As the wards of the city of Siena in 1729 Tuscany prepare for an annual horse race where rivalries run high, young Pia Tolomei nurtures a secret, forbidden love for a rider of an opposing ward.
"Equal parts ... love story and ... historical conspiracy--think The Girl with a Pearl Earring meets Outlander--debut author Melodie Winawer takes readers deep into medieval Italy, where the past and present blur and a twenty-first century woman will discover a plot to destroy Siena"--
As a child who lost her daddy at such a young age, I don't have the pleasure of many memories with the man I thought of as my hero. All I have left of him are some pictures, a handful of memories, and whatever stories others who knew him well have shared with me.I've always desperately wished I had more.When I became a mother, I instantly felt the other side of the story. My whole life I'd only been the child... and now I was the parent. I suddenly knew what it was like to literally wear my heart on my sleeve. To feel not only all of my own fears and emotions, and pain. But, now I've taken on all of hers as well. This switch in perspectives inspired me to give her something I never had. A piece of me she can have and hold, and refer to forever. A way to give her advice and comfort. Whether it be when she's a teenager and too scared to come ask for help or confide in me. Or, when I'm long gone and she's a mommy herself. A way for her to get to know me, know who I am, what is important to me. What I struggled with, what I conquered, what I accomplished. What I failed at, what I hope for her, how much I believe in her. And most importantly, how so very, very much I love her. So, I've written her letters, periodically, since the day she was born. Letters about life, advice, stories, memories, anything I am inspired to write to her about. Something that can not only help her, but hopefully others as well. My hope is you walk away empowered, inspired, and plum full of love and hope, because we all need it.
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Return comes a profoundly moving contemplation of the relationship between art and life. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND EVENING STANDARD After finishing his powerful memoir The Return, Hisham Matar, seeking solace and pleasure, traveled to Siena, Italy. Always finding comfort and clarity in great art, Matar immersed himself in eight significant works from the Sienese School of painting, which flourished from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. Artists he had admired throughout his life, including Duccio and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, evoke earlier engagements he’d had with works by Caravaggio and Poussin, and the personal experiences that surrounded those moments. Including beautiful full-color reproductions of the artworks, A Month in Siena is about what occurred between Matar, those paintings, and the city. That month would be an extraordinary period in the writer’s life: an exploration of how art can console and disturb in equal measure, as well as an intimate encounter with a city and its inhabitants. This is a gorgeous meditation on how centuries-old art can illuminate our own inner landscape—current relationships, long-lasting love, grief, intimacy, and solitude—and shed further light on the present world around us. Praise for A Month in Siena “As exquisitely structured as The Return, driven by desire, yearning, loss, illuminated by the kindness of strangers. A Month in Siena is a triumph.”—Peter Carey
Amid the intrigue and danger of 18th-century Italy, a young woman becomes embroiled in romance and treachery with a rider in the Palio, the breathtaking horse race set in Siena.... It's 1729, and the Palio, a white-knuckle horse race, is soon to be held in the heart of the peerless Tuscan city of Siena. But the beauty and pageantry masks the deadly rivalry that exists among the city's districts. Each ward, represented by an animal symbol, puts forth a rider to claim the winner's banner, but the contest turns citizens into tribes and men into beasts—and beautiful, headstrong, young Pia Tolomei is in love with a rider of an opposing ward, an outsider who threatens the shaky balance of intrigue and influence that rules the land.
Secrets of Siena is the fourth book in a series of mystery adventures that present the stories of the saints in an entertaining and educational manner. Set in modern Italy, the stories follow a brother and sister in their adventures with their aunt, a special agent for the Pope.
Moonbeam Children's Book Awards - Silver Medal Winner Nautilus Silver Book Award Winner Purple Dragonfly Book Awards - First Place "Never be ashamed of being different: it is this difference that makes you extraordinary and unique." This essential go-to guide gives you all the advice and tools you'll need to help you flourish and achieve what you want in life. From the answers to everyday questions such as 'Am I using appropriate body language?' and 'Did I say the wrong thing?', through to discussing the importance of understanding your emotions, award-winning neurodiversity campaigner Siena Castellon uses her own experiences to provide you with the skills to overcome any challenge. She shares authentic advice for looking after your physical and mental health, as well as how to cope with anxiety and sensory overloads With practical tips on friendships, dating, body image, consent and appearance, as well as how to survive school and bullying, The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide gives you the power to embrace who you are, reminding you that even during the toughest of teen moments, you are never alone.
Like her bestselling THE GLASSBLOWER OF MURANO, Marina Fiorato's fifth unforgettable historical love story is set in Venice. For fans of Philippa Gregory, Sarah Dunant and Alison Weir. 1576. Five years after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto, a ship steals unnoticed into Venice bearing a deadly cargo. A man more dead than alive, disembarks and staggers into Piazza San Marco. He brings a gift to Venice from Constantinople. Within days the city is infected with bubonic plague - and the Turkish Sultan has his revenge. But the ship also holds a secret stowaway - Feyra, a young and beautiful harem doctor fleeing a future as the Sultan's concubine. Only her wits and medical knowledge keep her alive as the plague ravages Venice. In despair the Doge commissions the architect Andrea Palladio to build the greatest church of his career - an offering to God so magnificent that Venice will be saved. But Palladio's own life is in danger too, and it will require all skills of medico Annibale Cason, the city's finest plague doctor, to keep him alive. But what Annibale had not counted on was meeting Feyra, who is now under Palladio's protection, a woman who can not only match his medical skills but can also teach him how to care.
An excerpt from the book:"I couldn't believe we were having another girl. Already having a son and a daughter, I thought a third child would finally make our family complete. Or so I thought."LETTERS TO SIENA is the true story of one woman's journey through the loss of her baby and the rediscovery of herself. Follow the author as she learns through her own writing and experiences, the true meaning of life, and the importance of family.