Hild

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction	4-week checkout	Due 04-25-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction	4-week checkout	Due 05-14-2024
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Griffith, Nicola	4-week checkout	Due 05-09-2024

"A brilliant, lush, sweeping historical novel about the rise of the most powerful woman of the Middle Ages: Hild Hild is born into a world in transition. In seventh-century Britain, small kingdoms are merging, usually violently. A new religion is coming ashore; the old gods' priests are worrying. Edwin of Northumbria plots to become overking of the Angles, ruthlessly using every tool at his disposal: blood, bribery, belief. Hild is the king's youngest niece. She has 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 human nature and predicting what will happen next--that can seem uncanny, even supernatural, to those around her. She establishes herself as the king's seer. And she is indispensable--until she should ever lead the king astray. The stakes are life and death: for Hild, her family, her loved ones, and 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 medieval age--all of it brilliantly and accurately evoked by Nicola Griffith's luminous prose. Recalling such feats of historical fiction as Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter, Hild brings a beautiful, brutal world--and one of its most fascinating, pivotal figures, the girl who would become St. Hilda of Whitby--to vivid, absorbing life"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Life in the middle ages submitted by romanticmind on July 11, 2015, 11:48am This was a completely fascinating look at life for a woman in the middle ages, though frankly I'd have enjoyed it more if there were less depicted sex.

St Hilda submitted by Jen Chapin-Smith on July 21, 2016, 10:17am "Hild" (somewhat accurately) tells the story of St. Hilda of Whitby (c. 614–680), one of the first Christian saints in what is now England. This book mixes the Pagan and Christian religions and it is often unclear to which one our protagonist is truly loyal. It is also hard to tell how much of the supernatural elements of the book are meant to be real (within the context of the story) and how much are just political spin for the benefit of Hild and her family.
What little we know about the real Hild comes from the writing of the Venerable Bede about 50 years after her death.
*Spoiler alert*
The book contains significant violence, including against women and children, and so may be disturbing to readers. It also contains a lesbian relationship.

A fascinating look into history submitted by majean on August 6, 2018, 11:44am This is not an action book. It's much more about history and manipulation. If you like historical fiction, you will probably enjoy this one. Griffith clearly did her research! I appreciate the ambiguous attitude toward sexuality the book has. That part reminded me a bit of Storm Constantine, but that is where the similarity ends.

Pretty good submitted by zmclaugh on June 16, 2022, 2:26pm Pretty slow, but really interesting for its depiction of history. Barely gets into anything to do with Hild and Christianity, though.

Brilliant imagining of life in middle age England submitted by tuttlium on June 15, 2023, 1:23pm Fascinating book about the life of an extraordinarily observant and intelligent young girl who has to find a place for herself in the world of 7th century England.

Slow start that rewards sticking with it! submitted by gs2351 on July 13, 2023, 9:55pm An amazing book that imagines the story of St. Hilda through a queer lens. Griffith takes some historical liberties since we know so little about St. Hilda's life, but that what makes the book interesting.