The Apostate's Tale (A Dame Frevisse Mystery)

I agree with the reviewers who have said that this is one of the best books in the series. Frazer has given us a real look into the heart of a late Medieval nun. Her views on the religous life and the struggle for perfection are very interesting. This is something that we don't come across readily in historical fiction of any type. While it is true that the mystery aspect of the book is not as all abiding as in some of the others, the historical accuracy and excellent writing give this book its value. I also would not recommend it for a first time reader to the series but if you have read others I think you will enjoy this one.

I have read all the books in this series from the beginning, and it seems to me that the best titles are the ones in which Frevisse never leaves the priory, or where she at least doesn't go haring off to London or her noble cousin's keep. I would include "The Prioress' Tale", "The Reeve's Tale" and this current book in that. Nine years ago, Sister Cecily left the convent with a handsome traveller. Now, she's back, with a son from this man, whom she could never wed. Being an apostate religious in the Middle Ages meant arrest and the threat of excommunication; certainly having a wedding was a risk they could not afford. But following her are relatives of her dead lover, seeking her son and some legal documents she is supposed to be in possession of. Another traveller is there to spirit her away and allegedly protect her son's interests. Along with all this, Prioress Elizabeth is showing signs of illness or strain, there are a number of other guests at the priory, including a girl who wants to be a nun in the teeth of the disapproval of her ambitious mother (although it's not presented that way at first) and all this is happening during Holy Week, stretching the already impoverished priory to its limits. As always, Frevisse struggles with her own duties and obligations whilst trying to resolve the problems with Sister Cecily, some mysterious illnesses and all the other problems which have arisen, including the arrival of Abbot Gilberd to determine Cecily's fate and that of Prioress Elizabeth. By the end, St. Frideswide's has a new prioress. No points for guessing who.

This latest Dame Frevisse book from Margaret Frazer is one of the better books in the series. There's no murder to be solved, just a knotty problem for Dame Frevisse to work out. The ending is satisfying in more ways than one, with a neatly fore-shadowed little plot twist. Very enjoyable!

After pursuing her cousin Alice's ends through several novels set in London, Dame Frevisse is once again where a Benedictine nun belongs, at St. Frideswide's. Part of her vows included "stability," the idea that the nun belongs for her lifetime in a particular "house" or convent. All Frevisse has ever wanted is to pursue her relationship with God: the novels all consist of interruptions to this peaceful search. The Apostate's Tale both fits this formula, and turns it on its head. Sister Cecilia, whose family had pressed her to a vocation she did not feel, fled St. Frideswide's in a previous novel. Now the apostate nun has returned, with her son, after the death of her lover of ten years. Modern sensibility immediately sympathizes with Cecilia; Frevisse, with the appropriate fifteenth century attitudes, does not. Lifetime commitments remain constant, although the people who made them may change. The tension here is between stability and mutability, a most appropriate conflict for Frevisse. Of course there is a murder, of course Frevisse must make difficult decisions, and the reader will enjoy not only Dame Frevisse's detective skills but her personal growth in this, the best of Frazer's excellent novels for several years.

I've read every book in the Dame Frevisse series and enjoyed them all, but I think this is Frazer's best (and most subtle) work yet. It contains none of the politics, travel, and high-flying nobles that many of her recent books have and is set entirely within the walls of St. Frideswide's priory, but it delves more deeply into aspects of the the human condition that transcend time and space. The mystery wasn't hard to solve, but it's a great story with a very satisfying ending. If you've never read any books from this series I don't think I'd recommend starting with The Apostate's Tale, but if you have then don't miss this one!