Thursday, February 21, 2013

Illuminations, by Mary Sharratt

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.

2 comments:

  1. So, overall you're saying "no" to this one. Should we put all the nonfic on her on your Christmas List?

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  2. Look 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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