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"SCARLET MUSIC will rivet the modern reader with its masterly evocation of times and peoples past, of saints and sinners, abbots and popes, and the shadows of great monasteries spreading across the landscape. Joan Ohanneson breathes life into the statued choirs of the Middle Ages so that they stand vividly before us debating far more seriously than we the questions we think of as our own bold inventions. Soon the pages and binding fall away and we find ourselves eavesdropping on all that is human in Hildegard and all that is divine as well. It lacks only Russell Baker offering an introduction to seem an episode of Masterpiece Theater at its most arresting and enlightening." - Eugene Kennedy, Ph.D.
SCARLET MUSIC tells the passionate life story of Hildegard of Bingen, the newly popular 12th c. abbess, mystic, and prophet whose writings and music are now sweeping the charts 900 years later. The author, Joan Ohanneson, spent ten years researching the novel, during which time she wrote, produced, and lectured internationally on Hildegard. The fruit of her labor is this evocative portrait of the medieval church, and an encounter with the woman behind the visionary. The story will appeal to lovers of The Mists of Avalon, and inspire readers to learn more about this remarkable medieval visionary." - NAPRA Review
"Hildegard of Bingen, the visionary mystic and all-round general genius of the 12th century, is well-served in this riveting historical novel. We become witness and confidante to her outer circumstances, her formidable strength and the pathos of her yearnings. She stands revealed as a feather on the breath of God and a bulwark against all wrongness. With this telling, Hildegard becomes at once deeply human and truly mythic."-Jean Houston
"Joan Ohanneson succeeds in revealing more of the woman behind the mystic, the visionary, and the prophet - a woman who saw herself as 'weak' but who could make corrupt clergy and kings tremble, a woman who suffered severe bouts of illness but who could expend her energies in monumental accomplishments. We see the strength and weakness of her human attachments, her anxieties and her fears, but also her daunting courage and her compassion for ordinary folk. SCARLET MUSIC is an admiring, sensitive, and richly detailed walk through the life and times, in the footsteps of Hildegard of Bingen."- Madonna Kolbenschlag
"In a culture that hungers for depth, SCARLET MUSIC is food for the soul. A good story wakes us up, provides fresh alternatives, consecrates our sufferings, offers meaning. SCARLET MUSIC is a good story . The hours spent with this music will enrich the heart and the mind." - Robert F. Morneau, Auxiliary Bishop of Green Bay
"In this fictional biography, Ohanneson firmly anchors Hildegard of Bingen's life and prophetic witness in the historical events, both religious and secular, of twelfth-century Europe yet weaves for us a remarkable portrayal of a woman, deeply steeped through her visionary insights and mystic experiences into the numinous feminine divine which expresses itself as Wisdom and Love. With creative imagination and profound insight into the mind and heart of Hildegard of Bingen, Ohanneson evokes for us an intriguing yet deeply moving characterization." - Miriam Schmitt, OSB
"Reclaimed after almost nine centuries, Hildegard is heralded today as a foremother by modern feminists and as a saint by Pope John Paul II. Her prophetic writings include predictions of the Reformation, the promotion of holistic healing and forewarnings about the ecological peril that confronts our planet today." - East West Books
"Joan Ohanneson keeps Hildegard's story clipping along with short, punchy paragraphs. She does the hard scenes with ease. There's adventure, intrigue and heresy and this author is not above a bit of heavy breathing." - National Catholic Reporter
