Given up by her mother to the care of the Church at the tender age of 8, Hildegard von Bingen is a German saint whose life is a testament to the tenacity of the human soul. Tavia Gilbert delicately voices von Bingen, maturing the character appropriately as the listener follows her from childhood into old age. Jutta von Sponheim, the disturbed and overly righteous young woman Hildegard finds herself caring for, is graced with hushed, ethereal tones while Volmar, the young monk hopelessly in love with Jutta, has warm, deep inflections that reflect the good soul he truly is. Seamless shifts in tone along with exhaustive research into the correct pronunciation of obscure German names and places elevate the literary experience as only great audio can. AudioFile