Laura E. Richards's 'Queen Hildegarde'

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Have you ever had a book move you so much that it inspired you to make changes in your own life? Laura E. Richards's book, Queen Hildegarde, moved me in ways I never thought a book could through her vivid description and dialogue that made me feel like I'm experiencing her story as one of the characters. Through sensory language and dialogue, she drew me into the book and left me sharing in the emotions of the characters, relating to them as if I had known them all my life. In chapter 13, Richard writes: “Away she went like a flash, through the golden fields, down the lane, where the maples made a flaming tent of scarlet over her head, bursting suddenly like a whirlwind into the little cottage,” (208). It’s descriptions like these, which she starts every chapter with, that rope you into the book. …show more content…

Another example of her vivid descriptions is how she describes the characters. Near the end of chapter 2, she writes: “In the porch, under the blossoming clematis, stood a tall, broad-shouldered man, dressed in rough homespun, who held out his great brown hand,” (101). In my opinion, having descriptions of characters like these is essential as it helps the reader picture the scene in their mind, and creates a fictional relationship between the reader, and the characters. The author's use of dialogue in Queen Hildegarde, is effective in helping the reader relate to the character. In the first chapter, when Hildegardes’ mother tells her she has to leave for the farm, she responds with: “Mamma! Mamma!” she cried. “How can you be so unkind, so cruel”? Leave me–you and Papa

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