Melodie Winawer

A skilled neurosurgeon, Beatrice Trovato must take a sudden sabbatical when her older brother Ben suddenly passes away. She travels to Siena, Italy, where Ben had been researching the Bubonic Plague epidemic of 1347, and despite her heartbreak immediately immerses herself in collecting his research notes and putting his affairs in order. One afternoon, while paging through the journal of a 12th-century Sienese artist, Beatrice is pulled into the past — a past where the Bubonic Plague is mere months away.

This is a creative and engaging story from a period in time I haven't read a lot about. While Winawer handled the writing beautifully, there were a few small things that grated on me. First and most noticeably, the foreshadowing was about as subtle as a brick through a window, and a few plot points felt forced/contrived and therefore unrealistic. I was also irritated by the need to explain to the reader how words were pronounced. (Please do not underestimate the reader's intelligence!) Some plot points were contradictory: for example, Beatrice is purportedly knowledgeable about the Italian language but then is surprised by how a word is pronounced (this was too obviously for the reader's benefit — Italian is such a language that no one with even passing knowledge of it would be surprised by pronunciation). Speaking of language, a native Italian speaker would recognize immediately that Beatrice wasn't a native speaker, not even one "from Lucca." Lastly, and this made me chuckle, I can't help but wonder where an Italian street vendor procured squash in the mid-1300s! I enjoyed this novel more or less via brute force, struggling against the many small irritants throughout.… (altro)

Helen is an overworked and wounded scientist. Her husband has recently passed away and she is struggling to find the correct balance to raise her son. So, when an opportunity arises for her and her son to visit Greece, they jump at the chance. Little do they know this will change all aspects of their future.

Helen and her son are damaged and I felt and instant connection. Helen is smart and hard working. I love her scientific study on Huntington’s disease. This hooked me right from the start!

I did enjoy both time periods in this novel. I learned so much in both. But, and this is unusual for me, I liked the present day better than the Ancient Greece sections. Basically because I felt a better connection to the characters.

The only reason I gave this 4 stars is because it is a bit long and drawn out in places. But…that is minor because I so loved reading about Ancient Greece. Add in the science…and I was hooked.

This is a unique tale you do not want to miss!

Need a wonderful dual timeline novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.… (altro)