Gaele Hi
AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 3 Narration 4 Story 3 An intriguing premise where a modern-day neurosurgeon, well-respected and empathetic heads to Siena to settle her brother’s estate. Beatrice is completely absorbed and invested in her practice and her patients, but she also knows that the constant emotional outflow isn’t always healthy. While in Siena, she discovers a journal, an artist and an old conspiracy that could lead to the decline of the city Anyone familiar with European history will know that much of early Italy was comprised of small principalities, constantly at war with one another for power, lands and supremacy. With that and the post-plague rebuilding, the early years of this era were known for advancements in sciences, arts and social organizations, bringing her brother’s research about the steep decline of Siena as compared to other Italian cities after the plague outbreak in the 1300s. So with that background information available, I was curious to see just how Beatrice, formally trained in modern medicine with her attachments to all things sterile and sanitary would operate after waking in 1347. Soon she is introduced to, and falls in love with the artist Gabriele Accorsi, author of the journal, and keeper of many intriguing bits of information that explain the city’s demise. Far from finding the primitive conditions shocking, Beatrice is intrigued by the city, it’s people and finds herself immersed in the ‘simpler’ times. And here is where the story went into two vastly divergent directions that never did balance well for me. As a passionate fan of Gabaldon and the Outlander series, there was a sense of an homage, not fully flushed out in the attempt to encapsulate the magic born in the original. The romance was tepid and flat, the descriptions didn’t capture the vibrancy and life available, and my complete frustration with Beatrice’s characterization. She went from go-getting educated woman in a medical profession to this person who believed her “historic input and information’ were more important – and this is where the story completely lost me. I didn’t believe in the characters, I couldn’t find any visual imagery from the descriptions, or any light in the romance. I was left finding a confused and unsure story: whether action and adventure, romance or the growth and changes Beatrice experienced were meant to be the take-away impressions from the title. Narration for this story was provided by Cassandra Campbell and she presented the story with a flair that improved the engagement, even with a story that was struggling to engage. Her enunciation was clear, the voice of Beatrice stood out and was recognizable even as Beatrice herself had some conflicts of characterization. Italy is a fascinating place with an intriguing and often conflicted history, with names, places and traditions all having specific moments and pronumciation, and Campbell managed to smooth the flow between familiar and unfamiliar words, places and things: giving a sense that she was familiar with the text and story, and knew how to present it in the best light. Overall, the story did disappoint in many ways, as I found great disconnects between modern and traveler Beatrice, and I didn’t feel the connection between she and Gabriele as a romance of the ages, but an intriguing puzzle for her to work out. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Simon and Schuster Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.