Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Scribe of Siena  By  cover art

The Scribe of Siena

By: Melodie Winawer
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.99

Buy for $17.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Equal parts transporting love story and gripping historical conspiracy - think The Girl with a Pearl Earring meets Outlander - debut author Melodie Winawer takes listeners deep into medieval Italy, where the past and present blur and a 21st-century woman will discover a plot to destroy Siena.

Accomplished neurosurgeon Beatrice Trovato knows that her deep empathy for her patients is starting to impede her work. So when her beloved brother passes away, she welcomes the unexpected trip to the Tuscan city of Siena to resolve his estate, even as she wrestles with grief. But as she delves deeper into her brother's affairs, she discovers intrigue she never imagined - a 700-year-old conspiracy to decimate the city.

After uncovering the journal and paintings of Gabriele Accorsi, the 14th-century artist at the heart of the plot, Beatrice finds a startling image of her own face and is suddenly transported to the year 1347. She awakens in a Siena unfamiliar to her, one that will soon be hit by the Plague.

Yet when Beatrice meets Accorsi, something unexpected happens: She falls in love - not only with Gabriele but also with the beauty and cadence of medieval life. As the Plague and the ruthless hands behind its trajectory threaten not only her survival but also Siena's very existence, Beatrice must decide in which century she belongs.

The Scribe of Siena is the captivating story of a brilliant woman's passionate affair with a time and a place that captures her in an impossibly romantic and dangerous trap - testing the strength of fate and the bonds of love.

©2017 Melodie Winawer (P)2017 S&S Audio

Critic reviews

"Will remind historical fiction readers of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring.... Lovers of meticulously researched historical fiction and time-travel narratives will be swept away by the spell of medieval Siena." ( Library Journal)
"Cassandra Campbell's performance transports listeners to medieval Italy... Campbell's narration is an engrossing complement to the story, helping the listener to vividly imagine life as it was in that long-ago time." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Scribe of Siena

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    476
  • 4 Stars
    209
  • 3 Stars
    101
  • 2 Stars
    23
  • 1 Stars
    17
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    539
  • 4 Stars
    145
  • 3 Stars
    54
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    422
  • 4 Stars
    184
  • 3 Stars
    108
  • 2 Stars
    24
  • 1 Stars
    16

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I hope this is the first in a series!

I absolutely loved this book and found it hard to believe it was a first novel. If you enjoy time travel, Italian Renaissance, history, art, medicine and romance all mixed together it will not disappoint. The narration by the talented Cassandra Cambell was perfect and the writing drew me in from the first few minutes. The character development was good, the story moved along well and the ending was not really an ending. I am sure this is the first in a series. If you liked Outlander you will enjoy this. #romantic #nostalgic #fairytaletwists #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great read!!

I loved this book, I felt like there's more to the story but wasn't quite sure! Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part because I loved how the story made me feel like I was back in fourteenth century Italy. First book by this author and looking forward to more!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Memorable fictional time travel novel

If you could sum up The Scribe of Siena in three words, what would they be?

memorable, delightful, historical

What other book might you compare The Scribe of Siena to and why?

The Outlander with an sexy Italian accent

Have you listened to any of Cassandra Cambell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, she did great! She hit the nail with each voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending.

Any additional comments?

If you like fictional time travel novels, you'll love this. I heard it described as The Outlander with an Italian accent. I really enjoyed the richness of the characters and plot itself. I heard it through Audible and there is some excitement when you're hearing it in English with Italian accent. The book has more meaning and becomes memorable. It also inspired to step it up in the kitchen with rustic Italian meals that I'm assuming were cooked in the 1340s. I'm looking forward to more from this author. As a person who enjoys reading about science and history, this was a treat!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Siena, Medival times, The Black Plague = Excellent

This book was outstanding!! The time travel came as a bit of a surprise, the narration was excellent - love Cassandra Campbell - and her Italian accent was perfect. The characters were terrific - really well developed and real enough to care about. The descriptions of the paintings and medieval Siena were wonderful! The plot line regarding the onslaught of the plague was great!
The epilogue gives great info about what is and is not accurate in this historical fiction
Highly, Highly recommend!!
PS - Also very surprised to see this was the only book by this author.....so wishing there was a sequel!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

interesting

Not quite Outlander, as promo indicated, but entertaining story of time travel , Italian art, and theories on the Black Plague. Enjoyed the narrator's slightly Italian accent, and the ending was a surprise to me. pretty good!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A time travel gem.

Cambell does an amazing job blending present and past. The story takes a modern day surgeon (with great care to be medically accurate) with a particular ability to sense what’s happening to her patients. When this modern woman is drawn to pre-plague Sienna, and later having to deal with the onset of the plague itself, the story becomes totally immersive. The love story is believable and touching. Only one “steamy” scene, so mostly cozy clean. The history, including health, politics, intrigue and the dangers of every day life are well researched. The reading is done seamlessly and fits the book perfectly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Amazing

I loved this book and narrator. I'm SO happy I stumbled across it. It is breathtaking and has made me want to learn more wait Italy and it's history. This book I could read again and again...or I should say listen too. Romantic, dramatic, stunning.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic narrator!

This was nothing short of an exquisite listen. Everything about this was perfection. The story was written with a rich historically correct background as a basis for time travel.The time that this takes place in is fascinating. Oh! The narrator does such a wonderful job with her Italian accent that she's totally believable.I loved this book .I'm looking forward to more from this author, actually I just cant wait!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

beautifully read historical fiction,

I enjoy historical fiction to begin with. This particular novel unfolds in an era of time and place that is especially interesting to me, Sienna, Italy! It was beautifully read by the narrator. Her command of English, Latin, and Italian is remarkable! I enjoyed the way she read different parts so that I could tell who the speakers were. It was an intriguing and interesting adventure. I didn't want it to end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you for the Audible recommendation.

I very much enjoyed this intriguing story and will recommend it to others. I'm glad I took the chance to vary from my usual genre...it was because of the Outlander comparison...spot on.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful