Thank You Mary Sharratt

Mary thank you for your participation as we read and discussed your novel Illuminations
it was a tremendous help to our understanding more about the life and times of not only Hildegard but all women of that time in history.
I know I speak for myself and all my readers when I say that you made the read that much more enjoyable for us all.
I hope that you were "Illuminated" by us as much as we were by you
Please stay in touch

Week Three The Finale of Illuminations by Mary Sharratt

                     

                                      

Week Three Illuminations

First I thought I'd present the paperback cover and audible cover for Illuminations both beautiful and worth showing.

This tale of Hildegard is over but never all told so I thought we'd visit some other facts about her:
October 7-2012 Hildegard is made Doctor of Church
Hildegard was one of the first officially applied to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church
Her name was taken up in Roman Marytorolgy at the end of the 16th Century
Hildegard also appears on the calendar of saints of the Anglican Church
Her Feast Day is September 17th

She also has a planet named after her and she's been portrayed in documentary film.


Now let's focus on the last part of Illuminations.

We've talked about Hildegard in terms of her visions, her passions and her nurturing. I'd like to know
what you thought about Mary's portrayal of her throughout the novel not only in her spiritual persona but her very humanized personality too.

Character stand outs in the last section- did anyone we haven't mentioned to this point make you want to sing their praises or feel contempt for.
Or someone we've chatted about before that you think deserves more.


Final Thoughts

What one miracle, vision, occurrence stands out for you in the life of Hildegard?

Week Two Discussion of Illuminations Chapters 6-10

Illuminations
Week two discussion

A lot has happened to Hildegard and her peeps in this section.
So lets talk about it.

In week one there were several comments about Hildegard being given as a tithe and it got me to thinking about where she would have been at age 38 when she left the Anchorage if she had remained in secular life.
What do you think- would her life have been better or worse if she remained in her old life?

Let’s discuss Riardis.
Your thoughts on what really brought her there.
Her devotion to Hilegard.
Her regaining her voice.

Knowing the “worth” of women in this era how “big” of a deal was it that Hildegard was vindicated by the Pope?

Volmar and his importance.

Your thoughts on a whole about this section.

So please expand on this and bring up any or everything else you’d like to discuss.

August feature Illuminations Week one discussion

We've gotten insight into the Twelfth Century Church and a bit of secular life so let's dig right into the story
remember Mary will be with us so if you have questions or specific concerns ask her.

Illuminations
Week One
Chapter 1-5

Talk about the “tithe”.

Your thoughts on the mixture of pagan and Christian beliefs and acceptance.

Your feelings on Jutta.

Your favorite character so far and why?

What about the novel has most surprised you so far?

Remember this is just a guide to get you started so please include your own thoughts and feelings!