The Virgin in the Ice cover art

The Virgin in the Ice

The Sixth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael

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The Virgin in the Ice

By: Ellis Peters
Narrated by: Vanessa Benjamin
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About this listen

The winter of 1139 will disrupt Brother Cadfael's tranquil life in Shrewsbury with the most disturbing events. Raging civil war has sent refugees fleeing north from Worcester. Among them are two orphans from a noble family, a boy of thirteen and an eighteen-year-old girl of great beauty, and their companion, a young Benedictine nun. But the trio, never reaching Shrewsbury, have disappeared somewhere in the wild countryside.

Cadfael feels afraid these three lost lambs, but another call for help sends him to the Church of Saint Mary. A wounded monk, found naked and bleeding by the roadside, will surely die without Cadfael's healing arts. Why this holy man has been attacked and what his fevered ravings reveal soon give Brother Cadfael a clue to the fate of the missing travelers. Now Cadfael sets out on a dangerous quest to find them. The road will lead him to a chill and terrible murder and a tale of passion gone awry. And at journey's end awaits a vision of what is best, and worst, in humankind...in Ellis Peters's most stunning depiction yet of love and war.

©1982 by Ellis Peters (P)1998 by Blackstone Audiobooks
Traditional Detectives Mystery Fiction Funny Witty War Detective
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What listeners say about The Virgin in the Ice

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Spoiled by babyish narration

Narration was fine when using her natural voice but ridiculous when trying to project a male voice. It sounded like a teacher reading to small children and putting on a gruff voice to represent adult male speech. I also think some of her pronunciation of place names was a bit suspect at times.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good story and a worthwhile listen.

I’m warming to the genre and as you get used to the language it becomes more compelling.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, problemswith the narration.

Fans of Cadfael will enjoy the story. The only problem is the narrator. She reads the story line well but can't pull off a "male voice" and as most of the characters are male it rather sounds a bit silly.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story spoilt by The narrator.

Enjoyed the story but definitely not the voice. Why try to be something you can’t be - trying to be a male voice was not a success. Not sure about the accents for that time either

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good Story, Poor Narration

Why does the narrator have to SHOUT the male dialogue? IT IS VERY ANNOYING INDEED

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story - poor naration

The story is the normal high quality, but the reader has Cadfael far too english

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Poor storytelling spoils a good book

Like others who have reviewed this audio book I was disappointed with the storytelling of the narrator. Vanessa Benjamin’s narration was poor when in the voice of a character. She did not attempt a Welsh accent (why have a narrator who can’t do this??) and the mens voices in particular were read in a stilted fashion which really spoiled the great writing of Ellis Peters.
I persevered to the end as I was keen to know how the story ended but I wouldn’t listen to another from the same narrator.
Stephen Thorne is the best I’ve heard so far, I hope he is asked to do more!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poor narration

Terrible narration. Very forced and not natural at all. Spoiled the whole experience. Couldn’t finish it.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Poor narrator

After books read by Stephen Thorne, this rendition is a huge disappointment. The narration is poor, sentences broken, and names mispronounced. Disappointing.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you

A Great read. Cascade always exceeds expectations. Looking forward to many more of the same.

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