Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
[London, Oxford Univ. Press, 1956.
Description
A young girl witnesses the waning power of the Norse in their continuing conflict with the Normans in eleventh century England.
User reviews
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
I usually think of Vikings as ruthless invaders, but in Rosemary Sutcliff's The Shield Ring they're defending their English Lake District settlements against the Normans. After the Normans burn 4-year-old Frytha's home, she and her father's shepherd, Grim, find refuge with Jarl Buthar in his Lake
I hadn't heard of Rosemary Sutcliff until recently, and how I wish I had discovered her in my childhood. This book had lots of elements I enjoyed in children's/young adult fiction: young people at the heart of the action, strong adult mentors/role models, language that evoked the era and yet was still understandable, and a historical setting described so well that I could easily picture the details. (I will admit that the map and the woodcut illustrations at the beginning of each chapter did help my imagination!) I'll be on the lookout for more of Ms. Sutcliff's books.
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District stronghold. Frytha soon adapts to life in this Viking settlement. All too soon her childhood companions grow into warriors who must mount one last stand against the Norman invaders.I hadn't heard of Rosemary Sutcliff until recently, and how I wish I had discovered her in my childhood. This book had lots of elements I enjoyed in children's/young adult fiction: young people at the heart of the action, strong adult mentors/role models, language that evoked the era and yet was still understandable, and a historical setting described so well that I could easily picture the details. (I will admit that the map and the woodcut illustrations at the beginning of each chapter did help my imagination!) I'll be on the lookout for more of Ms. Sutcliff's books.
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LibraryThing member lindsayburns
Dense story about a young girl who is part of a group of Vikings from a northern lake district she weaves a tale with so much realism and emotion that you could almost believe you were there.
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
A pretty good description of an obscure by-way of English History. I didn't know that there were Scandinavians hanging around in the Lake Country of England, so late as that.
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
A very rich story about a time I knew nothing about - I had no clue the Domesday Book stopped at the foot of the Lakelands because the Conqueror hadn't gotten all of England (well, I didn't know it had stopped, let alone why). It's a fascinating story for the history - the people only make it
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better. Frytha the Saxon girl, brought among the Norsemen as a child because her home had been destroyed by the Normans, and Bjorn, who adopted her as his partner and shadow. There's a great deal not spoken between them - Frytha thinks of it, sometimes, but they understand what they need to. And all of this is background to many years of battle and preparing for battle - that would be a grand story by itself, but the depth is provided by the characters. I think this one will get a reread or two. Show Less
LibraryThing member JackMassa
Great story, memorable characters, and an historical setting presented so vividly you can smell the blood, ale, and peat smoke.
The prose is a little dense for current reading tastes, and you might want to keep a dictionary handy. (Know what a 'beck' is? How about a 'fell'? Neither did I.)
But if
The prose is a little dense for current reading tastes, and you might want to keep a dictionary handy. (Know what a 'beck' is? How about a 'fell'? Neither did I.)
But if
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you like Vikings, history, romance, and sympathetic, understated heroes and heroines, this beck's for you. Show Less
LibraryThing member Marypo
Sutcliff's books often have a theme of unspoken communication, where the most important interactions aren't verbal, because the characters understand each other on a deep level. And I loved watching how that played out here.
Language
Original publication date
1956
Physical description
215 p.; 23 cm
DDC/MDS
| Fic Historical Sutcliff |