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The Needle in the Blood
 
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The Needle in the Blood (Paperback)

by Sarah Bower (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Snowbooks; UK open market ed edition (1 May 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1905005393
  • ISBN-13: 978-1905005390
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 128,449 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'A huge accomplishment...so vivid, intriguing and masterfully portrayed... as rich and remarkable as the embroidery it describes. Bower is a talented writer; her novel is highly recommended.' Susan Fletcher, winner of the 2004 Whitbread First Novel award for 'Eve Green'. 'A story of love, war and the tangled truths of Britain's birth, crafted with as much care and skill as the famous tapestry at its heart.'Sarah Bryant, author of 'The Other Eden' and 'Sand Daughter' 'A fascinating insight into the making of the Bayeux Tapestry and the many mysteries stitched into this famous embroidery.' Dr. Carola M. Hicks, author of 'The Bayeux Tapestry: The Life of a Masterpiece 'A thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating historical novel which brings the period to life. The Bayeux tapestry will never look the same again.' Patricia Duncker, author of 'Hallucinating Foucault' "First, before I write anything else, I want to tell you just how good this book is. I don't want to be coy about it; I don't want to prevaricate. I just want to say, honestly: measured on a scale of books that are good and books that are ok and books that suck, this book is mind-bogglingly good. I mean, I liked it. I mean, I loved it. I mean, I was so filled up with the pure joy of reading it, that I forgot that I'm ever a stickler or a critic or a cynic. I forgot that medieval historical 'romance' makes me twitchy and that the merest whiff of 'womens' fiction' gives me hives. her prose is honestly quite startling. She has a gift for simile, and for descriptive language. .. Languid and deliberate in its telling, vivid and tangible in its world-building. Characters are similarly well-made, composite pieces and shown rather than told... Bower has an excellent grasp of the bonds of kinship, obligation, religion and biology that bind these women together Finally though, it is the way The Needle in the Blood stays true to the spirit of its endeavour that beguiles me. The way it seeks to evoke its period and the way it maintains its characters in context, the way it wears its research lightly and heavily at the same time, the way it makes no concessions to the cliches of its romance plot. The way it alienates and then reconciles its readers to the difficult themes of the eleventh century and of the Conquest. Truly, if there is such a thing as a good medieval historical romance, this is it. " Eve's Alexandria


Product Description

It is January 1067. Charismatic bishop Odo of Bayeux decides to commission a wall hanging, on a scale never seen before, to celebrate his role in the conquest of Britain by his brother, William, Duke of Normandy. What he cannot anticipate is how utterly this will change his life - even more than the invasion itself. His life becomes entangled with the women who embroider his hanging, especially Gytha - handmaiden to the fallen Saxon queen and his sworn enemy. But against their intensions they fall helplessly in love; in doing so Odo comes into conflict with his king and his God and Gytha with Odo's enemies, who mistrust her hold over such a powerful man. Friends and family become enemies, enemies become lovers; nothing in life or in the hanging is what it seems. "The Needle in the Blood" - a powerful tale of sex, lies and embroidery.
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars 1066 and all that?, 31 May 2007
I haven't read any historical fiction for a while, nothing has really appealed, but the headline on the beautiful cover of The Needle in the Blood offered a tale of sex, lies and embroidery so I thought I would give it a go. The book grips from the first chapter; you are thrown into the middle of the Battle of Hastings, with Odo, brother to William the Conqueror, rallying the Norman troops, fearing his brother has died on the battlefield. We soon learn that the battle is won and the history of England changes forever. In the aftermath of the battle the rumour is that Harold has been killed by an arrow in the eye; it's the first lie, the reality is that his body has been hacked to pieces and mutilated but the arrow in the eye story will be recorded for posterity in the Bayeux tapestry.

Amongst the Saxon women who come to claim his body is Gytha, handmaid to the mistress of the fallen king and a talented embroiderer. She returns to Winchester with the women, only to witness the pillaging of her mistress's home and to submit to rape to save a Saxon soldier about to be put to death. When the unconventional Bishop Odo decides to commission a wall hanging to commemorate the battle, Gytha is among the women recruited to work on the embroidery. Forced to work as a prostitute to survive, she reluctantly agrees to work for the Norman court; she sees an opportunity for revenge and when she meets Odo again she is armed with a sharp knife and a thirst for vengeance. But in this book nothing is as it seems and as she falls in love with him and so the lies and intrigue begin, with as many lies stitched into the tapestry as are told among the wonderfully full and vibrant cast of characters that people this book.

This is a must read for anyone looking for a strong and intense story, beautifully told by someone with the skill to bring this extraordinary period in our history so colourfully to life - and is a must read for anyone visiting Bayeux to see the tapestry.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and well written, 24 Oct 2007
I do like my historical fiction and this era - post the Battle of Hastings - probably gets less coverage than most. Add to that the intriguing promise of "sex, lies and embroidery" and my interest was piqued.

The enigmatic, charismatic Bishop Odo of Bayeux, brother to William of Normandy (aka Wm The Conqueror), decides to commission a tapestry to record the conquest of England. One of the talented embroiderers conscripted into service is Gytha, previously handmaiden to the dead King Harold's mistress, who is Odo's sworn enemy.

So begins an unlikely love story, interspersed with a good dose of lies, treachery, deceipt, sex and, yes, some embroidery. The story is well plotted and put into action and, to the best of my ability to tell, it is as historically sound as you would expect.

To focus on the elements that really stand out, I would have to highlight the powerful array of supporting characters. These include the other embroiderers and Sister Agnes (Odo and William's sister) who oversees the production of the tapestry. They are vibrantly portrayed with just the right amount of detail. Ms Bower has done well to keep William The Conqueror to a minor supporting role.

I also liked the way Ms Bower tackled the challenge of the "truth" about what happened at Hastings. By this I mean the build up to the Norman invasion, as well as the "arrow in the eye" myth. It goes to show that there is a more to it than the old adage that history is written by the victors.

I gave this book only four stars because five has to be reserved for the truly outstanding. This book is really, really good, but only occasionally superb. In the final analysis it lacks a little bite, perhaps in the form of a real villain, but remains entertaining and well written.
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13 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Read, 28 Jun 2007
By J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

Sarah Bower is Literature Development Officer for Creative Arts East. She teaches creative writing at the University of East Anglia and reads historical fiction manuscripts for a literary consultancy. She was UK editor of the Historical Novels Review for two years until the beginning of 2006 when she stepped down to make more time for her own writing and thank goodness she did if this book is anything to go by. Sarah lives in rural north Suffolk with her husband, two grown up sons and two golden retrievers.

January 1067, the year after William of Normandy gained victory over Harold and his horsetails at Hastings. William's brother, bishop Odo of Bayeux decides to commission a wall hanging, the like of which has never been seen before. He believes it will be a fitting tribute to the victory at Hastings and also highlight the fact that he himself played no small part in the invasion.

Little does he know at the time that his life will become hopelessly entangled with the women who embroider his hanging, particularly Gytha, handmaiden to the fallen Saxon queen and his sworn enemy. Against all that they hold dear the pair fall hopelessly in love and in doing so Odo comes into conflict
With his brother and Gytha with Odo's enemies who mistrust her hold on such a powerful man. In the turmoil their love creates friends become enemies and vice versa. The Needle in the Blood is a powerful drama unfolding in a land that is being subdued by the sword.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read
I was rather worried by the length of this book but, as with Michel Faber's Crimson Petal and the White, there was no problem with its length. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Lovejoy

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