Brigid of Kildare: A Novel

Appraiser Alexandra Patterson has been called to Kildare when the Sisters of St. Brigid decide to sell some sacred relics to fund their proselytizing and attempts to rehabilitate the image of St. Brigid in Ireland and throughout the world. While studying one of the relics, Alexandra discovers an ancient manuscript hidden within a secret compartment. Based on the beauty of the illuminated manuscript and the estimated age of the relics, Alexandra believes the manuscript might be the lost Book of Kildare, an illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels that is said to rival even the beauty of the Book of Kells. On an impulse, Alexandra "borrows" the manuscript as well as some letters she finds buried away and long forgotten in the church's archives and consults an old flame, Trinity College professor and expert Declan Lamb for help. What is the mystery document Alexandra has discovered and why was it hidden away? Who is Decius, the scribe whose name appears on the beautiful manuscript, and what was his relationship to Brigid? Originally sent there by Rome as a spy, did he fulfill his mission, did he find no evidence of the heresy he was sent to root out, or was he drawn in by Brigid's magnetic personality? Were Decius and Brigid scribe and abbess, friends, or lovers? Once Alexandra finds answers to her questions, how will she explain to her client why she took the manuscripts from their resting place within the church? Should the manuscript and letters be sold with the relics, or will the Catholic Church try to repress the content in them? SPOILER ALERT!!! I generally try to avoid any kind of spoilers in my reviews, but there are a few things that must be addressed in this case, so be warned. Here is where you should stop reading if you hate spoilers.... This imaginative story is told from two perspectives: Alexandra's quest for truth in modern times and Decius's mission for the church in the fifth century. The author does a good job of blending the two story lines, however, the device of Decius's letters to his brother, while convenient for revealing Decius's innermost thoughts and motivations, is awkward and contrived. A spy for Rome would never take the risk of revealing so much about his mission in writing in the first place, and if he did feel the need to so unburden his soul as a means of confession as Decius himself mentions as a reason for writing the letters, a spy would then burn the letters to mitigate the risk of getting caught. Additionally, if Brigid did indeed know Decius for a spy from the beginning as she later claims, someone with her warrior's background would never have allowed him access to the sensitive information in the scriptorium, in particular the banned texts, in the first place. Finally, while a nice dream, the Vatican's response to the manuscript and its sale seems naive and unrealistic as well. After actively--and often violently--suppressing any notion of texts other than those strictly defined by its own sanctioned councils, the idea that the Vatican would suddenly capitulate and tolerate any text, much less one as controversial and progressive as one in alignment with the Gospel of Mary the Mother (and without months and months of study, reflection, reevaluation, and miles of bureaucratic red tape), seems far-fetched. While it would be nice to think that the Vatican would be as open-minded as it is portrayed by Terrell, history suggests otherwise. Ending notwithstanding, however, the stories of Brigid and Decius, as well as the lesser plot line of Alexandra and Declan, are moving and a good read. I was originally worried that this book would be too inspirational in tone, but was pleasantly surprised to find that while some elements were there, the book is laregly secular in tone and still appropriate for fans of historical fiction.

Just started and already am intrigued