This book really does make Hildegard come to life, by presenting her in the context of her times and her beliefs. But there are lots of weird little historical mistakes that suddenly snap the reader out of 12th century Germany, making it hard to stay with the story line. For example: A monk says he thinks the nuns should just stick with their rosaries--but rosaries didn't exist then. The margravine is desribed as wearing a dress with lace at the sleeves, but lacemaking was still several centuries in the future. Bernard of Clairvaux is described as having a beard, but monks were clean-shaven--it was the friars of the next century that wore beards. And several characters supposedly wear velvet, but it hadn't been invented yet. I really wish the author had taken the time to research a little better, since Hildegard was (and is) such an appealing character. Historical novels that aren't true to their period are as annoying to read as stories with geographical or technological errors. Putting the archbishop in velvet is like putting Rome in France or giving President Lincoln a telephone--kinda makes it hard to believe the story after that.

Having read several of the more scholarly treatises on Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, I'm finding it a breath of fresh air to experience her as a living being. The book is beautifully written and is not afraid to present Hildegard as all too human, dealing with the concerns and fears that must have accompanied her extraordinary visionary gifts. Although Hildegard would never have called herself a "feminist", since she embraced the precepts and beliefs of Catholicism, including the superiority of an all-powerful male God, she held women in high regard and challenged many of the assumptions of that time about women the value of women in the eyes of God. It is difficult to imagine that the Catholic church never officially granted sainthood to Hildegard; however, she is considered a saint in Germany - and I agree!

The life, the country, the contemporaries, and the political times of Hildegard come alive in this book. She was more than a religious woman who could write music - she had a great deal of courage and determination which even today would make her an outstanding feminist. Read it while listening to her music and find your dreams taking yyou to another world.