The Scribe of Siena
A Novel
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4.2 • 54 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
“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 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Winawer's debut is a detailed historical novel, a multifaceted mystery, and a moving tale of improbable love. When Beatrice Trovato's brother suddenly passes away in Italy, she leaves her New York home and demanding work as a neurosurgeon to sort out his affairs and retrieve his research on the Black Death in Siena. What she doesn't expect is to be pulled into his studies, as she compulsively attempts to complete what he started. Stumbling across fresco painter Gabriele Accorsi, who mysteriously seems to have painted her into his work, she finds herself physically transported across time into the 14th century, just before the plague strike. The vivid descriptions of the people, way of life, food, and other details of medieval Italy deepen the plot, making the book a truly immersive experience. The novel dramatically brings to life a period in Siena's history that is still overwhelmingly neglected by historians it is still unclear why Siena was ravaged by the plague in ways unseen in other Italian cities. Winawer has created a prodigious, vibrant tale of past and present that transports readers and fills in the historical gaps. This is a marvelous work of research and invention.
Customer Reviews
Scribe of Siena
I absolutely love and highly recommend this book for anyone interested in historical fiction
This novel will attract specifically anyone who is curious about medieval history involving Siena.
Characters are very well drawn and I felt like I knew them as I read about their trials and tribulations.
Fascinating story line and so thoroughly well researched.
Can't wait for the authors next work. This debut novel is excellent and one of the most captivating reads I have come across.
A wonderful, must-read novel.
I loved this time-travel, medieval Italian tale with its trifecta of love, science and art, combining together for some fantastic historical fiction. Winawer has done her homework and she brings the time of 1347 to the reader in fascinating and accessible way. I loved the mystery that brought present and past together in the centuries old rivalry between Siena and Florence. There is a little magic, and a lot of intrigue, danger and passion, and I found myself loathe to put this book down as the hours dwindled late into the night. I've seen other descriptions of the novel in how it will "sweep you away" and it is true.