The Needle In The Blood

By Sarah Bower

Book Overview

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 intentions 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.

In a new edition to celebrate a remarkable 2023 sculptural commemoration of this bestselling book installed at Julian of Norwich's shrine, The Needle in the Blood is a powerful tale of sex, lies and embroidery.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1905005393
• ISBN13: 9781905005390
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Snowbooks
• Length: 578 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.1" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Great fictional history!

The irresistible attraction in this story is the convincing and believable love affair existing between Bishop Odo and Gytha, his Saxon mistress. The underlying thread which weaves in and out of the story is the Bayeux Tapestry: an embroidered rearrangement of fact, offering a more palatable chronicle of the Norman Conquest of 1066. Although the tapestry is highly regarded for its exquisite workmanship; some parts are still questionable as to their original intent. The differing forms of love that the characters reveal for each other is the other theme which proves to be far more compelling and engaging than the history of the tapestry. Odo is both Bishop of Bayeux in Normandy and the Earl of Kent in the newly conquered England as well as William's half brother; he is a charismatic leader as well as a passionate theologian. Gytha, a member of the household of Harold and Edith, has been a witness to the death of Harold and the barbarity of the conquest. Her primary reason for existence is to kill the Bishop, who she feels is responsible for the annihilation of her Saxon world. That these two will fall in love is seemingly preordained, but the lovers have differing conflicts which are never fully resolved. Gytha cannot forget the savagery of the conquest and Odo's part in it, although her love for him continues unabated. Odo, on the other hand, is forever spiritually bound to her: he feels closer to God in her embrace than when he is in prayerful meditation. History does not reveal much information about the real Odo. There may have been a similarity in the fictional and historic Odo which they shared - both were equally comfortable with the secular as well as the sacred.