The Shepherdess of Siena: A Novel of Renaissance Tuscany
Written by Linda Lafferty
Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Raised by her aunt and uncle amidst the rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside, young orphan Virginia Tacci has always harbored a deep love for horses—though she knows she may never have the chance to ride. As a shepherdess in sixteenth-century Italy, Virginia’s possibilities are doubly limited by her peasant class and her gender. Yet while she tends her flock, Virginia is captivated by the daring equestrian feats of the high-spirited Isabella De’ Medici, who rides with the strength and courage of any man, much to the horror of her brother, the tyrannical Gran Duca Francesco De’ Medici.
Inspired, the young shepherdess keeps one dream close to her heart: to race in Siena’s Palio. Twenty-six years after Florence captured Siena, Virginia’s defiance will rally the broken spirit of the Senese people and threaten the pernicious reign of the Gran Duca. Bringing alive the rich history of one of Tuscany’s most famed cities, this lush, captivating saga draws an illuminating portrait of one girl with an unbreakable spirit.
Linda Lafferty
Linda Lafferty is the author of The Bloodletter’s Daughter, House of Bathory, Light in the Shadows, The Girl Who Fought Napoleon, and the Colorado Book Award winners The Drowning Guard and The Shepherdess of Siena. Her books have been translated into ten languages. She holds a doctorate in bilingual special education and taught in Spain for three years. Lafferty is also an avid equestrian and horse lover.
More audiobooks from Linda Lafferty
The Bloodletter's Daughter: A Novel of Old Bohemia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl Who Fought Napoleon: A Novel of the Russian Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Light in the Shadows: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Drowning Guard: A Novel of the Ottoman Empire Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5House of Bathory Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fierce Dreamer: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Shepherdess of Siena
Related audiobooks
The Snow Gypsy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Chef's Secret: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wheelwright's Daughter: A historical tale of witchcraft, love and superstition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Seamstress Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Painter's Apprentice: A Novel of 16th-Century Venice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fortune Keeper: An Enchanting Historical Novel of Renaissance Italy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Gondola Maker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Silkworm Keeper: A captivating historical novel of Renaissance Italy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Binder of Lost Stories: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Poison Keeper: An enthralling historical novel of Renaissance Italy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scribe of Siena Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of a Thousand Years: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fortune's Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Selene of Alexandria Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Portraitist: A Novel of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFortune's Daughters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl with the Golden Scissors: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Whisper of the Moon Moth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paradise of Glass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Towers of Tuscany Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wandering Harlot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Dice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Voice Of The Falconer: A Novel Of Renaissance Italy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lady in Ermine: The Story of a Woman Who Painted the Renaissance: A Novel About Sofonisba Anguissola Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Creation of Eve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unkillable Kitty O'Kane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stolen Lady: A Novel of WWII and the Mona Lisa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scribe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cartier's Hope: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Historical Fiction For You
Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of Achilles: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Clan of the Cave Bear Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weyward: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neon Gods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alice Network: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rose Code: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Quiet on the Western Front Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Outlander Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tom Lake: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Reformatory: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Huntress: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Schindler's List Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Apothecary: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Eve Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragon Teeth: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Lost Names Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Keeper of Happy Endings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The River We Remember: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Shepherdess of Siena
15 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A really wonderful journey to medieval Sienna and Tuscany. Completely loved it. At the beginning the voice of the child is annoying but it doesn’t last long so push through. The story is worth it.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I found it difficult to keep up with all the characters and consider to read it again to understand the whole plot.
I did listen a second time and enjoyed it a lot understanding the plot. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I feel bad not giving this book a higher rating, because throughout the novel, the author's passion for the subject and research on the time period is evident. But... I found this book less interesting than I should have - there were murdering Medicis and dramatic horse races, but I still found myself a bit bored and hoping for it all to be over. The Medicis were hard to keep straight (and I kinda hoped they would all ended murdering each other) and I suspect this book could have been much better if an editor had shortened it down. Overall, this wasn't a bad book and I do want to investigate some of the historical sources the author mentioned at the end of the book, but I'm also a bit disappointed in it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was another lovely novel set in Tuscany, one of my favourite parts of the world, this time set in the late 16th century, mostly in and around the lovely city of Siena, my favourite Tuscan city. It is based around a real historical figure, a young girl Virginia Tacci, who rode in the famous Siena palio horse race in 1581. Little is known about her apart from this appearance, and the novel imagines a life for her, including after the Palio when she disappears from history, having become a symbol for her home city of Siena, under the thumb of the Medicis ruling the city from their own base in Florence. The colourful and murderous politics and personalities of the Medicis is always fascinating to read, and the novel was full of interesting characters, and some lovely scenci descriptions. A lovely read.