I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
The Prioress' Tale
by
Margaret Frazer
historical mystery in a paperback edition that was published by Berkley on August 1, 1997 and has 256 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include A Play of Knaves, A Play of Lords, A Play of Treachery, A Play of Piety, Murder Most Medieval: Noble Tales of Ignoble Demises, A Play of HeresyCoventry, Easter, plays, murder, spies, guilds, mercer, jealousy, Judas, theater, directing, acting, suicide, costumes, religious plays,, The Novice's Tale, The Servant's Tale, The Outlaw's Tale, The Bishop's Tale, The Murderer's Tale, The Boy's Tale, The Maiden's Tale, The Squire's Tale, Clerk's Tale, The Bastard's Tale, The Hunter's Tale, The Widow's Tale
Seventh in the Sister Frevisse medieval mystery series revolving around a group of nuns in a priory near Oxford.
In 1998, The Prioress’ Tale was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original.
My Take
Oh, I’ve just been dying to find out what’s happening in St. Frideswide’s now that Dame Alys is the prioress. And she is definitely running true to form. The priory is falling apart, prayer is a nuisance, and the Benedictine rules are falling out the window so fast it looks like snow.
She’s talking relatives into entering as nuns, and she got her aunt to commit a chunk of money and come to live there. Money that is supposed to be used for her aunt’s living expenses for as long as she lives. Instead Alys is spending it fast on luxuries for herself and material enhancements to the priory itself. Some of it is having to be spent on entertaining all the relatives who come to stay. Including her loud mouth cousin who is just like her. More interested in getting what s/he wants and damn the rest.
Most of the novel is Alys whining, bitching, and moaning about what she will have, must have, needs to have and finding all sorts of excuses as to why. She complains about how stupid the other nuns are as well as those few who are too much above themselves. No one is allowed to disagree, and she is quick to find fault and punish.
On a side note, I must say it’s awfully irritating that the series is named “Sister Frevisse” and yet she’s addressed as “Dame” in the book. Why not just name the series “Dame Frevisse”?
Lady Eleanor makes an interesting point about Domina Alys that her heart is in it, but not her mind.
The Story
It’s a losing battle for Domina Alys. She needs Sir Reynold’s support to keep the mason and to ensure that he fulfills the promises he’s made her, but he and his men are eating and drinking the stores that should have seen them through the winter, and they are increasingly doing wrong. Kidnapping a woman off the streets to force her to marry one of their own. Beating and torturing a mad man they find. And Domina Alys is complicit in that she allows them to continue.
In between, Domina Alys delights in hurting those around her, ensuring that they all understand where they stand in the pecking order.
It’s murder that brings it all to a head. I was kinda hoping for a brain tumor…
The Characters
Dame Frevisse is currently serving the role as hosteler. She is an intelligent woman who does not brook fools gladly. A sin of which she is heartily aware and for which she keeps doing penance. Dame Claire is just as intelligent but with a more humane outlook; I suspect her absorption in herbs and healing probably helps.
Sister Thomasine is the saint in the group and, as we learn, extremely observant. I wouldn’t be too surprised if she ended up as prioress one day. Dame Perpetua is another of Frevisse’s allies although her time is taken up with teaching Lady Adela and disciplining the novices. Of which there are none at the moment. Lady Adela is a ten- or eleven-year-old living at the priory (see The Boy’s Tale). She has a malformed hip and it is doubted that her father will bother with trying to find her a husband. Domina Alys’ hope is that she will enter as a nun and they’ll get her dowry. Frevisse and Claire are praying not.
Sister Emma and Sister Amicia are squealers with most of the sisters loving the relaxation of the rules and too inclined toward the worldly. Dame Juliana is cellarer and worried about replenishing the stores. Sister Johane and Sister Cecely are Godfreys. Relatives of Domina Alys, the too, too intimidating nun who lucked into the prioress role simply because she intimidated everyone else. Katerin is the dim-witted servant girl whom Alys has taken for her own personal servant. Father Henry is the slow, but honest priory priest.
Ela is the head of the guesthall servants. Master Robert Naylor has been the priory’s steward for years. A good one, but he’s had enough of Domina Alys.
Master Porter is the hapless stone mason who is very angry over not being paid for the work he’s doing to build the bell tower Domina Alys just had to have. Edmund Harman is a clerk to Joice’s uncle.
Lady Eleanor Godfrey is Alys’ aunt and has retired to live in the priory after donating a corrody, a set sum of money intended to keep a lady in comfort for the rest of her life. Margrete is her very long-term maid. Sir Hugh is her son and Reynold’s second-in-command.
Sir Reynold Godfrey is another of Domina Alys’ cousins and has taken up residence at the priory, eating them out of house and home. For all that he promises to replenish it. Because they can’t leave a single stone unturned, they’ve kidnapped a young woman whom Benet Godfrey had met in London earlier. Joice Southgate is the daughter of a wealthy draper and has a large dowry. She is however about to be betrothed to Sir Lewis Fenner. A dowry that Reynold would prefer to see in Godfrey hands.
Joliffe makes an appearance; last time he showed was in The Servant’s Tale. It seems that the players have disbanded, and he’s footloose and fancyfree. I’ll bet Joliffe is still working for the bishop, however.
Abbot Gilberd leads St. Bartholomew’s Abbey in Northampton to which St. Frideswide’s looks as its daughter house. His interference would heavily displease Alys.
The Cover and Title
It’s another of the new covers. This one has a colonial blue background with a squared inset framed by heavy carving at the top corners and lesser carving at the top center and bottom corners. The scene within is of two buildings — I’m guessing it’s meant to be priory buildings. The one on the left is a two-story stone building with lovely Gothic windows while the other has a thatched roof which covers an exterior, pillared walkway.
In front of the building, a nun is talking to a hooded man mounted on a horse while a third person in secular dress is peeking out of an upstairs window.
Oh, it’s definitely The Prioress’ Tale. My suspicion is that she’ll be out on her ear or demoted by the next book! Hee-hee.
