Hild (Griffith) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[A] fictional coming-of-age story about real-life Saint Hilda of Whitby, who grew up pagan in seventh-century Britain.... 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...: the Dark Ages transformed into a fantasy world of skirt and sword.
Publishers Weekly


Based on the real-life St. Hilda of Whitby (614-80 CE), Griffith's Hild may be too remarkable to be true, but the novel 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. Recommend to readers of historical fiction. —Reba Leiding, formerly with James Madison Univ. Lib., Harrisonburg, VA
Library Journal


Griffith realistically represents the brutality of everyday life in this milieu. She is interested in exploring the costs of slavery...the ramifications of illness or injury...and the effects of political change...on the lives of individual people.… In its ambition and intelligence, Hild might best be compared to Hilary Mantel's novels about Thomas Cromwell—Jenny Davidson.
Bookforum


(Starred review.) In her first foray into historical fiction, Griffith explores the young life of Hild, the future St. Hilda of Whitby.... Griffith expertly blends an exploration of seventh-century court life and a detailed character study of Hild as she balances a need for acceptance, love, and friendship and a desire to escape the strict gender roles of her time ... Griffith triumphs with this intelligent, beautifully written, and meticulously researched novel. —Kerri Price
Booklist


[B]ased on the real life of the "Anglisc" girl who would become Saint Hilda of Whitby. Of Hilda's...life not much is known, save that she was an adept administrator and intellectually tough-minded champion of Christianity in the first years of its arrival in Britain. The lacuna affords Griffith the opportunity to put her well-informed imagination to work while staying true to the historical details.... Elegantly written.
Kirkus Reviews