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Ingrid Hill

Author of Ursula, Under

2+ Works 556 Members 17 Reviews

About the Author

Ingrid Hill has published short stories in a range of magazines and is the author of one collection, Dixie Church Interstate Blues. She earned her Ph.D. in English at the University of Iowa and has twice received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the mother of twelve children, show more including two sets of twins, and lives in Iowa City show less

Works by Ingrid Hill

Ursula, Under (2004) 546 copies

Associated Works

New Stories from the South 2001: The Year's Best (2001) — Contributor — 46 copies
New Stories from the South 1999: The Year's Best (1999) — Contributor — 37 copies
New Stories from the South 2004: The Year's Best (2004) — Contributor — 33 copies
New Stories from the South 2003: The Year's Best (2003) — Contributor — 32 copies
New Stories from the South 2002: The Year's Best (2002) — Contributor — 31 copies
Stories from the Blue Moon Café IV (2005) — Contributor — 15 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
20th century
Gender
female
Nationality
USA

Members

Reviews

I don’t remember why I put this on my TBR list, though I suspect it was a recommendation from my local indie bookseller back in 2004. Having finally read it, I wonder why I kept it on the list for so long.

The basic story line is that a two-year-old child, Ursula Wong, falls into an abandoned mine while on a holiday with her parents in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. While her parents wait for the rescue teams to organize and arrive at the remote location, and for the painstaking preparations they need to make to shore up the mine before attempting to go after the child, the author goes back in time to give us Ursula’s ancestry. The story line moves back and forth in time from the drama unfolding in Michigan to the 3rd century BC where we meet a Chinese alchemist, to 17th-century Europe, to Ursula’s great-grandfather who died in a mine collapse. Some of these stories were fascinating, others failed to capture my attention.

Hill does have some strikingly original and beautifully written passages in the book. And those fed my love of literary fiction and kept me turning pages, hoping for more of this. But, it was a slog to get through. It took me over a month to finish it, because I kept putting it aside for other books that required less brain power to enjoy. (I did have a number of other things on my plate which kept me from doing much reading, so it’s not entirely the book’s fault.)

So, while I appreciate the message that each of us owes much to our varied ancestry, the novel seemed bogged down by the complex structure and timeframe Hill chose for delivering her message.
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BookConcierge | 16 other reviews | Oct 26, 2023 |
Best novel I've read in a very long time. Absolutely captivating. Wonderful, original premise. Will recommend to many of my thinking reading friends.
 
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pbjwelch | 16 other reviews | Jul 25, 2017 |
I really enjoyed reading this book and wonder why it isn't a more well known. It really makes you appreciate and wonder about one's ancestors and the histories that are part of each life whether known or unknown.
 
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Cricket856 | 16 other reviews | Jan 25, 2016 |
Wonderful book, excellent writing and very well structured. I recommend this to everyone especially if you like books by David Mitchell or Audrey Niffenegger.
 
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Superenigmatix | 16 other reviews | Jan 16, 2016 |

Awards

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Statistics

Works
2
Also by
6
Members
556
Popularity
#44,900
Rating
½ 3.7
Reviews
17
ISBNs
8

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