Cirrus@Austlit

'Johanne Nussbaum is a lonely and impetuous fourteen-year-old living in Kay, Prussia. She is the daughter of devout Old Lutherans who, persecuted by the king, are applying to relocate. Hanne's true allegiance, however, is not to religious doctrine but to nature. In nature, Hanne finds God. Her senses become exalted, synesthetic. Hanne can hear "the high-pitch of swarming sunlight in an open field" and the falling snow, "like chimes" (47). Stars emit a "single note of longing" (111). Though often effective, this language of ecstasy is, at times, laid on too thickly: "The song flooded my mouth, it cracked knuckles, and the feel of it was gratifying and soul-deep" (254). There are so many lush descriptions that I found myself wishing for fewer—both for contrast and for increased potency.' (Introduction)