The Scribe of Siena: A Novel

This is a brilliant book. I absolutely loved it!
I can’t imagine how the author managed to acquire the knowledge to write this book. Unlike some historical fiction, she also needed a significant mastery of Italian, Latin, and Catholicism.I enjoyed it thoroughly. The writing is incredible, the story was so creative.
The whole time I couldn’t decide if I wanted Beatrice to stay in the past, or come home to the future.To return to medicine, or to give it up.
Or even to bring her love back to modern day NYC. It really draws you in.
As a neurologist, the neurology/neurosurgery connection made it that much more enjoyable.
I know the book has been compared to Outlander, The Time Traveller’s Wife, and Girl With A Pearl Earring.
For me, it evoked memories of the movies Brigadoon and Somewhere In Time, while still being creative and inventive in its own way.
If you love historical fiction, this is definitely the book for you. Even if you don't think you love time travel, or medieval Italy, this book will suck you in.
This was such a wonderful diversion for me, especially throwing me into the Middle Ages, rather than the usual (depressing) WWII novels that I end up picking up.
I was so sad to see it end. I look forward to the author's next book.

I really enjoy time travel stories and this was no exception. The characters were interesting and evolved over the course of the book. The interweaving of medicine, science, arts, language, and romance added great depth to the story. I also liked the mysteries and the resolution.
The book is extremely well-written and tightly edited. It was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it.

I am often attracted to books that feature time travel and to stories set in the Middle Ages. With this book, I hit the jackpot. It also features an extraordinary female lead (in both the ancient and modern versions) and a subtle but still enticing (but clean) love story. Finally, the mystery actually made me physically anxious. I stayed up far too late and suffered many sleep deprived days immersed in this adventure.

Absolutely terrific!
Highly recommend if you enjoy very well written historical fiction. There was clearly a great deal of research done, as was evident in the meticulous attention to detail throughout - and the final act could have gone either way until the very end.

I had just finished reading Be Like The Fox--- an absorbing close study of Machiavelli--- and was loathe to leave Italy. Then, luckily, I ran across The Scribe of Siena. Not the same century but, in its own, transporting, enchanting way, every bit as compelling. The definitions of "home" and "now" and "then" all are examined and reconsidered here to great, absorbing effect. Barbara Tuchman's "calamitous 14th century", comes alive, calamitous, for sure, and enchanting as well. There's a point in the story where the main character daydreams of "home." The fact that Ms. Winawer has rendered that place so tactile, so aromatic, so delicious, so familiar makes the century at once accessible and gloriously unimportant.

The Scribe of Siena combines romantic historical fiction with time travel. The book was long and tortuous, complex with slow beginning, compelling second half, and, semi-scholarly with elements of neurosurgery brilliance! Reading it was a labor of love.

I enjoyed this book in spite of its implausible premise of time travel. It was interesting to see medieval Sienna through contemporary eyes, and to compare our current knowledge of the plague with the 14th century perspective. The main character is quite likable so it is easy to empathize with her dislocation and socialization into another era.

I highly recommend this whip-smart,fast-paced, fastidiously researched tale of love and time travel, art and history, science and mystery. If you enjoy not being able to put a book down even though you are turning pages as you walk off the train, or you are up at 2am, this book is for you!

In the first few pages, the main character has my friends last name .This has no meaning to the story but I read on. Very little comparison to the Outlander books.
A pleasant story with a very predictable finish.

Historical fiction and Time travel what could be more interesting this book was completely fascinating and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Anyone Who enjoys this type of fiction should read this. I have beento Siana and Florence several times and loved both cities

