An experimental novel told in many differing styles, Cuddy is a book that is set in my own home of the North East of England and is told in such a way that you can tell this is a real labour of love. I went to university at Durham and the cathedral holds a special place in my heart, so I was already sentimental before reading this however Benjamin Myers managed to really encapsulate the atmosphere of the place and vividly reaccount the life (or rather death) of St Cuthbert. The first passage, told as an epic poem, is truly unmatched in my opi ion for any other kind of poetry I've ever read. I loved it. The other sections less so. I'm not a stream of conscious lover, and struggle with the style, however I still got enough out of the section to find it enjoyable.

Overall a wonderful piece of writing that really pushes the boundaries on what makes a historical novel great. Inventive and original.

I started reading the ARC of Cuddy a year and a half ago and have felt terrible for requesting it ever since. I'd just moved from London to the country and couldn't give it the attention it deserved. I love Benjamin Myers though and think he is one of Britain's best living authors. I love how rooted his books are, how lyrical, how beautifully he writes about human relationships. I was very much enjoying the polyphony of Cuddy, set in different time periods and registers but the Victorian exhumation part felt a little jarring so that's where I paused for over a year. It's a testament to how good this book is that I'd no problems picking up right where I left it. And I'm so glad I did, it's a wonderful book, the last part particularly affecting.

My thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury and apologies for taking so long to read and review Cuddy.

I am a big fan of Benjamin Myers, having read many of his novels. This has been my favourite to date.
I was immersed from the first page. It was inventive, beautifully writtten, and I read each sentence hoping that if I read slowly, I could eke it out for as long as possible.
Saint Cuthbert and Durham Cathedral form the main thread through the book, as it weaves its way through the ages to the current day. Each character is attached to Durham cathedral in some way, each one with its own particular time in history.
I am hesitant to describe it too much; I would very much like everyone to read it and discover the beauty of it. I have given it to friends as a present and they have loved it as much as I did.
Read it. I doubt anyone would be disappointed. It's a wonderful read.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy.

This is a fantastic book. The characterisation is amazing. The writing is high quality. The beginning takes a bit to get used to but don’t give up.

I really tried to enjoy ‘Cuddy’ but found it hard work and confusing from the beginning.

Unfortunately I only managed to struggle to two thirds of the way through. Not for me, sorry.

I'm such a huge fan of Benjamine Myers' work, and Cuddy was no exception. Gorgeous writing as always, and a beautiful discription of the north east. I found this novel visceral and gripping.

This is the first Benjamin Myers book that I’ve read. And it’s excellent.
Cuddy consists of such beautiful, carefully considered prose interspersed with quotes.
The book starts off with historical details of St Cuthbert, unofficial patron saint of the North of England, and the band of followers that carried him from Lindisfarne to ensure Viking raiders didn’t destroy his remains. The set of stories that follows leads us to modern times.
An excellent, complex, absorbing book.

This novel is so rooted in a sense of place and belonging that it was easy to get swept along in its beauty and its love of Durham, where the author is from.

We follow a few interconnected narratives, all centred around St Cuthbert, and the mythos of his life. In doing so, otherwise disparate strands are brought together so compellingly, as we see the ways the years treat the area, from being a centre of learning and awe, to an area where unequal distribution of wealth in the country leaves most people doing menial work in the area to try to escape, rather than seeing the beauty and wonder around them.

There was something about the book's utter love and passion for its subject, here geography and the ways that it shapes identity and belonging, that I found utterly fascinating.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I have some catching up to do, esp. with ARCs.
So I finally finished CUDDY by Benjamin Myers today. And I wasn't too happy with this over long stretches... and the last part then basically saved the day. My problem was with the somewhat "experimental" nature of this book. Because it isn't a novel as much as a collection of scenes throughout the history of St. Cuthbert and the Durham Cathedral all in different stylistic forms. Some worked for me, others not so much. I get what the aim was, I think, and I would subscribe to it - it just didn't work for me as a whole. This might be completely different for another reader. I'm glad though, that I made it through to the end, because in the last part - tellingly the one told in traditional 3rd person narration - shows what the author can do. Exceptionally good writing. So this was my first Benjamin Myers and I'm confident it won't be my last.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing this review copy.

Benjamin Myers really brings out the extraordinary life and ongoing influences of St Cuthbert and shows us how Cuddy has affected so many lives and times over the centuries.

Benjamin Myers has just done it again! A book to savour and to totally immerse yourself in. Telling the story of Saint Cuthbert and Durham Cathedral over the period of a thousand years, the author takes full advantage of all styles of writing be it poetry, prose , play script and the use of historical quotations. It’s a book to which I will definitely return and find just as rich the second time. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

I'm very interested in St Cuthbert but not very good with experimental writing so not for me. Should appeal to the right reader. DNF

I chose this book for two reasons: Myers is a poetic and creative writer and Saint Cuthbert is a fascinating historical figure I know and am very much interested in.

