The Scribe of Siena is the second book that my book club chose to read. Yes, I am part of a book club, my first one :). We are a handful of moms in the neighborhood and take time to read one book a month. We started in October, with Stephen King’s Billy Summers (I chose not to review as it was just an okay book). And The Scribe of Siena was the top choice as our second book.
I also want to address our meeting with the book’s author, the multi-talented and super accomplished Melodie Winawer. She graciously gave her time to us, a relatively small and new book club. She spoke about her process, characters, and special emphatical powers, which are a huge part of the book.
Here is what I thought about The Scribe of Siena.
There were many references to the book being similar to the Outlander series, and since I haven’t read those, I didn’t have one, which was great. I would describe this book as a trifecta of conspiracy, romance, and time travel. The story follows Beatrice Trovata, a neurosurgeon, time-travel to medieval Siena during the bubonic plague in the 1300s. She discovers a major conspiracy to decimate the city. Is she able to avert the events of history? What happens when a 21st-century woman falls in love with a 13th-century man?
Melodie answers these questions and more in this grand semi-historical epic saga of love and loss. The book describes the role of religion and faith in that time and how it was more than just the way of life for people. It gives you such a deep understanding of medieval Sienese people that it transports you to a world of frescos, narrow lanes, brick buildings, and hearty food. The food described in the book sounds so fantastic and tasty that I wanted to go to Siena right then. And the description of the plague is so heart-wrenching. The fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic, it was like I could actually feel the pain and loss of people.
I want to add that the beginning is a challenging read – the first 70 pages are pretty technical, complex, and a little convoluted. But my advice would be to stick with it because what comes after that is a great adventure.
Overall, I liked the book. It is very different from what I usually read. I also learned a lot about medieval Italy and the plague. I suggest you give this one a shot.
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