Beatrice Trovato is a top-notch neurosurgeon living in New York. Lately, during operations, she'd start to feel a hum inside her head and instinctively know if a patient was in distress even before the monitors did. Maybe it was time to visit her brother Ben in Italy, who'd been asking her to come for a visit on numerous occasions. But sometimes bad luck, or fate, arrives. After she booked her flight to Siena, news arrived that her brother had died of heart failure, leaving his much-loved home t...

so... the fact it took me 5 weeks (!!!) to read this book should be telling. usually, a book like this would take me just a few days to read. each time i put this book down, i wasn't hugely compelled to pick it back up again. in theory, this novel should have been a dream read for me, ticking so many boxes: debut; doctor-author; historical fiction with a mystery arc; strong female lead... and yet. and. yet.unfortunately i never really engaged with the scribe of siena. i found the suspension of d...

I traveled alongside Beatrice Trovato when she journeyed back to 14th-century Siena in Melodie Winawer's *The Scribe of Siena*, a novel that held my attention from the first page to the last. To truly enjoy time travel stories, a reader needs to embrace the premise that a character is transported to another era, whether it's the past or even the future. It's a concept I readily accept whenever I delve into historical fiction, regardless of whether it involves time travel explicitly. I feel like ...

I absolutely adored this time-traveling, medieval Italian story! Melodie Winawer masterfully blends love, science, and art to create a truly fantastic piece of historical fiction. Winawer has clearly done her research, bringing 1347 Siena to life for the reader in a way that’s both fascinating and easy to get into. I was captivated by the mystery that connects the present and the past through the centuries-old rivalry between Siena and Florence. There's a touch of magic, plenty of intrigue, dang...

DNF at 51%! I really wanted to love The Scribe of Siena, since time travel books are one of my favorite genres. But the more I read, the more annoyed I got with the book, and at this point, I just don't see how it could get any better. Some thoughts I had while reading:* I just can't buy that a modern woman would adjust to 14th-century Italy so easily. Simply understanding the language, or being understood, should be a major challenge. * Did she magically transport back in time? No clue, since n...

I'm a bit on the fence with this one. The writing was pretty good, but not quite great. The plot was solid overall, but things worked out a bit too nicely most of the time. Also, the protagonist was one of those people who seemed to be able to do everything, from effortlessly learning to be a medieval scribe to delivering babies. I guess I like my heroines a bit flawed. I did enjoy the book and this is an excellent debut, but maybe 3.5 ⭐️.

I did finish it. The last 70 pages were a struggle. It's more and more of the same. This premise is nearly exactly like The Outlander although within different time periods. Here it is the present New York City and mid-14th century Siena, Italy. In the year before and within the Black Death / Plague. Also, like Outlander, she is the time traveler and she is in medicine. A neurosurgeon of self-depreciating kindness and selfless 14 to 16 hour a day work applications. And there are all kinds of det...

I received this Advanced Reader's copy for a fair review and I'm delighted that this story did not disappoint. An engaging protagonist and a compelling time traveling story line kept me invested through the last page. Great storytelling in my favorite genre makes this a big win!

I read an advanced copy of this delightful book on Jellybooks. I knew nothing about the story, but was thrilled to find not only was it historical fiction, but also time travel, two of my favorites in one! I really enjoyed this book and will look forward to more in the future

A solid and entertaining debut, with a likable, resourceful main character, a charming love interest, and a wonderful supporting cast. Add in a gripping phase in history, time travel, and a beautiful setting, and you've got everything needed for page-turning historical/fantasy fiction. I look forward to more from this author.