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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
First read in 2017: This was a book I savored over two months of slow, delicious reading. Set in England in the 7th Century it follows Hild, a niece of King Edwin of Northumbria, and her family as they scramble to survive in a politically dangerous climate. Hild's mother dreamed that she would be a light of the world and manipulates the King into believing she has the gift of prophesy. In reality, Hild is fluent in four languages and exceptionally skilled at observing and eavesdropping. When her prophesies come true, she gains status and power- but also the enmity of the new Christ Priests who are beginning find places of influence in the royal court as well. This book swings back and forth between tense scenes of violent battle and long dreamy passages that celebrate the richness of the English land and the labor that went into making a living from it. The flowing of creeks, the bending of grain, the rustling of birds in the forest and the crash of waves make the constant peaceful backdrop of Hild's precarious life. A book to re-read, for sure.
Re-listened in 2025: great once again, but if I had done the audiobook instead of print the first time with this story I would have struggled with all the names! Narrator is great through.
Re-listened in 2025: great once again, but if I had done the audiobook instead of print the first time with this story I would have struggled with all the names! Narrator is great through.
While it is well written and I usually love this author, the pacing is too slow for me and I’m not interested enough in this period of history to appreciate it.
adventurous
medium-paced
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is a wonder. Deeply researched, intricately detailed historical fiction of the puts-you-in-the-world variety. Most of the names and situations are all unfamiliar at first (because how many stories set in the seventh century have most of us read?), but like good fantasy or sci fi writers, Griffith makes sure you figure things out quickly enough.
A lot of things about this made me think back to the Beowulf seminar I took for my English degree - this is a world with scops and peaceweavers and kings who give armbands and rings and other loot to their warriors as a mark of their loyalty.
From a very young age, Hild is placed in a precarious political position because of her relationship to people in power. She quickly becomes the king's seer, learning to find ways to stay more informed than most and manipulate situations to her benefit - while also dealing with the usual coming-of-age uncertainties.
A lot of things about this made me think back to the Beowulf seminar I took for my English degree - this is a world with scops and peaceweavers and kings who give armbands and rings and other loot to their warriors as a mark of their loyalty.
From a very young age, Hild is placed in a precarious political position because of her relationship to people in power. She quickly becomes the king's seer, learning to find ways to stay more informed than most and manipulate situations to her benefit - while also dealing with the usual coming-of-age uncertainties.
Long and immersive novel about the early years of Hild, niece of King Edwin of Northumbria and later to become St Hilda. The author builds an indepth picture of her world that makes for a slow, but fascinating read as Hild grows in power and authority and tries to protect the people she loves in a gorgeously described world of violence and danger. I've seen this novel described as a fantasy but, while people in the novel believe Hild to have magical power her abilities as seer to her uncle the king are based on observation and information. The only thing I found really fantastical was Hild's youth but that's a minor quibble in a novel that otherwise paints a very believable picture of a fractured land of different languages, races and religions and the roles that women could win for themselves within it. An excellent read.