Cuddy

A fictionalised account of the north east's most famous Saint, Cuthbert, aka Cuddy, and the story of Durham Cathedral and of the people surrounding both through the ages. The form is interesting, consisting at first of poems, songs, short snatches of prose and extracts from historical writings and history books and gradually moving on to more regular prose. As the story moves on through the centuries, so the writing style changes, with varying degrees of success, from something resembling medieval, to Victorian to the final contemporary section. I felt the book improved as it progressed and found some of the early sections a little tedious and repetitive, although the form helped to keep my interest. Overall a good read and an interesting view of Durham and its people through the ages.