Beatrice Trovato is a top notch neurosurgeon residing in New York. Recently during operations she would start to feel a hum inside her head and instinctively know if the patient was in distress even before the monitors did. Perhaps it was time to visit her brother Ben in Italy who had been asking her on numerous occasions to come for a visit. However, sometimes bad luck or fate arrives. After she booked her flight to Siena news arrived her brother had died of heart failure leaving his much loved home to her and all his recent transcripts he had been working on. Ben, a medieval historian had moved to Siena, Italy and was trying to uncover the mystery of why Siena did so badly over other towns during the Black Death in 1348. Once Beatrice arrived at her now newly acquired home she was keen to discover what had inspired Ben to write so much material on the plague. After settling in and having requested a three month sabbatical from the hospital, Beatrice walked the many streets of Siena, visited museums, and searched libraries for information on what Ben had discovered. After a few weeks she decided to visit a cathedral in the medieval part of the town and was awestruck by a mysterious ancient painting, until the humming once again began in her head. This is the beginning of an extraordinary, magical, and yet haunting book. Author Melodie Winawer has captured scenes vividly bringing to life countless, memorable characters. Without question, The Scribe of Siena, is a skillfully crafted novel which readers will struggle to put down. I loved it!! Highly recommended!

** Thank you to Publisher Touchstone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. **

An engrossing, meticulously researched time slip novel of a gifted neurosurgeon whose beloved brother dies suddenly in Siena; there she finds his research on the 14th century horrors of plague and a diary of a gifted fresco painter Gabriele, hinting of secrets. When strangely she slips back to the painter's time, she becomes involved in mysteries and finds Gabriele who is a marvelous, principled young man -- and falls in love with him. And of course she becomes tremendously involved in her 14th century life, finding work as a scribe, and also longs for the friends and work she left behind.

Melodie Winawer is a strong storyteller and I was up until past two finishing the book. Not only is her research on early Renaissance Siena incredibly vivid in smells and sounds and colors and the thoughts of another time, but she is in real life a neurosurgeon and can bring to her present day operating room sections something that most novelists would not know. Her heroine Beatrice brings some of those skills (as much as she dares) to old Siena in emergencies. The combination of a doctor's knowledge and her sensual delight in the 14th century world is a winning and unusual one. And which world will she choose to stay in to live her life? I did not know until the end but let's say. I thought about it myself and agree with her choice.

The Scribe of Siena / by Melodie Winawer
Touchstone Books, May 2017 ISBN 9781501152252

Time travel, suspense, history, political intrigue, murder and romance; The Scribe of Siena has something for every reader.

Transported back to the past and trapped in the Middle Ages, New York surgeon, Beatrice Trovato, is hard pressed to navigate the arteries of Siena, Italy…on the verge of the plague.

And a newly developed empathic power gives her more information than she knows what to do with, forcing her to seek answers beyond her normal world of intellect and science.

But more than that, The Scribe of Siena is a search for identity and belonging.

So many people today are searching for their roots via DNA, Ancestry, and Genealogy sites, and are thrilled when they discover a part of themselves that they never knew. Visiting an ancestral country and wearing ethnic clothing often follow.

Like the true surgeon she is, Melodie Winawer takes her character further and deeper. Beatrice’s real journey is out of the brain and into her heart, where she discovers that love is a power that transcends time and space. Now she must decide whether she belongs in the uncertainty and danger of Middle Age Siena, or back with her friends and lucrative medical practice in New York City.

Beatrice’s last name, Trovato, which means “found” should give you a clue of how things turn out. But the actual story, you’ll have to read for yourself.

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Veronica Jorge

Dr. Beatrice Trovato, a talented and overworked New York City neurosurgeon, experiences a feeling during surgery that her patient will become hypoxic. She reacts quickly to alert her anesthesiologist, Linney. Afterward, at lunch, she confesses to Linney that “I felt like I couldn’t breathe…but I knew it was the patient…I just knew.” Agreeing that she needs more rest, Beatrice tries to forget the incident.

A second “in-another-person’s-head” experience makes Beatrice think seriously of taking time away from her unrelenting surgery schedule. Her brother, Ben, lives in Siena, Italy, where his reputation for research on medieval history is well known. His expertise centers on the Plague of the mid-1300s and its deadly effect on Siena. Orphaned at a young age, the two became close. Beatrice supports him, misses their interaction and decides to travel to Italy.

