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There are currently 16 member reviews
for Illuminations
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Helen S. (Sun City West, AZ)
A woman ahead of her time
The story of Hildegard von Bingen’s life was fascinating and enlightening. Before reading Illuminations I had only known about her from facts gleaned from the liner notes on CDs of her music; she was a medieval Christian visionary and prophet, as well as a talented musician, writer, and healer. But as I read this historical novel, I could see her talents developing and imagine what life would have been like for her as an anchorite coping with difficult people and trying situations. By the end of the book, I felt that the author had given me an inside glimpse into the heart and soul of a brilliant, multitalented woman who centuries later continues to inspire us. I highly recommend this book to all readers who want to know her, not just know about her.
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Martha L. (Warner, NH)
passion and pain
Illuminations by Mary Sharratt is a novel about Hildegard von Bingen. I was worried it would be stuffy and overly religious, but it wasn’t at all. It was fascinating! Hildegard von Bingen was a famous nun/abbess/writer/composer from the eleventh century. She fought against the medieval views of women. It starts when as a child of eight she given to the church and was walled into three small rooms (an anchorage) as a handmaiden to woman who was extremely pious and in our world mentally ill. For thirty years, her only contact with the world was a priest who shared books and knowledge. It is from here that Hildegard found the strength to move forward. To me she was the first woman who tried to move the image of women. Most of all she was resilient and continued her vision forward, although not without problems.
The story of this remarkable woman cannot be told in these few words. There is so much more. The story is a well-written book that shares so much information about women during this time as well as the passion of Hildegard. If you enjoy historical fiction that is based on historical fact, this book is for you!
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Diane R. (Munger, Michigan)
ILLUMINATIONS IS A WINNER!!!
I truly enjoyed Illuminations. It was a true page turner and I loved the historical information that was intertwined throughout the book. It is an excellent book for a book club. It covers the life of a fascinating woman and corruption in the church and how the hierarchy looked down on women. It is suspenseful, holds your attention, and fast moving. It reminded me of the "Red Tent" where Dinah was portrayed. I was educated in a parochial school so many things in the book brought back memories even though there are many centuries between my education years and the time frame of this book.
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Linda S. (Oceanside, NY)
Illuminating the life of an anchorite
Imagine being bricked up into a small two room enclosure, with no windows and only a small courtyard that receives sparse light. This enclosure is attached to a church and your only contact with the outside world is through a small screen in the wall into the church. Your sole purpose is to be a handmaiden to Jutta von Sponheim, a noble woman who has agreed to be anchorite to the Disbodian abbey. Now imagine that you are only eight years old. This is the life of Hildegard von Bingen who became one of the most famous women in the Catholic Church, a writer, mystic and eventually a saint.
This was a fascinating book about the life of Hildegarde. She was a truly remarkable woman, a feminist for her time. After 35 years of living with the possibly mentally unbalanced Jutta, Hildegarde broke free of her anchorite, established an abbey and spoke all over Europe against the corruption of the church.
This book was fascinating. I knew very little about the life of an anchorite, I had read a little about Julian of Norwich but I learned so much more from this book. It is not a 'religious' book so much as it is an examination of human fortitude and the courage to fight for your convictions.
Falls short of five stars because I found the ending a little rushed. The opening chapters start with a mystery, but it is just explained away in the afterword. Up until this point I loved the book and wish it had been a little longer, about ten years seemed to be summed up in a few pages.
For those who like historical fiction, especially medieval history this is an excellent choice.
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Ann D. (Clearfield, PA)
Female Mysticism
In her book, Illuminations, Mary Sharratt has crafted novel about the life of Hildegard von Bigen. Having known a little about St. Hildegard, I was eager to read this book. The story flowed, but in the end, I was left wanting more. This, in itself, is not a bad thing. I did a little research on my own, which proved to me that Scharratt had done her homework. Illuminations could have included a great deal more of Hildegard von Bingen's writings, but was a very good as it is.
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Linda A. (Palo Alto, CA)
12th Century Women's Rights Advocate
Illuminations is the powerful story of Hildegard von Bingen, songwriter, abbess, religious leader who established the first monastery for women. At odds with the requirements of women to submit to the authority of powerful monks, Hildegard found a way to honor her visions, claim her talent, and enter into sisterhood with like-minded women. An interesting fictional account of the life of a fascinating woman of history.
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Elinor S. (Loudonville, NY)
Illuminations
This beautifully written book about an extraordinary woman was so informative about a time of such corruption and turmoil in the Catholic church. At the time that sons were being sent off to the crusades and daughters were being sacrificed to monasteries (sons also) in the name of salvation for the parents. It makes a mockery of the folly of men in the name of Christianity. That Hildegarde had the strength (apparently through her visions or holiness) to stand up to the hierarchy of the church and though her teachings not only of the divine but her herbal and medicinal knowledge that centuries later I are still respected. I was happy to be introduced to her.
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