Nicola Griffith's Hild
I don't know what it is with long books--and this one isn't even that long!--but for some reason I find it hard to dedicate time to reading them, even when I enjoy them (as I did with this one). It takes place in the very early days of Christianity in England (or whatever England was then--lots of little warring kingdoms), and centers on the girl who grows up to be St Hilda. I have to say, I think this book might piss off people who take their saints seriously, for a VARIETY of reasons--but as someone who's never heard of St Hilda before this, I thought it was GREAT. I mean, aside from the fact that Hild is clearly in love with a guy who is clearly her half-brother. Otherwise, though, GREAT. Hild is a seer, and steered by her ambitious (read: Lady MacBeth-esque) mother, becomes indispensable to the king. There are lots and lots of political machinations--I think this might be a good pick for fans of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall series, and not just because of the historical English setting. I really liked the level of historical detail, too; Griffith clearly did her homework. This is a good book to hunker down with this winter and be grateful for our cushy modern lives. A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.
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