She renews her passport, buys a ticket and makes preparations for the trip. But a letter from Ben’s lawyer reveals that Ben has passed away, the victim of a heart attack. She has inherited his house, his research documents and his belongings. A grief-stricken Beatrice plans for a three-month sabbatical from her job.

THE SCRIBE OF SIENA is written in first person, giving the reader immediate access to Beatrice’s inner thoughts, her initial reactions to events, and how she will formulate methods to find answers to her many questions. When she does have an otherworldly experience, one is alongside her in the activity. Debut novelist Melodie Winawer, herself a neurosurgeon, interjects details of medical practices and terminology into the plot. One accepts the fruit of her knowledge without question.

When the packet of Ben’s research notes arrives, Beatrice studies his hypothesis and vows to complete the manuscript for publication. According to his notes, the biggest question remains why Siena, a thriving city filled with artistic accomplishments and cultural promise, was devastated and broken by the Black Death of 1348, while other cities in Tuscany were stricken but not wiped out. Beatrice is determined to find the answer.

Once moved into her new Italian residence, Beatrice sorts through Ben’s papers and discovers a parchment piece, a letter written by a Florentine woman to her cousin, Salvestro de’Medici. Señora Medici has grave concerns for her son, whose melancholy will not leave him following his father’s execution. The correspondence is dated September 1347. What was Ben doing with the piece? Beatrice decides to chart the players Ben has researched, along with dates and places, to better understand his search. The lawyers tell her that a number of historical researchers want to complete Ben’s work for publication. One in particular, Señor Signoretti, is adamant in his quest. Why?

Beatrice has met her close neighbors, the Guerrini family. Donata, the mother of three children, is an art historian at the University of Siena. The two women become fast friends and confidants. Beatrice shares coffee with her one day, following Donata to the Piazza del Duomo, where Donata points out special art going back to the 1300s. At one time, there were reported to be five frescos depicting the life of the Virgin Mary, including one of her ascension. The first frescos are attributed to a famous painter, but the last might be from his apprentice.

Later, researching in a quiet cubicle in the library, Beatrice discovers a diary written by a Siena resident during the same time period. The words compel her to delve into the life of artist Gabriele Beltrano Accorsi. When she returns to view the artistic site, odd moments assault her to seek quiet in the empty chapel. There, a trancelike state overwhelms her. Transported to Siena in 1347, Beatrice begins to live out the story of the artwork when she meets Gabriele in person. She has known him through his writings, but now his reality sets in.

For the historical fiction reader who may not be interested in time-travel stories, THE SCRIBE OF SIENA has the ability to draw one completely into the settings, both present and distant past. The rich period cultures, past and present, are seen relative to each other. Beatrice’s mission to publish her brother’s treatise on Siena finds her beset with numerous complications, the biggest one being her journey backwards, and she must rely on help from both modern and historical friendships. Beatrice lives in two worlds, making profound relationships in two time frames while solving a quirky historical mystery and meeting her destiny. THE SCRIBE OF SIENA is an impressive first novel from a talented writer.

Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.

AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall 3 Narration 4 Story 3

An intriguing premise where a modern-day neurosurgeon, well-respected and empathetic heads to Siena to settle her brother’s estate. Beatrice is completely absorbed and invested in her practice and her patients, but she also knows that the constant emotional outflow isn’t always healthy. While in Siena, she discovers a journal, an artist and an old conspiracy that could lead to the decline of the city Anyone familiar with European history will know that much of early Italy was comprised of small principalities, constantly at war with one another for power, lands and supremacy. With that and the post-plague rebuilding, the early years of this era were known for advancements in sciences, arts and social organizations, bringing her brother’s research about the steep decline of Siena as compared to other Italian cities after the plague outbreak in the 1300s. So with that background information available, I was curious to see just how Beatrice, formally trained in modern medicine with her attachments to all things sterile and sanitary would operate after waking in 1347.

