What do readers think of The Daughter of Siena by Marina Fiorato? Write your own review.

This is a good book to read while vacations: wonderful descriptions of Siena and the Palio race, forbidden romance, the Medici Family, treason but despite all that, very slow action and very predictable ending.

I expected a story that used Dante's Purgatorio, Le Morte d'Arthur, the story of Romulus and Remus and the excesses of the Medici family, as source material, and set in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, would be literate, captivating and intriguing. The author's vivid and beautifully drawn descriptions of Siena, the buildings and the countryside, and even the horses racing in the Palio did transport me momentarily to Siena of the past.
However, I thought the characters were one dimensional and unrealistic - Pia was incredibly beautiful, intelligent and good, Riccardo was incredibly handsome, skilled …more and good, the conspirators and men of the Eagle contrada were so unabashedly evil that they didn't begin to resemble real people. Even though the future of Siena was at stake, these characters seemed consumed by their romance and personal problems. And at the end of the book, matters resolved themselves in circumstances so bizarre, contrived and unbelievable that I could only laugh out loud at the silliness.

I thought this book might be more suitably recommended to young adults who are looking for romance novels. (less)

I found the book slow and uninteresting. The characters were underdeveloped. I thought my opinion was harsh so I passed the book to a friend. She read half the book and still couldn't figure out what the point was. I do like historical novels but this was not written up to my standards. I would not recommend it at any time.