Who knew that so much as been written about Hildegard von Bingen? I probably would have been better served by a non-fiction biography, as Sharratt's flights of fancy made me mistrust the overarching truth of the novel. Basic facts, such as whether Jutta was a total nut job and whether the two were walled in as anchorites when Hildegard was eight, seem to be in question. The emotional portrait is a little iffy too.
So, overall you're saying "no" to this one. Should we put all the nonfic on her on your Christmas List?
ReplyDeleteLook elsewhere for Christmas shopping hints. I read and skimmed quite a few articles on Hildegard and Jutta, enough to get a sense of why Hildegard remains of such interest. For me, Sharratt was a no, but lots of people had positive things to say about this book on Amazon and Goodreads.
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