Profound, moving, dense, warm, earthly, and magical in a pre-medieval way. *Hild* reads like a wonderful, brutal, and gory children’s tale for adults who love European history, embracing its alien-ness to the contemporary world, and all the petty humanness of it that still lives on today. Nicola Griffith's writing is beautiful, and the book is far too full of proper nouns for me to fully grasp everything that was going on. It's a very, very, very long novel, but nonetheless, totally worth it! If...

I'm a pretty quick reader, and usually I can devour a book the size of *Hild* in just a few days. But this one took me weeks to finish. Not because there was anything wrong with Nicola Griffith's novel, but because (a) I had to keep putting it down to really absorb everything, and (b) it was so immersive that I needed to carve out a few hours each time I picked it up so I could truly sink in without any interruptions. *Hild* is like slow-pouring honey. It's rich with detail, unfolds at a delibe...

This book, Hild by Nicola Griffith, is driving me absolutely nuts because some parts are so incredibly wonderful, and others are utterly infuriating. I'm writing this as a book review for other potential readers. My objections echo those in other reviews. Yes, the research is meticulous, painting a very real and believable picture of daily life for women during that era. I often felt completely immersed in the book's world. And yes, Hild as a character is awesome, brilliant, and breaks all the ...

So, I've been wrestling with *Hild*--or as I think of it, *Hild: Nicola Griffith Did Her Research and She Really, Really Wants You to Know It*--for almost a month now. I'm only halfway through the thing. The whole time I've been thinking, gosh, there are probably people who would absolutely love this book, devour it, and celebrate its unique intricacies, and how unfortunate it is that I'm just not one of those people. I *do* really love some things about *Hild*--the political intrigue, the inter...

It's been ages since I've been this thrilled to read such a hefty book, and even longer since I felt this bummed to see it end. But! -- it took a wonderfully long time to get there. Hild is a real brick. You reach a point where you're just swimming in the world of the book, totally captivated, drunk on the story and the language, and you think: considering everything that's happened so far -- entire lives revealed -- this has got to be wrapping up. But nope: feel the pages beneath your fingers. ...

Even before she was born, Hild's mother prophesied that she would be "the light of the world." Hild, however, wasn't the boy her parents anticipated, but her mother still trained her to become an important figure. As a child, Hild's sharp mind earned her a reputation as a seer and a place in her uncle, King Edwin's, household. Through observation, curiosity, and constant reflection, Hild's intellect continued to expand amidst never-ending political (and physical) battles. This historical fiction...

I honestly don't know when I last waffled so much trying to decide how to rate and review a novel. I'm leaning towards a higher rating because Nicola Griffith writes with such confidence, and I truly believe that passionate fans of speculative historical fiction have every reason to absolutely adore "Hild". As a reader, I got bogged down in the intensely and repeatedly detailed world-building, the sheer number of characters with nearly impossible-to-pronounce names, and a plot that seemed to lu...

I've spent the last four days completely immersed in the brutal and beautiful world of seventh-century Britain, so much so that sitting down at my computer feels like stepping into the future. Saint Hilda of Whitby, daughter of a Northumbrian prince, became an Abbess, training bishops for the growing Christian church in Britain and advising kings and princes. Yet, apart from a brief mention in Bede's *The Ecclesiastical History of the English People*, also known as the Father of English Histor...

DNF at page 150. I just don't care what happens to any of these characters. There's almost zero forward momentum, and the historical details alone aren't enough to keep me going. I have a strong feeling that if I forced myself to wade through the rest of Nicola Griffith's *Hild*, I'd end up hating it, even though I really, really want to love it. So, I'm not going to bother. Goodbye and good luck, Hild. I hope you were more interesting in real life. If you're looking for historical fiction book ...

Nicola Griffith's writing is simply gorgeous. She brings the 7th-century Anglo-Saxon world to life with such immediacy and detail that you're completely transported. It's like she's wielding a magic wand with her words, though the world she conjures in *Hild* is far from romantic. It's a harsh, cold, and perilous place where life is constantly in motion. 'Home' is more of an idea than an actual location. Days are dictated by the back-breaking labor required to survive, and years are marked by th...