“Like Outlander with an Italian accent.” –Real Simple “A detailed historical novel, a multifaceted mystery, and a moving tale of improbable love.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review A NEW YORK POST MUST-READ BOOK Readers of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander and Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring…will be swept away by the spell of medieval Siena” (Library Journal, starred review) in this … be swept away by the spell of medieval Siena” (Library Journal, starred review) in this transporting love story and gripping historical mystery.
Accomplished neurosurgeon Beatrice Trovato knows that her deep empathy for her patients is starting to impede her work. So when her beloved brother passes away, she welcomes the unexpected trip to the Tuscan city of Siena to resolve his estate, even as she wrestles with grief. But as she delves deeper into her brother’s affairs, she discovers intrigue she never imagined–a 700-year-old conspiracy to decimate the city.
As Beatrice explores the evidence further, she uncovers the journal and paintings of the fourteenth-century artist Gabriele Accorsi. But when she finds a startling image of her own face, she is suddenly transported to the year 1347. She awakens in a Siena unfamiliar to her, one that will soon be hit by the Plague.
Yet when Beatrice meets Accorsi, something unexpected happens: she falls in love–not only with Gabriele, but also with the beauty and cadence of medieval life. As the Plague and the ruthless hands behind its trajectory threaten not only her survival but also Siena’s very existence, Beatrice must decide in which century she belongs.
The Scribe of Siena is the captivating story of a brilliant woman’s passionate affair with a time and a place that captures her in an impossibly romantic and dangerous trap–testing the strength of fate and the bonds of love.more
I have confessed on this blog to being conservative when it comes to my historical fiction: I prefer it realistic and serious, no fantasy, parody, alternative histories, etc. Then I came across a synopsis of The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer. The setting of the novel – medieval Siena – had me sit up straight, but time travel? I was not sure I would like that part. Then I thought, “but medieval Siena!” and before I knew it, it was on my bedside table.
The novel’s protagonist is Beatrice Trovato, a New York neurosurgeon whose medievalist brother spent his last years in Siena, researching the reasons for that city’s particularly severe experience with the plague of 1348. His untimely death leaves Beatrice in possession of his house in Siena and a cache of documents that may hold the key to that centuries-old mystery.
Among the documents Beatrice discovers is a journal written by painter Gabriele Accorsi who was working on a commission to paint the Assumption of the Virgin on a public building in medieval Siena. One day, when Beatrice enters the city’s Duomo and admires one of Accorsi’s paintings, she is hurled back in time and emerges in the same place in the year 1347.
As she learns to survive in an era of lax legal standards and rampant misogyny, not to mention the lack of plumbing, Beatrice finds herself smitten with the handsome painter. But the obstacles in their path include not just the six-hundred-year age gap, but also a conspiracy involving murder and revenge, all as the Black Death closes in on Europe.
With just her wits and the bits of knowledge gleaned from the research materials left behind in the 21st century, Beatrice must save herself and Gabriele from this dual threat. She must also solve the mystery of the plague’s disproportional impact on Siena, which a modern-day descendant of one of city’s most prominent families would prefer not come to light.
The Scribe of Siena is thoroughly enjoyable – fast-paced and evocative of the period – although the time travel part took some getting used to. But I have come to believe that this device, when employed skillfully, can help the reader experience the past more fully and intimately.
That is because a modern protagonist thrust into a non-modern setting must absorb his or her environment with greater curiosity and sensory acuity than someone born and bred in that era would. The inevitable differences – not just in fashion, cuisine, or technology but also in the cultural, social, and political spheres – become all the more relevant for how they affect that modern protagonist, who, after all, is just like us.
In the author’s note at the end of The Scribe of Siena, Melodie Winawer’s time traveling historical fiction, she writes “this isn’t history- it’s fiction, and fiction, by definition, goes between and beyond the facts. That is the privilege and the heady pleasure of the novelist.” The pleasure extends bountifully to the reader. Winawer’s skillful combination of beautifully written sensory detail, meticulous research into 14th century Siena, her knowledge as a neurosurgeon, and the complex story that results, are captivating. The time travel, and juxtaposition of heady science with artistic sensibility and doses of spirituality and hard political intrigue give Winawer a broad range within which to explore human character from the 14th century to our own, and the themes that bind all the best stories. Don’t miss this book!
My highest praise goes to this novel.
PG-13
Sex – Tastefully presented in a loving marital situation.
– One incident of a lecherous character’s encounter with a prostitute is presented. While unpleasant it is not overdone.
No memorable strong language
Violence happens, but is not described in gory detail.
Beatrice, a neurosurgeon, travels to Siena after the death of her brother, who was a historian. She becomes fascinated by his studies. As she continues to follow his work, she finds not only a diary from the 1300’s but also a painting containing one figure who looks just like her. Through bewildering circumstances, she is transported back in time to Siena just months before, historically, the town was crippled by the plague.
Unable to return to her own time, she makes her way in this unfamiliar culture (thank goodness she knows Italian!). Politics, religion, honor, loyalty, desire, corruption, greed and the sure knowledge of pestilence intermingle to make a powerful story.
Comparable to the Outlander series because of the time travel and finding love in another century; however, I found it far more enjoyable.
Read this book!
I love a good mystery. This is a romantic, feel good book with enough twists and turns to satisfy the mystery fan in me and cliff hanger ending too. Loved it.
I loved the time travel element of this book. Makes me wish I could travel back centuries to Italy to meet the characters.
What a fantastic book. I have never read a book about time travel and really enjoyed this. I’ve been to Siena Italy and reading this brought me back to those quaint streets and made me appreciate all the history in that village. I loved this book. The Scribe of Siena @Amycz
It gave me a lot of historical information on the period in which the story was set.
I truly loved the twists in this one … while some of the plot was clear and predictable other parts were surprises. I also loved the fact that the story did not keep jumping back and forth in time … there were a couple of plot time travels but not overboard … would encourage reading the book
I enjoyed the time-travel aspect of this story. There were interesting facts about Sienna, things I didn’t know.
Held my interest, espeially all the historial input from the middle ages and info on the plague and Italian citiy-states.
meh
This story stayed with me after moving on to my next book. I was absorbed into the plot.
Good story, well written.
The characters were memorable, especially one of the villians. I was disappointed in the world-building – I never felt I was in the middle ages. I think that was because the main character, the scribe, didn’t react to the place. She was too busy falling in love. The opening, in modern times, was so exact (a surgeon at work) that it was a disappointment when Sienna fell into generalities. I felt it could have been better imagined. And I never believed that the scribe would make the choice she did at the end…way too romantic.
Loved this book! I’m not usually a fan of time travel stories but I really enjoyed this. Accurate historical details and great characters!
Great time travel novel.
Great story unpredictable
I read historic fiction–usually English, and I have enjoyed time-travel stories. This book was a best-of both combination. Italian history is not as familiar to me, but the story was fascinating, switching between centuries and daily lives in each. Suspense, plot twists, surprises kept me hooked. Wondered how it would end right up until it ended.
Very good read
New aspect on a historical period I’d read about before.