a tale of a time split nature from a goddess of Paganism selected by St. Patric to lead the Irish people into Christanity. Brigid who has been raised in the old religion yet was selected to ease her followers to Christ. It is also a story of Mary the mother of Jesus, who is hidden from any acknowledgement by a church who felt that women had no place in leadership. In the other side of this modern time split adventure we have Bridgid the goddess selected by St. Patrict on his death bed to finish his life work. Holy Roman church gets wind of this Bridgid and her good works with so many followers send a scribe Decius ,to spy on Bridgid and report back to the Holy Roman church any "Hersey" of Bridgid. Does she lead her followers in the old ways and not Christanity? Decius and Bridgid soon find that they are one in mind, and decide to put forth a Book of Kildare and to introduce The Mother of Jesus through the beauty of illustration. In the writing of this illumination, Decius write daily to his brother his day to day thoughts and finds. He cannot send these letters as messengers are not a reality, only a rare travel headed to Rome. So they are hidden in his room under a floor board......a collection that is later written as a companion to the illustrated Book of Kildare. Back and forth the telling of this story as to the finder Alex in a modern world and Bridgid and Delius in the 5Th century. It is a Romantic Love mystery of the work of illustration, daily diary and the product that is finished to be hidden in a holy relic, The Coptic Book of Kildare. It is suspected by Alex that this newly found Book of Kildare actually precedes the Book of Kells! What a find for Alex and Brigid's Monastery to have found a lost piece of history. A medieval Romeo and Juliet from 5Th century to a modern romance from Alex and her find. The research of the period 5Th century are sound and full of history. I could have done with more historical but that's just me. The authors fiction of the finding of the Book of Kildare is unique and believable. I found this novel to be a delightful reading and enjoyed the movement back and forth. I believe this will not sit well with a strong historical student however, as a breezy delightful reading it will hit the mark. I hope you enjoy my review. Sierra