​This is the story of the cult of Cuddy - the nickname of Saint Cuthbert. He was a monk from Lindisfarne in the seventh century and the tale begins at his death and the search for somewhere special enough to lay him to rest. The journey continues through the Middle Ages, the Civil War and Oliver Cromwell's Battle of Dunbar, the Victorian era and ends in 2019.

The book is a hybrid novel. In part poetry, play script, folklore and storytelling, and inserted between these parts are quotes from historians about Cuthbert and his followers so as to keep track of the Saint and the beliefs that surround him. The narrative is always appropriate to the time, catching the spirit of the period - and the pompous Victorian academic jumped from the page like a nineteenth century gentleman writer. There is a gothic flavour, deeply atmospheric and eerie with a hint of supernatural.

A powerful and moving work, an appreciation of history as a living continuum, a journey of faith, language and belonging. It sees the art in the landscape of the north of England and also in the craftsmanship of those who lovingly built and maintain the glorious Durham Cathedral. From the beating heart of each character to the snow on the ground, this book is also a work of art.

​ajsefton.com/book-reviews

It's the first book I read by this author and it was an enthralling and fascinating read, different stories with Saint Cuthbert at the centre.
The style of writing and the storytelling are superb, the historical background is vivid and rich of details, the characters fleshed out.
One of the best book I read in 2023 so far.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is the first Benjamin Myers title I have read, and it was captivating from the start. I enjoy fiction where interlinking stories/themes are told over the years, and I especially liked the final story about Michael, a 19 year old lad taking care of his dying mother and working on various building sites, including at Durham Cathedral, home to the shrine of St. Cuthbert. Myers' prose is beautiful, capturing human emotion and tenderness, faith, skepticism, the innocence and warmth of new relationships. I enjoyed the mix of poetry and prose, the excerpts from historical titles written about St. Cuthbert, who I knew very little about.

Cuddy is a series of interconnecting stories throughout the centuries relating to the myth of St Cuthbert and the cathedral at Durham. Each story is different, but there are recurring themes and the prose is beautifully written and so evocative of north-east England.

This was my first book by Benjamin Myers, but it won't be my last.

I’m a big fan of Benjamin Myers and loved his last book, “The Perfect Golden Circle”, and I found his latest “Cuddy” to be just as good, if a little impenetrable. The premise is reminiscent of Alan Garner’s “Red Shift” with its fractured timelines and connected characters. “Cuddy” is not an easy read, but it is profound in parts and will appeal to readers who like unconventional novels.

This was a rather disjointed book and I struggled with it. I persevered though as I have heard such wonderful things about the author.

Sadly, I just don't think that this is the right kind of book for me although the kindle formatting was rather all over the place which certainly didn't help.

I have read every Benjamin Myers book since first picking up and being gripped by The Gallows Pole. This man is a seriously undervalued writer; his prose is of the first magnitude and simply thrums with life and emotion.

Cuddy is another book which deserves the highest praise, it is a series of stories linked by Saint Cuthbert, or 'Cuddy' as he is affectionately known, and gives us insight into various points in over a thousand years of English history.

Myers characterisation is excellent and the stories overlap, interlink and echo off each other through the years.

I cannot recommend this book (and his other works) enough. He is that rare writer who combines all elements of writing into a bewitching blend which is an enchanting pleeasure to read and savour.

Cuddy is an amalgamation of writing done at different times and places by Myers.
The common thread is a history of St Cuthbert and Durham cathedral but within that we have experiments with form and structure.

Prologue tells a potted history of St Cuthbert

First chapter is a first person poem by St Cuthbert on being discovered dead.

Next come alternate chapters using quotations from a huge range of sources to tell the history of his body after life. It shows just how much has been written about him.
When so much isn’t written by the author but is a succession of quotes from historical sources does that make the work less? Certainly it’s less written by the author from his imagination but the amount of research and then placing of excerpts in the correct order is no mean feat.

Then we have alternate passages in the form of what feels like calligrams from a female acolyte which ignores borders and shapes the text into a rendering of encroaching tide or jagged rock.

Later, through Eda, we explore the building of Durham cathedral, where St Cuthbert is enshrined. In a time when the census tells us we are a predominantly atheist society, it is amazing to be reminded of these huge buildings to God that faith built in over a century. We have an exhumation of the saint which feels like an MR James homage and then a more familiar modern day story of Michael, carer for his mother and temp working at sites.

I enjoyed the variety and Myers’ thoughtful prose on faith, nature and our shrinking world where descriptions have to be made up to cover for the inane uniformity of modern architecture.