Told in 2 strands, one in the present day and one in 14th century, this is the tale of 2 women. One is a young girl, growing up in dangerous times in Tuscany, when petty tyrants seize power and use patronage to amass wealth and influence. The other is an educated woman, practicing corporate law in modern day San Francisco. Not much in common, you might think but, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the threads of family connect these 2 very different woman, and the parallels between their lives are intriguing and significant.
I enjoy historical tales and admire the scholarship that goes with the research necessary to combine historical fact with entertaining fiction. If I have a criticism of this book, it centres on the dialogue. Titania Hardie has her characters express themselves in ways that real people simply wouldn't use. It's not easy to give fictional characters believable voices whilst using that dialogue to develop personality and Ms Hardie hasn't, in this readers opinion, always got it right.
Having said that, this is a solid novel based in a period of history rarely explored. A little uneven, in that the reader can easily care about one of the heroines more than the other but this is, nevertheless, a good read and well worth a go.
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