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Jan 20, 2018sarahcharlotte999 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Let me respond to quibbles others have raised about this book.   Quibble 1. "Where's the plot?" If you were to write a wikipedia synopsis, Hild wouldn't seem to go anywhere fast. But the tension of old Anglo-Saxon politics and religion here practically overwhelmed me. Hild twists and turns just like I think life must have back in the 600's.   Quibble 2. "Why did the author invent same-sex romantic relationships?" Same-sex relationships existed for'eva. Duh. And, I find the author's explorations of desire and growing up sooo much more realistic than the romance dynamic present in even the best historical novels (You know, hunky-knight and long-lashed sighing-lady...Cornwell and Penman, I'm looking at you).   Quibble 3. "Hild is way too smart." A friend put it best: Hilda is "a bit of a wish-fulfillment figure but what's a saint for if not holding our aspirations?"