The Scribe of Siena
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My friend Diego gave me this book, so I feel like I’m kind of hoeing him out by giving it a poor review. Still, the loyal LyndsayLitReview readers demand utmost honesty, and I believe that the bonds of our friendship can withstand this storm. Diego- I hope you still like me.
I can sum up my complaint about this book in one word: overplotted. The main character, Beatrice, is a 21st century American neurosurgeon who transports to 14th century Black Plague-ridden Italy in the process of pursuing historical research all while having an extreme empathy superpower that’s never really explained. See? It’s just too much happening at once.
Like any time traveling novel, The Scribe of Siena requires readers to suspend disbelief. That’s totally fine-- I don’t care about the logistics of time travel, and I can get on board without being hung up on *how*. But, simultaneously, readers are tasked with remembering key dates, family names, obscure locations, and historical facts that span across both time periods. So, I have to ignore some logistics while keeping track of others, and I never really knew when to gloss over and when to make a mental note.
It’s also too romanticized for me. I can see how love in 14th century Siena is appealing, but I can’t take that kind of stuff seriously. It got too dramatic and things worked out too matchy-matchy. I guess I’m a cynical betch?
Even though I don’t like her debut novel, I do really respect the author- Melodie Winawer. She is a physician-scientist with degrees from Yale, Univ of Pennsylvania, and Columbia. She knows five languages and has three kids. She’s a smarty pants with a busy science-based career, so it’s cool that she decided she wanted to write historical fiction and then actually executed. While it’s not my cup of tea, the book clearly required a lot of background knowledge, and there’s something to be said for her commitment to the project.
Overall, The Scribe of Siena receives 2 out of 5 flames.
