305:, which also treats a huge political landscape from the perspective of one character." Mantel could take advantage of the popularity of Tudor history and "never had to describe the ins and outs of Tudor politics; she could incorporate whole masses of data by a simple reference. ... Griffith has nothing like this. Very few people know anything at all" about fifth-century politics, historical figures, and linguistics. "So all this data falls on Hild to divulge, the whole tangle of little kingdoms, the people with names like Coelfrith... and Eadfrith..., the family feuds and the religious undercurrents..."
29:
253:
As Hild was female and held a position in her uncle's court, Griffith realized that it would be possible for Hild to have sexual partners of either sex. Women of Hild's station would have to worry primarily about being discreet and careful about whom they selected. However
Griffith also stated that:
212:
through force, bribery, and religious coercion. The king's niece Hild grows up bright, curious, and willful in this world of violence and mysticism. She learns to fight with staff and sword and to speak several languages. Although her father has been assassinated, Hild survives to become an advisor
267:
Griffith also stated that she wanted to write the book in an immersive style in order to let the reader "experience the seventh century, to see, smell, hear, taste and feel what Hild does; to gradually adopt her mindset and worldview; to think as she does, to learn her lessons, feel her joys—to be
262:
The way I see it, at the time, before widespread conversion to Roman
Christianity, no one much cared who you did and didn’t have sex with. Sex wasn’t a moral issue. All royal women before the founding of nunneries got married, and that if they then wanted to have sex with other women no one would
233:
and during this process she began wondering about aspects of Hild's life not recorded historically, such as her likes, dislikes, and reasons for choosing specific actions. While writing the character
Griffith posited that she had two types of close personal relationship with women outside of her
258:
Hild isn’t lesbian/homosexual. She’s bisexual. I doubt they had such terms back then, though. I’ve seen no evidence that who you did or did not have sex with defined how women thought of themselves. Actually, there’s no evidence for anything, sexually, in early seventh-century northern
Britain.
263:
much care as long as they were discreet. After all, the point of marriage was alliance, household management, and the provision of heirs. Married girls loving other married girls wouldn’t have any impact on any of these points.
300:
that "Griffith’s description of how the little girl Hild foretells some events is deftly done In dealing with the history the book is less effective, and for an interesting reason. Contrast this novel with
Hillary Mantel’s
411:
229:, Griffith began researching Hild and seventh-century Britain, upon which she realized that not much was known about Hild as a historical person. Griffith documented her research on her blog
188:
on
November 12, 2013 and in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2014 through Blackfriars Books. Griffith has stated that the book will be the first in a trilogy. The second book in the trilogy,
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meaning "mate, equal, one of a pair, comrade, companion" and "husband or wife", which she repurposed to refer to a female friend and work partner.
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is a book as loving as it is fierce, brilliant and accomplished. To read it felt like a privilege and a gift."
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to the king and ultimately to other major figures determining
England's course in the
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359:, who named it one of their "Books of the Week" for November 11, 2013, and the
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927:"Bi Writers Association announces finalists for Bisexual Book Awards"
690:"With Nuanced Beauty, 'Hild' Destroys Myths Of Medieval Womanhood"
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John W. Campbell
Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
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831:"2014 Over the Rainbow List: 71 LGBT Books for Adult Readers"
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417:
Bisexual Book Award for
Bisexual Fiction (2014, nominated)
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875:"26th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists and Winners"
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614:"Why Is Pop Culture So Obsessed With the Middle Ages?"
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The novel was first published in the United States by
568:"Immersive storytelling: are books better than film?"
238:. Griffith created the grammatically feminine term
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365:, who named it one of the "best titles of 2013".
717:"PW Picks: Books of the Week, November 11, 2013"
280:has been positive and many compared the work to
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953:"Not the Booker prize: vote for the shortlist"
395:Over the Rainbow Project list, Fiction (2014)
234:immediate family: her sexual partner and her
8:
314:wrote that the book had more in common with
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901:"John W. Campbell Memorial Award Finalists"
761:"Nicola Griffith: The Body & the World"
538:
536:
259:Nothing. No material culture and no text.
