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Hild

by Griffith, Nicola
Hild

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ISBN13: 9780374280871
ISBN10: 0374280878
Condition: Standard
DustJacket: Less than Standard

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

A brilliant, lush, sweeping historical novel about the rise of the most powerful woman of the Middle Ages: Hild.

In seventh-century Britain, small kingdoms are merging, frequently and violently. A new religion is coming ashore; the old gods are struggling, their priests worrying. Hild is the king's youngest niece, and she has a glimmering mind and a natural, noble authority. She will become a fascinating woman and one of the pivotal figures of the Middle Ages: Saint Hilda of Whitby.

But now she has only the powerful curiosity of a bright child, a will of adamant, and a way of seeing the world — of studying nature, of matching cause with effect, of observing her surroundings closely and predicting what will happen next — that can seem uncanny, even supernatural, to those around her.

Her uncle, Edwin of Northumbria, plots to become overking of the Angles, ruthlessly using every tool at his disposal: blood, bribery, belief. Hild establishes a place for herself at his side as the kings seer. And she is indispensable — unless she should ever lead the king astray. The stakes are life and death: for Hild, for her family, for her loved ones, and for the increasing numbers who seek the protection of the strange girl who can read the world and see the future.

Hild is a young woman at the heart of the violence, subtlety, and mysticism of the early Middle Ages — all of it brilliantly and accurately evoked by Nicola Griffith's luminous prose. Working from what little historical record is extant, Griffith has brought a beautiful, brutal world to vivid, absorbing life.

Review

“You will never think of them as the Dark Ages again. Nicola Griffith's command of the era is worn lightly and delivered as a deeply engaging plot. Her insight into human nature and eye for telling detail is as keen as that of the extraordinary Hild herself. The novel resonates to many of the same chords as Beowulf, the legends of King Arthur, The Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones — to the extent that Hild begins to feel like the classic on which those books are based.” Neal Stephenson

Review

“Nicola Griffith is an awe-inspiring visionary, and I am telling everyone to snatch this book up. Hild is not just one of the best historical novels I have ever read — I think it's one of the best novels, period. It sings with pitch-perfect emotional resonance, and I damn well believe in this woman and everyone she engages. I finished the book full of gratitude that it exists, and longing for more.” Dorothy Alison

Review

“You could describe Hild as being like Game of Thrones without the dragons, but this is so much deeper than that, so much richer. A glorious, intensely passionate walk through an entirely real landscape, Hild leads us into the Dark Ages and makes them light, and tense, and edgy, and deeply moving. The research is flawless, the characters fully alive. If it wasn't like this, it should have been — and I'm sure that it was!” Manda Scott

Review

“What a fabulous book! Hild has all the joys of historical fiction — transportation into a strange, finely detailed world — along with complex characters and a beautiful evocation of the natural world. But the tensions of the gathering plot make Hild feel like a quick read — too quick! I fell into this world completely and was sorry to come out. Truly, truly remarkable.” Karen Joy Fowler

About the Author

Nicola Griffith is a native of Yorkshire, England, where she earned her beer money teaching womens self-defense, fronting a band, and arm-wrestling in bars. In 1993 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her novels are Ammonite, Slow River, The Blue Place, Stay, and Always. Her writing has appeared in Nature, New Scientist, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other places. Her awards include the Tiptree, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards, the Premio Italia, and the Lambda Literary Award (six times) — most recently for her memoir, And Now We Are Going to Have a Party. Griffith lives with her partner, the writer Kelley Eskridge, in Seattle, Washington.

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Average customer rating 5 (10 comments)

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Sean Kelley , October 26, 2014
I really enjoyed this glimpse into 7th century Britain, focused around the historical figure Hild. The writing is superb. I highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in this time period.

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Karen from SF , October 23, 2014 (view all comments by Karen from SF)
This lovely book takes you back in time to the 7th century, the so-called dark ages, in Britain. From page 1 you are immersed in the atmosphere, culture and even language as you follow Hild's remarkable rise to status and power. Packed with exquisite detail, this dense book pulls you in and delivers an amazing, unforgettable story. Hild is a fascinating protagonist, all the more so because she was a real woman. Griffith has done her homework: I painlessly learned more about the Anglo Saxons than I ever thought I could from a novel. Rich, rewarding, and so, so good.

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frostel1 , October 22, 2014 (view all comments by frostel1)
This book is amazed and inspired me to learn more about the Anglo-Saxons. I am a big fan of historical fiction, especially the kind of historical fiction that takes a mythic person and shows the reality, the everyday that made that person who they were and that made the myths and legends associated with that person. The writing is lush and absorbing. This is one of the few books I've read this year that I can see reading again.

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efrompdx , October 21, 2014
This book is a tour de force! Griffith creates an elaborate, believable, fully realized world and fills it with people from kings to slaves. Hild is the king's seer, a child mystic, 'the light of the world', who helps guide him in his quest to solidify and expand his kingdom. War, class struggles, fracturing alliances, Romans and Catholocism, the old gods vs the new, weaving and brewing - all are part of this glorious story set in 7th century England. It reads like a cross between mythology and historical fiction and will appeal to readers who enjoy either of those genres. Definitely my favorite book of the year.

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alisa11 , May 19, 2014 (view all comments by alisa11)
This is now my favorite. Favorite novel, favorite historical fiction, favorite Nicola Griffith product. I keep seeing the word "transported" in reviews of this novel and it is so apropos. The story telling takes you there, her descriptions are so vivid, you can see it, feel it, smell it, and be there! And it is a full view of the culture, not just a male dominated “men on horses, history book” story. Everything from cooking, weaving, planting, creating a hedge, smithing to medicine is delved into. It is so very rich!! The only thing that made me sigh was that it ended and the next book is not done yet.

