(5/1/2011)
The Daughter of Siena is a book I couldn't put down. Having spent my honeymoon in Tuscany with several days in Siena, I came to love this medieval city and thoroughly enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the contrade, the historic rivalries, the hatred of the Medici, the intrigue caused by the papacy and the political machinations surrounding the Palio, the horse race held twice each summer in the Piazza del Campo.
This tale involves political and family plotting and intrigue, murder, torture, love, romance, mystery, patricide, infanticide, a damsel in distress, vote rigging, allegorical artwork, an appreciation of horses and always, the city of Siena. Women in early 18th Century Italy were pawns – used to marry off for political or financial advantage and treated as chattel. But in this story we are introduced to two women of substance – Pia and Violetta – both strong and compassionate survivors; both enduring unfathomable heartache; both looking to Bruno – a farrier’s son as a savior. Was the story predictable? Yes. Did it matter? Not really. I will certainly look for other works by Marina Fiorato.