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A review by alyssamarie87
The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer
3.0
I originally started The Scribe of Siena last September/October, but I just didn’t have the time to get through it all. It’s quite a massive book, and I only had it for two weeks before someone else had their turn, so I remembered my page number, got back on the waiting list, and vowed to get it back. Unfortunately, I never did get the chance to finish reading the book, but I’ve been doing so well with audiobooks that I thought I would give it a shot.
I really got into it, and I loved that it resembled Outlander except in Italy rather than Scotland. Historically speaking, I know barely ANYTHING about medieval Italy (or its separate states, since Italy wasn’t a thing back then) so I loved the history of it all.
Obviously the story can’t just be about a time-traveling woman, so there was an added storyline thrown into the mix. I wasn’t a huge fan of it. I don’t want to get too involved with spoilers and such, but the side storyline wasn’t quite to my taste. There also wasn’t a lot to the love story between Gabriele and Beatrice. It came on very sudden, with almost no warning, and then it felt like it was over. There wasn’t that slow burn I love most about romantic novels. I did get a little uncomfortable during a sex scene as the narrator was painting the picture for me. That was something I’ve never experienced before, and I’m not sure if I want to!
Beatrice ends up traveling from the 21st century all the way back to Siena in the 14th century. That’s quite a distance traveled, and it’s scary to imagine what life would be like for a modern woman in that day. Women typically didn’t hold jobs. They were defenseless without a man present. Once married, they were practically owned by their husbands. I don’t know if anything would keep me rooted in that time.
She shows up during a time just before the great plague marks its beginnings, and she is desperate to either return to her own time or find a way to slow the plague from killing much of Siena’s citizens. As a doctor, she has a lot of knowledge that could be particularly useful, but it’s Beatrice’s ability to read and write that becomes the most valuable asset of the time. So she becomes the scribe of Siena.
I really enjoyed many aspects of this story. The Scribe of Siena came recommended to me by my grandmother, so I thought it would be a knockout read. Unfortunately, there were just too many things about it that I didn’t enjoy. Maybe it’ll be a better read for you! But, trust me, if you enjoyed Outlander, this is definitely a book you should check out!
I really got into it, and I loved that it resembled Outlander except in Italy rather than Scotland. Historically speaking, I know barely ANYTHING about medieval Italy (or its separate states, since Italy wasn’t a thing back then) so I loved the history of it all.
Obviously the story can’t just be about a time-traveling woman, so there was an added storyline thrown into the mix. I wasn’t a huge fan of it. I don’t want to get too involved with spoilers and such, but the side storyline wasn’t quite to my taste. There also wasn’t a lot to the love story between Gabriele and Beatrice. It came on very sudden, with almost no warning, and then it felt like it was over. There wasn’t that slow burn I love most about romantic novels. I did get a little uncomfortable during a sex scene as the narrator was painting the picture for me. That was something I’ve never experienced before, and I’m not sure if I want to!
Beatrice ends up traveling from the 21st century all the way back to Siena in the 14th century. That’s quite a distance traveled, and it’s scary to imagine what life would be like for a modern woman in that day. Women typically didn’t hold jobs. They were defenseless without a man present. Once married, they were practically owned by their husbands. I don’t know if anything would keep me rooted in that time.
She shows up during a time just before the great plague marks its beginnings, and she is desperate to either return to her own time or find a way to slow the plague from killing much of Siena’s citizens. As a doctor, she has a lot of knowledge that could be particularly useful, but it’s Beatrice’s ability to read and write that becomes the most valuable asset of the time. So she becomes the scribe of Siena.
I really enjoyed many aspects of this story. The Scribe of Siena came recommended to me by my grandmother, so I thought it would be a knockout read. Unfortunately, there were just too many things about it that I didn’t enjoy. Maybe it’ll be a better read for you! But, trust me, if you enjoyed Outlander, this is definitely a book you should check out!