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ctiner7's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the book. It was difficult for me to read for some reason, but I fell in love with the story. It was so sad, and it really just drew me into it. I felt like I got to know the characters, and at times, it was as if I was right there with them, feeling their joy, their pain, their sadness, and their fear. The author did her job well, and I would enjoy reading other books by her.
I won this book on Goodreads First Reads.
I won this book on Goodreads First Reads.
karenangela_1's review against another edition
2.0
A quick undemanding read. While I found the historical parts of the story interesting I din't like the modern day parts, I didn't care about any of the characters in the modern part of the story.
meggiemagpie's review
4.0
This book took awhile to get interesting. I read a few chapters, and then put it down for about a year. When I managed to get back to it (and start over) it took about the first 100 pages until I was really interested and then about half way through I couldn't put it down! Ended up being an awesome read and worth the effort to keep going through the begining!
lindseyjo's review
4.0
For me, this book started out REALLY slowly. Once it picked up, however, I very much enjoyed it. The dual storylines were intriguing and character development made each woman in all the stories more endearing.
mimima's review
2.0
A few weeks ago, I happened upon a Rick Steves listener comment about this book being an excellent Historical Fiction about 14th Century Tuscany.
I eagerly procured a copy, as it is an area that I know very little about. The bones of the story were interesting but it moved at a pace that I'll call languid rather than slow, and never quite captured me.
Not a bad read, but nothing to rave about either.
I eagerly procured a copy, as it is an area that I know very little about. The bones of the story were interesting but it moved at a pace that I'll call languid rather than slow, and never quite captured me.
Not a bad read, but nothing to rave about either.
blodeuedd's review
2.0
This book alternates between 2 POVS. First there is Maddie in the present day who has lost someone near to her, and she is just slowly moving along She will go to Italy and stay with friends and that is where the second POV comes in. in 1347 a young woman lived at the place she visits and they are connected in some other way too, but that takes a while to know since we need to know young Mia's life first. The title comes from the woman Mia meets, a woman who is fleeing from a cruel fate.
I am a bit torn when it comes to this book, some chapters moved so slowly and I was not interested at all. it was a slow book at times, and it took me quite some time to get into the book. And even when I did that I liked Mia's story more. Sure it was sad that Maddie lost that special someone, and we read how she went to Italy, but she did not stay long, and most of her parts were about the legal case she was involved in as that was her job. The Mia parts were much more interesting, first with the mystery woman who comes with a man, who was she? We learn that. And the how the Black Death sweeps through Italy and Mia is in the middle of that, and all the time while reading I wonder if she will survive. Because first there is the Black death who is going to kill plenty, then there is a lot of other factors too. So those parts were just better. The flow was faster too.
That is why I am torn, I just liked some parts in this book better than the rest. And I did not feel that Maddie got to learn about the past either. Or was it we who was supposed to learn?
Conclusion:
If it sounds interesting then it might just be the book for you.
I am a bit torn when it comes to this book, some chapters moved so slowly and I was not interested at all. it was a slow book at times, and it took me quite some time to get into the book. And even when I did that I liked Mia's story more. Sure it was sad that Maddie lost that special someone, and we read how she went to Italy, but she did not stay long, and most of her parts were about the legal case she was involved in as that was her job. The Mia parts were much more interesting, first with the mystery woman who comes with a man, who was she? We learn that. And the how the Black Death sweeps through Italy and Mia is in the middle of that, and all the time while reading I wonder if she will survive. Because first there is the Black death who is going to kill plenty, then there is a lot of other factors too. So those parts were just better. The flow was faster too.
That is why I am torn, I just liked some parts in this book better than the rest. And I did not feel that Maddie got to learn about the past either. Or was it we who was supposed to learn?
Conclusion:
If it sounds interesting then it might just be the book for you.
rebecca_dt's review
2.0
This book could have been good... if it was about 200 pages shorter. If it focused on the actual interesting parts, like the blurb suggested, instead of meandering through the boring bits of the main character's life, such as spending hours in a flower shop or making a high-stakes law case sound boring. If any of the characters in the present-day story felt at all developed and made sense (I may be a heartless person but it's hard to feel sorry for Maddie missing her fiance if we never actually meet him, and don't even get me started on the randomness of her other love interests). It could have been good if the author actually WROTE her interesting scenes - she did this bizarre thing of detailing the preparations for a plot point, then skipping to after the major event happened and telling us what happened by having the characters think about it. How about just WRITE THE ACTUAL SCENE?? and it happened multiple times too. It could have been good if the ending didn't seem hurried and unearned. If there wasn't a really bizarre, kinda racist bit with a mystical dying Native American woman that plays into uncomfortable stereotypes of the magical Native American.
The only reason this got two stars instead of one is that for some bizarre reason I couldn't put it down so something somewhat captivated me.
The only reason this got two stars instead of one is that for some bizarre reason I couldn't put it down so something somewhat captivated me.
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