Hild

A Novel

De: Nicola Griffith

Narrado por: Pearl Hewitt

Award-winning author Nicola Griffith's 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 king's 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.

©2013 Nicola Griffith (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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

“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

“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

highly recommended

I've only listened to a few audio books and have given up on several, often because I can't make it past the first chapter due to the narrator's grating, irritating voice This narrator is leagues above any I've yet heard. I highly recommend her, as I do this novel. Engrossing and fascinating, with psychologically rich and well-developed characters and sophisticated plotting.

Less about Hild, more a war epic

If you were looking for anything about Hilda from Bede's Ecclesiastical History, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for an Old English war epic full of sex, politics, and dramatic battles and death scenes, then you might enjoy this. The book is obviously well researched, but it feels more about the world and its time than about the characters. The name Hild is plopped into a story much bigger than her, and for me she got lost in the myriad of characters and details.

Excellent story!

Very believable characters so that I cared about what happened to them. I found it difficult not to keep listening all night because the narrator did such a great job.

Excellent research and good storytelling

Warning spoiler ahead. Griffith created a deep rich world that gives life to a woman during a time when women in history books are limited, if they appear at all. If you are interested in the early middle ages of Britain, this is a book to read. However (and here's the spoiler) there is a completely unnecessary extension of the Morgan La Fey metaphor that makes the end gross. Maybe Griffith is setting up for the next book? Either way, consider yourself warned.

Historical Fiction must read.

An incredible effort by the author to create a historically accurate account of that time period while simultaneously weaving an exciting story with interesting characters.