Soon she is introduced to, and falls in love with the artist Gabriele Accorsi, author of the journal, and keeper of many intriguing bits of information that explain the city’s demise. Far from finding the primitive conditions shocking, Beatrice is intrigued by the city, it’s people and finds herself immersed in the ‘simpler’ times. And here is where the story went into two vastly divergent directions that never did balance well for me. As a passionate fan of Gabaldon and the Outlander series, there was a sense of an homage, not fully flushed out in the attempt to encapsulate the magic born in the original. The romance was tepid and flat, the descriptions didn’t capture the vibrancy and life available, and my complete frustration with Beatrice’s characterization. She went from go-getting educated woman in a medical profession to this person who believed her “historic input and information’ were more important – and this is where the story completely lost me. I didn’t believe in the characters, I couldn’t find any visual imagery from the descriptions, or any light in the romance. I was left finding a confused and unsure story: whether action and adventure, romance or the growth and changes Beatrice experienced were meant to be the take-away impressions from the title.

Narration for this story was provided by Cassandra Campbell and she presented the story with a flair that improved the engagement, even with a story that was struggling to engage. Her enunciation was clear, the voice of Beatrice stood out and was recognizable even as Beatrice herself had some conflicts of characterization. Italy is a fascinating place with an intriguing and often conflicted history, with names, places and traditions all having specific moments and pronumciation, and Campbell managed to smooth the flow between familiar and unfamiliar words, places and things: giving a sense that she was familiar with the text and story, and knew how to present it in the best light.

Overall, the story did disappoint in many ways, as I found great disconnects between modern and traveler Beatrice, and I didn’t feel the connection between she and Gabriele as a romance of the ages, but an intriguing puzzle for her to work out.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Simon and Schuster Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

This novel was absolutely mesmerizing. I spent a whole Saturday into the evening reading it because I couldn't put it down. It's historical fiction, part mystery, part love story and it takes place in New York and in one of the loveliest cities in the world, Siena, Italy. You needn't have visited Siena or Tuscany to enjoy this book, but if you have been lucky enough to have spent any time there, you are certainly going to recognize some of the piazzas and cathedrals in this story. It involves time travel, but in a kind of believable way. Or at least an acceptable way, as stories go. If you've ever looked at pictures of the magnificent Siena Cathedral and tried to imagine what it must have been like in the 1300s when it was built, I think you'll love this book. It made me feel like I was right there with the characters, strolling around the Piazza del Campo with all the sights and sounds as it was back in Medieval times. In fact, if you're going to order this book, look up some photos on the Internet of the Siena Cathedral, especially the inside, and the Piazza del Campo. There are lots available and having seen them will add to your reading experience.

I was drawn into the story in the first pages by the way Winawer introduced her characters and she kept my attention with the character development throughout. The story involves lots of mystery and plausible explanations for things that happened in those times. I hated to see it end. I certainly hope Winawer has a sequel in mind.

I just ordered a copy of this book for friends of ours that we traveled to Italy with, some years back. I can't wait to hear their reaction! I'm pretty sure they will love it.

Time travel as a literary device has become wildly overdone since D. Gabaldon, but this novel uses the device incredibly well. I loved this book. I think it is extremely well-written, well-researched, and well-edited. It's a somewhat dense story and should not be rushed. Take time to remember the incidents at the beginning, so you will remember how they fit in later on. Take time to savor the details and the building of the plot and the characters' involvement in the story's resolution. And enjoy the sweet love story.

This is an amazingly good first novel, especially when you read Winawer's credentials and realize the time constraints on her busy life! Professor, physician, mother of three, wife, daughter, and good friend. I fervently hope we will see another novel at some point. Well done, Dr. Winawer!

I will keep this book in my collection, which doesn't happen often. I will reread it, probably more than once. Treat yourself to a very fine journey to modern and medieval Siena, Italy.

Here's another fantastic Italian historical fiction tale. And it sure didn't disappoint. Imagine a modern day neurosurgeon with a passion for Italian medieval history travelling back into time, to the ancient city of Siena, where she discover a plot to destroy that city. Now, my opinion of time travel tales is that it's often hard for the author to pull it off so that it's believable. Melody Winawer definitely succeeded in creating such a credible, authentic story. An ancient mystery, passionate romance, intrigue, and murder grace this novels pages. There is much for everyone to enjoy.