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Marjorie Madonne , May 05, 2014 (view all comments by Marjorie Madonne)
Nicola Griffith has written a gorgeous book about a girl in Anglo-Saxon times in England. Hild is clever, and she's the niece of a king -- but she's a GIRL, in an era that values women mainly as bearers of children, and, in the case of girls of royal blood, as "peace weavers," who can be traded off in marriage to cement political alliances. Hild does not particularly aspire to either career path. However, she has an out -- her mother had a dream when she was pregnant that she was bearing a child of great promise, who would be "the light of the world." Everybody assumes this child will be a boy. When Hild is born, the common reaction is, But how can a girl be "the light of the world"? Hild's clever mother, Beguswirth, fosters the belief that Hild carries some sort of magic -- she can read minds, predict the future. Beguswirth trains her in the arts of observation and analysis, of which Beguswirth herself is no mean pracitioner. Hild's Uncle Edwin, the king of Northumbria, who's busy trying to make himself "overking" of the island, takes her on as his "seer" when she's still a child. Hild grows up as a remarkable young girl in a land that mixes civilization and barbarity. Many things are changing -- the new Christian religion is penetrating England, displacing the old gods. Hild herself becomes a Christian. But there is no sign yet of the future Saint Hilda. Hild has mystical leanings, but none that are specific to Christianity; she is baptized, along with most of the Northumbrian court, as yet another one of Edwin's political ploys, The book ends with the promise of a sequel, which I'm looking forward to.

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SAH , February 03, 2014 (view all comments by SAH)
From the moment I began reading Hild I was transported to 7th century Great Britain, a time of Anglo-Saxon under kings and power struggles. The story revolves around St Hild of Whitby who was instrumental in the conversion of Britain to Christianity- but this is no dry historical recounting. Griffith's writing is laden with the words, phrases and nuances of Old English spun in such a way as to detail daily life to the point where the reader's five senses are engaged. She recounts the times through the eyes of Hild, from age three on, in way that strengthens and enriches her characters into complex and often contradictory people we feel we know and understand. While this is a fictionalized history,it transcends the genre and I found it to be a mixture of history, fantasy and adventure. I really hope people give this book chance- the language can be a bit tricky in the beginning, but it gets easier as you go along and really- its wonderful.

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choosunghoon , January 12, 2014 (view all comments by choosunghoon)
Absolutely stellar performance from Nicola Griffith here. I was not only spellbound by this portrait of the woman who would become Saint Hilda of Whitby, I was also transported by the lush descriptions of Anglo-Saxon England, its landscape and its politics. This is one of those books crying out to be filmed, and also one of those books you wish would never end.

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mulliner , December 07, 2013 (view all comments by mulliner)
This book swept me away. Griffith immersed herself in the 7th century, and the way she's written this book, she takes you with her. You feel, smell, see, taste Hild's world. She, and the characters around her, are vivid and 3-dimensional. I don't know how she's done this without me ever sensing an info-dump, but she does. There's drama and suspense from the king's political machinations and wars, but also the day-to-day challenges of enough honey for mead, and worries over the flax crop for this year's linen. It reminded my of reading good science fiction, where the author does world-building that takes to a new place. The other day, I was packing up to catch the bus for work, and looking for my Kobo e-reader. I realized that I wasn't thinking "Where's my book?" or "Where's my Kobo?", but "Where's Hild?". I can't recall ever doing that before.

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The Lost Entwife , November 24, 2013 (view all comments by The Lost Entwife)
Do you know anything about St. Hilda of Whitby? No? Me neither. Well, I didn't - until I picked up this gorgeous book by Nicola Griffith. Hild takes on history with imagination, a deft writing style, and some of the most complex, gorgeous storytelling ability I have ever read. That's not to say it's an easy book, or a particularly gripping one due to the nature of St. Hilda's life, but there is something about a well-crafted, historical tale that tells a little known story that is so appealing to me. I am so glad that it didn't disappoint. So, first of all, let me talk about Griffith's writing. It's masterful and beautiful and all those adjectives that people use to try to describe a brilliant writing style. But, more than anything, what struck me was how knowledgeable it was. Not once, as I was being led through the story, did I get the impression that Griffith had been lax in her research. Her ability to use words and names that are strange to the modern eye is visible testament to her knowledge. I also read an interview given by her recently where she recognizes the historical inaccuracy in the cover, but notes that it was just too gorgeous to pass it by. Speaking of the cover - that's exactly what caught my eye. Brilliant imagined, it stands out as being something different. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to historical fiction is the complete contrast in covers - from flimsy, beautiful women (only the back of them) type books or beautiful women with crowns on their head (a la Philippa Gregory) to stark symbols or crests. The cover for Hild is a nice change; period gear (although slightly inaccurate as the author ported out), striking font, and an art style that brings to mind the setting. I really don't want to just gush over this book more. Suffice it to say that any serious historical fiction fan, or really, anyone who has had a passing interest in the Dark Ages, should check Hild out. It never hurts to learn about fantastic, strong, females who changed history and this is a great book to start that learning process with.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780374280871
Binding:
Hardcover
Publication date:
11/12/2013
Publisher:
FARRAR STRAUS & GIROUX
Series info:
Light of the World Trilogy
Pages:
546
Height:
1.65IN
Width:
6.38IN
Thickness:
1.50
Illustration:
Yes
Copyright Year:
2013
Author:
Nicola Griffith
Author:
Nicola Griffith
Subject:
Literature-A to Z

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