Hild by Nicola Griffith audiobook

Hild: A Novel

By Nicola Griffith
Read by Pearl Hewitt

Macmillan Audio 9780374280871
• 23.64 Hours • Unabridged
Format : Digital Download (In Stock)
  • 1 Format: Digital Download

  • Regular Price: $44.99

    Special Price $35.99

    ISBN: 9781427241191

A 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.

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Summary

Summary

Nominated for the 2013 Nebula Award for Best Novel

Finalist for the 2014 John W. Campbell Memorial Award

Finalist for the 2014 Lambda Literary Award

A Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week, November 2013

Among longlisted titles for Seattle Times Best Books of the Year, 2013

James Tiptree, Jr. Award Honor List, 2013

A 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.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“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 A Game of Thrones—to the extent that Hild begins to feel like the classic on which those books are based.” —Neal Stephenson, New York Times bestselling author of Cryptonomicon
“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
What a fabulous book! Hild has all the joys of historical fiction--transportation into a strange, finely detailed world--along with complex characters and a beautiful evocation of the natural world. But the tensions of the gathering plot make Hild feel like a quick read--too quick! I fell into this world completely and was sorry to come out. Truly, truly remarkable. —Karen Joy Fowler
“What a fabulous book! Hild has all the joys of historical fiction—transportation into a strange, finely detailed world—along with complex characters and a beautiful evocation of the natural world. But the tensions of the gathering plot make Hild feel like a quick read—too quick! I fell into this world completely and was sorry to come out. Truly, truly remarkable.” —Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club
“Nicola Griffith is an awe-inspiring visionary, and I am telling everyone to snatch this book up…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, author of Bastard Out of Carolina
“You could describe Hild as being like A 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. If it wasn’t like this, it should have been—and I’m sure that it was!” —Manda Scott, author of Dreaming the Eagle
“Vivid, vital, and visceral, Hild’s history reads like a thriller.” —Val McDermid, author of A Place of Execution
“Griffith’s prose transports and beguiles.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“Griffith has taken what little is known of the life of St. Hilda and imagined a vibrant, if brutal, world. Her descriptions are inventive and vivid, making Hild a pleasure to sink into…Our male heroes are going to be jealous.” —Washington Post
“Hild is a brilliantly researched, intensely granular, almost out-of-body experiences of being transported to another world. Every detail of life in the seventh century is foreign, but rings true. The plot kept things moving, and the prose reminded me of Marilynne Robinson in its beauty and strangeness.” —Huffington Post
“Luminous prose…A nice medieval trope.” —Chicago Tribune
“Griffith goes boldly into the territory, lingering over landscape, wallowing in language, indulging the senses, mixing historical fact with feminist fiction in a sweeping panorama of peasants working, women weaving, children at play, and soldiers in battle: the Dark Ages transformed into a fantasy world of skirt and sword.” —Publishers Weekly
“Provides a fascinating view of women’s lives in the early Middle Ages, from their vital roles in textile production and keepers of the household to sleeping arrangements and sexuality.” —Library Journal
“Griffith triumphs with this intelligent, beautifully written, and meticulously researched novel.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Griffith does admirable work in imagining and populating the ancient British world…Elegantly written—and with room for a sequel.” —Kirkus Reviews

Reviews

Reviews

by Ana 9/13/2017
Narration
Overall Performance
Story

Gorgeous voice, descriptive prose, and insight

This is a long book that I expect I will listen to more than once. Pearl Hewitt's voice is utterly charming from the very first moment. We get to know Hild and her brother when they are just tiny creatures...and Hewitt conveys that in a squeaky voice that is captivating. It took me back to a time and place that are familiar and yet so very far away. I can see myself as a meditative, thoughtful child -- really an extraordinarily insightful and observant child. Hild's character is believable, and I think Nicola Griffith is a genius for seeing how society could have shaped her. Of course, Hild's mother is a powerful influence who is cunning and a bit cruel, and without her Hild would perhaps have been chasing after butterflies instead of predicting death, war, and pacts forged through matrimony. I recommend this book as something you can continually return to for insight into history, politics, and the power of the mind to apprehend the future...and just to enjoy the beautiful descriptions of nature, read in Pearl Hewitt's lilting and musical voice.

Author

Author Bio: Nicola Griffith

Author Bio: Nicola Griffith

Nicola Griffith is the award-winning author of several novels and a memoir. A native of Yorkshire, England, she is a one-time self-defense instructor who turned to writing full-time upon being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993. She lives with her wife, the writer Kelley Eskridge, in Seattle.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : Digital Download
Category: Fiction/Historical
Runtime: 23.64
Audience: Adult
Language: English

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