THE LIFE & TRAVELS OF SAINT CUTHWIN

An ordinary man of extraordinary decency weathers the evils of worldly life in Warner’s historical novel set in 11th-century England.

Cuthwin is born in Alnwick as the 11th of 14 siblings—his father a nameless Dane and his mother a woman who was the target of many “mean words” from judgmental townsfolk. As a boy, he witnesses a gruesome murder and runs away from home but is taken captive and forced into labor at Peterborough Abbey for 8 years. He manages to teach himself to read and write—a prideful offense for which he narrowly escapes brutal punishment. Cuthwin also learns a valuable lesson during those years about the hypocrisy of piety: “the world inside cloister and walls of a burh are no more cursed or blessed than the world outside.” He falls in love with a woman, Cwenburh, and she becomes pregnant; as a result, he finally escapes the abbey, and the couple’s adventure together begins as Cuthwin becomes a “traveling scribe,” and they become guardians to Eadrig, a late friend’s child. Warner presents a moving story in these pages, and its thematic heart is Cuthwin’s inviolable goodness in the midst of evil as well as his fervent desire to avoid the corruption of worldly success: “coin and station are a curse to man and woman. When riches and manners intrude, the chances to enjoy the wisdom god intended…go forever.” Cuthwin is a memorable protagonist who possesses a selfless wisdom, untainted by guile or cunning. Warner’s knowledge of the historical period is simply remarkable, and he brings to life the tumult and moral depravity of the era. Overall, this is an engrossing novel that’s unusually original despite being grounded in familiar history.

A compelling look at a vanished time as well as an exploration of simple human goodness.