The main character is intelligent but with plenty of heart. When she stumbles upon true love in medieval Siena, she must decide whether to stay or return. Credible characters, brilliant descriptions, and a lovely writing style make this a highly enjoyable read where one can lose themselves within its pages. I highly recommend this novel, especially if you are a lover of Italian historicals like I am. A real treat!

I love historical fiction and I love time-travel, and so I was very excited to get a chance to read The Scribe of Siena early. Most of time-travel books I read take place in England or Scotland therefore I really liked the fact that in The Scribe of Siena we get to visit 14th century Siena, during the time when the Plague swept across Europe. I love strong heroines and I really liked Beatrice, who is a neurosurgeon in the present. Once she was transported to the past she was quick to think on her feet and to adapt to a new, harsher reality. There are also a lot of interesting secondary characters who enriched the story and added to my enjoyment of the book. I also loved learning about life in medieval Italy, the rivalry between two great cities, Florence and Siena, and the origins of the Plague. Some of the aspects of time travel were a little hard to swallow and prevented me from suspending my disbelief entirely but overall I really enjoyed this book.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss

I have just finished reading this wonderful book.
I loved the writing style - warm, informative, slightly mystical, and humorous at times.
The story is captivating, well paced, and interesting. I liked the main characters, and the beautifully described settings as well. I gained insight into the way people lived many centuries ago, and I appreciate the amount of research that must have gone into making the medieval lifestyle believable.
I found the story to be unpredictable, which really kept me reading (most of the night)!
The characters, the settings (medieval/current), and the great writing make this a book to reread in the future.
The one thing I found a little strange was Beatrice's ability to know exactly what (some) people were thinking, which felt a little bit like a device used to assist the plot.
All in all, I highly recommend this book, which I truly enjoyed.

This book has all the elements I love: history, adventure, love, and drama. Very enjoyable overall and I would recommend this to any historical fiction fan.

The good: interesting characters with good depth and character development, an intriguing plot that keeps you hooked throughout, and a lovely writing style and location of the book that makes you feel like you are actually there in Italy.

The bad: a little long overall, some of the character back stories (secondary characters, loved all the details surrounding the main protagonists) were a bit drawn out to my liking. The actual time when the plague was occurring during the book felt very short and condensed compared to the rest of the book- I would have liked a bit more history on this. And definitely needed to suspend disbelief at times, the main characters acclimation and fitting in to the past was a bit unrealistic.

Overall: really enjoyed this book. It is light and fun with a good plot and cast of characters. 7.5/10

I've long been intrigued with the Plague's history and enjoyed how this novel took on a much-discussed topic and gave it a new spin. I also really loved how Winawer gracefully infused medieval spirituality into the novel. Oftentimes with time travel, authors portray historical religious beliefs as stifling to modern people. Winawer challenges this notion in a believable and authentic way.

The novel is filled with small details that really bring 14th century Siena to life. I felt like I had joined the main character, Beatrice, in stepping back in time. Also, the blossoming romance between Beatrice and Gabriele was both believable and swoon-worthy.

I highly recommend this beautifully written novel and eagerly anticipate more books from Winawer.

Historical fiction, time travel, a love story, a mystery, and a hint of paranormal all come together in the intriguing story of Beatrice. Beatrice is a neurosurgeon who can see slightly into the future and emphatically other’s thoughts. These abilities direct her life until she learns to accept and use them. They send her back in time and keep her from getting killed. She never felt like she’s belonged anywhere, especially after the death of her brother Ben, her last known living relative.

I loved the descriptions of how she coped and handled discovering that she was in the 13th century and just months before the plague would hit. It was the right balance of details and story, the day to day and her decisions of when and who to lie to and tell the truth. The interceding of historical documents and present day discoveries plotted the story line out nicely. There was a lull about two thirds of the way through and it seemed it wrap up fast, with a what happened to, left out. Overall I loved it, it was mostly a page turner and draws you in right from the start.