Nicola Griffith

Hild is set in seventh-century England, at the time when many minor kings were trying to gain more territory. This is also the time of Augustine’s conversion of King Æthelberht of Kent. Thus, the island was a place of oppositions with complex divisions and alliances: pagans and Christians; Celtic Christians and Roman Christians; native Celts, Angles, Saxons, and Jutes and their various subgroups. The book’s background is the conflict that brought together the kingdoms of Bernicia and show more Deira in the north of England under King Edwin (c. 586 - c. 633). Edwin is the uncle of Hild, who was the daughter of Hereric, an exiled prince of Deira. Hild’s mother, Breguswith, prophesied before her daughter was born that she would give birth to “the light of the world.” In an act of self-fulfilling prophecy, Breguswith, a woman with a keen intellect and many talents, raises Hild to watch and listen, teaching her how to spin the knowledge she gains into prophetic utterances. Thus, Hild becomes Edwin’s seer and takes advantage of her status as a marginal figure to flout the roles expected for a seventh-century noble woman.

Hild is a historical figure, better known as St. Hilda of Whitby. Griffith has taken advantage of the fact that much of Hild’s life is a big blank. What is known about her was written by Bede in The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Most of it is in Chapter 23, where he says that Hild lived for 66 years, 33 of it before she became a nun and 33 after. Griffith’s book ends when Hild is about 18. The sequel is Menewood. And I think two more books are also planned. (They can’t get here soon enough).

This is the best book I have read in quite a while. It is not a book that you want to rush through to find out “what happens.” Instead, it is a book you want to savor. One word that I can think of to describe it is “layered.” You want to savor the layers of language and description, character and plot. Griffith’s layers touch on war, relationships, politics, economy, religion, folk medicine, and the rhythms of nature. She makes you care about the trade between York and Frisia, about how cheese is made, and about the art of tablet weaving. Here’s a passage that caught me early in the book:
“She knew them by their thick woven cloaks, their hanging hair and beards, and their Anglisc voices: words drumming like apples split over wooden boards, round, rich, stirring. Like her father’s words, and her mother’s, and her sister’s. Utterly unlike Onnen’s otter-swift British or the dark liquid gleam of Irish. Hild spoke each to each. Apples to apples, otter to otter, gleam to gleam, though only when her mother wasn’t there.”

I have enjoyed the characters and the world that Griffith so carefully and respectfully created to show us a glimpse of the English past. I will be reading the sequel very soon. show less

The Hild saga continues!

Early Middle Ages, Northumbria. The Romans have mostly left Britain. This is no cohesive country, but rather kingdoms or tribes that are constantly at war. The roman priests are gaining some influence. Importantly they bring the written word. Communication is enhanced. It is a record of accord, especially if all parties have a signed and witnessed statement. Hild uses this to ensure her conditions of agreement are not set aside later in the novel.
I also noted that show more later Hild warned King Oswald about letting the bishop speak to his people for him.
Hild Yffing, “light of the world and godmouth; hægtes and freemartin; Butcherbird and king’s fist ... [and] new-made Lady of Elmet.”
Hild is niece to Edwin Yffing, Overking of the people north of the Humbre. A woman surrounded by mystique, legend and song.
Hild has seen what kings can do to the common people and to the land. (After winning a battle kings have a war-host that needs to be kept occupied. That’s trouble.) She has already planned for a safe place to live and hide deep in Elmet, in Menewood. Hild’s had caches of food and supplies hidden, and unobtrusive gardens sown throughout the countryside. She’s walked and ridden that land, payed attention to the seasons, the flight of birds, the way the streams run. She notes it all. That sense of oneness with the land lifts her story.
When King Edwin plans to face a cunning and ruthless foe, Cadwallon, (who is determined to wipe all Yffings of the faces of the land), Hild is troubled when some of Edwin’s allies haven’t sworn to him in the traditional way. Edwin is unconcerned. He should be!
Hild has been called to bless the warband and Edwin’s undertaking in the coming battle. She had planned to leave straight after, but Edwin insists on taking his ‘godmouth’ with him to the front.
Big with child, Hild and her Hounds, her gesith (elite fighting force), are trapped between the opposing armies. They can’t escape the surging hoards, filled with battle lust. Betrayal is the key to the fiercesome, brutal battle that follows. It is the death knell, the tragic loss of all Hild holds dear.
Her escape back to Menewood will be sorely endured and won over many months.
Hild is religious, both aware of the old ways and the new ways. She merges pagan and Christian practices, seeing the strengths of both.
Her final battles has her seeking the best for her people, but always the will of kings will be troublesome. Hild is special, she is fierce and true, and kings want to control her.
I loved the glossary. It helped me to come closer to the story.
Colorful, raw and splendid writing gives shape to the person Hild is become. Her Wyrd is not finished.
An enticing, readable and at times harrowing continuation of Hild’s story brought to life in startling ways. A book that simultaneously gives us an insight into what many thought of as the Dark Ages. An age that reveals the beauty and the hell of human history … that continues into today.

A Farrar, Straus and Giroux ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change show less

This novel starts with such promise. Griffith's reimagining of 7th century Britain is so convincing and her Hild is a singularly vivid character that defies cliche. The story feels fresh and surprising. Eventually, however, it flags, and even worse, modern sensibilities insinuate themselves into the narrative in a way that feels jarring and unwelcome. There could be future installments of Hild, and one hopes that Giffiths can keep it on the rails next time.

Third book in the Aud Torvingen trilogy. Previously, Aud, a one-time cop and now investigator, fell in love with Julia, only to lose her to a bullet. After mourning her lost love, Aud is ready to move on with her life, but of course, nothing is easy. In this book, two stories are told concurrently, one in the recent past when a tragic event mars the self-defense class she's teaching in Atlanta that shakes her confidence, and the present, when she checks out some property she owns in Seattle show more and drags her friend Dornan along, where they encounter the movie crew that is renting Aud's warehouse.

The film is being sabotaged and in trying to discover why, Aud uncovers a real estate scam. This book is the longest of the three, partly to cover the two storylines and partly because there is so much detail in this, almost a day-to-day, hour-to-hour accounting. The writing is crisp, the characters fully realized, and Aud is at her best when showing some vulnerability, especially in her reunion with her diplomat mother and meeting her mother's new husband. But her budding romance with one-time stuntwoman turned caterer, Kick Kuiper, could be jeopardized by Kick's secret.

Okay, that doesn't sound like much, but forget the plot. It really isn't as important as the journey Aud is on as she learns more about herself, how to rely on others, comes to terms with her mother, and somehow, without realizing it, starts to actually fit in and socialize for the first time in her life, it seems. Aud is a tough female character full of flaws and she's the heart and soul of this book. I enjoy spending time with her and wouldn't mind seeing a fourth book. show less