173:is a fictionalized telling of the life of
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807:. Seattle Public Library. Archived from
16:2013 historical novel by Nicola Griffith
877:. Lambda Literary Award. Archived from
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402:Notable Book, Historical Fiction (2014)
929:. GLAAD. 17 April 2014. Archived from
408:for Bisexual Fiction (2014, nominated)
165:and the sixth novel by British author
805:"WASHINGTON STATE BOOK AWARD WINNERS"
665:Robbins, Michael (21 November 2013).
566:Griffith, Nicola (20 November 2014).
466:
464:
7:
688:El-Mohtar, Amal (14 November 2013).
208:plots to become the king of all the
192:, was published on October 3, 2023.
763:. Locus Magazine. 14 September 2014
667:"Review: 'Hild' by Nicola Griffith"
353:The work also received praise from
638:Holland, Cecelia (December 2013).
471:Griffith, Nicola (27 March 2012).
14:
1025:Novels set in Anglo-Saxon England
543:Griffith, Nicola (16 July 2014).
517:Griffith, Nicola (20 June 2012).
425:Not the Booker (2014, longlisted)
33:Cover of the first UK edition of
1045:2013 LGBT-related literary works
612:Parks, Cara (13 November 2013).
342:gave the work high praise in an
1060:Farrar, Straus and Giroux books
739:"31 of the best titles of 2013"
308:In contrast a reviewer for the
290:. American historical novelist
268:her, just for a little while."
204:, small kingdoms are merging.
1:
1075:Female bisexuality in fiction
1020:Novels set in the Middle Ages
1070:Novels with bisexual themes
1050:Novels set in the Dark Ages
903:. SF Center. Archived from
384:Washington State Book Award
378:Nebula Award for Best Novel
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853:"RUSA Notable Books, 2014"
386:for Fiction (2014, winner)
1030:Novels by Nicola Griffith
1015:British historical novels
545:"HILD'S SEXUALITY, REDUX"
473:"Origins of Hild, part I"
374:Tiptree Honor Book (2013)
186:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
64:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
26:
785:. SFWA. 25 February 2014
640:"Hild: A Novel (review)"
321:The Once and Future King
177:, also known as Hild of
276:Critical reception for
202:seventh-century Britain
855:. ALA. 29 January 2014
833:. ALA. 26 January 2014
519:"HILD AND HER GEMÆCCE"
369:Awards and recognition
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78:November 12, 2013 (US)
68:Blackfriars Books (UK)
406:Lambda Literary Award
992:, Nicola Griffith's
591:"Conversion Starter"
448:Macmillan Publishers
206:Edwin of Northumbria
80:October 4, 2014 (UK)
1055:British LGBT novels
1035:2013 British novels
1010:Biographical novels
719:. Publishers Weekly
326:George R. R. Martin
23:
494:Griffith, Nicola.
442:Nicola, Griffith.
346:article, writing "
282:Dame Hilary Mantel
1065:2010s LGBT novels
907:on 30 August 2018
669:. Chicago Tribune
589:Davidson, Jenny.
547:. Nicola Griffith
521:. Nicola Griffith
414:(2014, nominated)
380:(2013, nominated)
356:Publishers Weekly
225:Prior to writing
215:Early Middle Ages
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961:. Retrieved
957:The Guardian
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618:New Republic
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570:. Ask Nicola
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475:. Ask Nicola
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593:. Bookforum
316:T. H. White
244:Old English
221:Development
1004:Categories
498:. Gemaecce
453:7 November
444:"Menewood"
430:References
334:than with
161:is a 2013
137:1784822222
336:Wolf Hall
303:Wolf Hall
294:wrote in
287:Wolf Hall
272:Reception
242:from the
98:Hardcover
60:Publisher
990:Gemaecce
422:Guardian
190:Menewood
52:Language
963:7 April
937:7 April
911:7 April
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248:gemæcca
240:gemæcce
236:gemæcce
231:Gemæcce
96:Print (
55:English
673:7 July
393:GLBTRT
210:Angles
112:560 pp
42:Author
696:. NPR
109:Pages
22:Hild
994:Hild
965:2015
939:2015
913:2015
887:2015
861:2015
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817:2015
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675:2024
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481:2015
455:2023
400:RUSA
398:ALA
348:Hild
324:and
278:Hild
227:Hild
171:Hild
158:Hild
131:OCLC
118:ISBN
66:(US)
35:Hild
694:NPR
390:ALA
344:NPR
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