Illuminations
A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen

Set in the Middle Ages (1098-1179), this is a true story of a fascinating woman Hildegard von Bingen also known as Saint Hildegard and Sibyl of the Rhine. She was a German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, visionary, and polymath. Hildegard von Bingen is promised to......more

When I was fifteen, I discovered the beautiful music of Hildegard von Bingen. (Incidentally, the CD of her music that I discovered was a techno-trance interpretation created by Richard Souther. While I continue to love this work, it's much maligned by people with better taste than myself.) This was......more

I love reading about the Saints and I love historical fiction, but typically putting the two together makes for a disappointing read, in my opinion.  Good historical fiction authors are difficult to find in Catholic bookstores, so I was pleased to find Illuminations, a novel about the life of Hildeg......more

I became a fan of author Mary Sharratt when I read her novel, Daughters of the Witching Hill, so I've been anticipating the release of Illuminations with great excitement and when I was offered the opportunity to review it I jumped at the chance! Illuminations tells the story of Hildegard von Bingen......more

This novel about Hildegard of Bingen steers between two extreme views of this important medieval figure that I have seen in biographies. Mary Sharratt doesn't take the psycho-medical view that because Hildegard had migraines, she never had any true visions. She also doesn't deny that Hildegard had m......more