The Wind from Hastings

9/10
A finely crafted story, told in first person, of Edyth/Aldith, wife to Griffith, Ruler of All Wales, and then to Harold Godwine, King of England. She is a Saxon woman who loses her heart to Wales and its ruler, and who must later marry and strive to understand and respect the man who was responsible for Griffith’s death. The book is not long, but rich in details of domestic life, politics, and warfare in the 11th century.

Llywelyn's debute novel tells the story of Edyth, wife of English King Harold II. It is a narrative, told from her point of view. Oriiginall married to an Irish Prince, she became a spoil of war when he was killed by the English. Harold is later killed in the Battle of Hastings. Very good book, though not quite as well done as her later works. Llywelyn shines when she keeps to Irish legends as her source material.

I enjoyed this novel about Edyth, the daughter of the Earl of Merica in the 11th century. In an arranged marriage to a prince of Wales, she finds love and happiness. After the death of her husband, she finds herself as the spoils of war, and forced into marriage to Harold Godwine of England in order to protect and keep her children. The marriage takes place just after Harold becomes King of England following the death of Edward the Confessor. Within a year of her marriage, Harold is fighting to protect his crown, victoriously in the north against the Danes, and his own brother Tostig; but soon after he must face William the Bastard of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings. An interesting side note: Edyth was the granddaughter of Lady Godiva.