The Daughter of Siena is a book I couldn't put down. Having spent my honeymoon in Tuscany with several days in Siena, I came to love this medieval city and thoroughly enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the contrade, the historic rivalries, the hatred of the Medici, the intrigue caused by the papacy and the political machinations surrounding the Palio, the horse race held twice each summer in the Piazza del Campo.

This tale involves political and family plotting and intrigue, murder, torture, love, romance, mystery, patricide, infanticide, a damsel in distress, vote rigging, allegorical artwork, an appreciation of horses and always, the city of Siena. Women in early 18th Century Italy were pawns – used to marry off for political or financial advantage and treated as chattel. But in this story we are introduced to two women of substance – Pia and Violetta – both strong and compassionate survivors; both enduring unfathomable heartache; both looking to Bruno – a farrier’s son as a savior. Was the story predictable? Yes. Did it matter? Not really. I will certainly look for other works by Marina Fiorato.

The beautifully lyrical imagery of the prose in Jamrach’s Menagerie draws the reader into the 19th Century world of those who collect of exotic species, of sea adventure and misadventure, of friendship and camaraderie, of the wonder and awe of nature, of the nature of man and beast and the Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest. This well researched story takes place in the waning years of whale fishing and vividly describes the treacherous hunt and kill of the whale followed by the harvesting and processing of the blubber and oil which left the ship and its mates covered in blood and gore and caked with the salt from the sea air. This excursion also includes a special commission to capture a mythical dragon believed to live in the islands of Indonesia.
Despite the beautiful writing, parts of this book were difficult for me to read and I cannot say I really liked the story ~ a melding of “Moby Dick” and “The Donner Party” written by Dickens.

It is always a challenge to tell the story of those for which there is little written record. However, there is enough on the history of Jeanne Baret to make this a fascinating tale of a woman who should never have lived past the age of 26, yet managed to become the mistress / companion of one of France's foremost botanists, disguise herself as a man - servant, and join her companion in collecting and cataloging plant specimens from remote locales during Bougainville's circumnavigation of the earth which began in 1760.

Ridley has thoroughly researched this journey, which includes altered captain's logs and diaries with conflicting testimony about how her ruse was discovered. She was the first European women to circumnavigate the globe and an unsung heroine to those of us who appreciate the grit, resourcefulness, fortitude, resilience, and bravery of those women, in obscurity, who paved the way for the privileges we now take for granted.

This book is for anyone who has an interest in 19th Century history - not just scientific developments. Four men of quite different backgrounds met at Cambridge and came to believe in the Baconian view that scientific discovery should benefit humankind, make the lives of ordinary people better. It was fascinating for me to read about the dawn of modern economics and how the political arguments of the time echo the same arguments we have today about social welfare. I wanted to read this book because I have an interest in John Herschel and his contribution to early photography and astronomy. But this story is so much more...about lifelong friendships, the industrial revolution, the pursuit of knowledge and scientific discovery through experimentation. This book is accessible for non scientists such as myself, is well written and gives amazing insights into the birth of modern science.

I loved this book. It is well written, well researched historical fiction at its best. Catherine de Medici is one of history's most fascinating, misunderstood and maligned women, a contemporary of Mary of Scotland and Elizabeth of England. She has intrigued me since I was a student in high school studying French language and history and heard the story of the rivalry between her and Dianne de Poitiers for the attentions of Henry II - their separate gardens at Chenanceau, the magical chateau with a gallery that spans river Cher. This book covers her childhood in Florence; her marriage to the dauphin of France (a man who thought her beneath him); her obsession with Nostradamus; and her fight to save France from civil war and invasion resulting from religious conflicts. Three of her sons served as kings of France - the last of the Valois. If you love historical fiction and find the 16t Century intriguing - read this book!

Agent X is a real page turner. I debated between rating this a 4 or 5 and lean towards 4.5. I love a good thriller. And this story is engrossing, albeit improbable - a 21st Century spy thriller involving the Americans and Russians and moles. The narrative is extremely well written. I found the dialogue flat -somewhat stilted. That is why I rated this a 4. Steve Vail is an engaging hero, a talented, complicated man who disdains the authority and red tape laden, political maneuvering of his former employer, the highly bureaucratic FBI and prefers to work as a bricklayer in Chicago. I like Vail, who has similar characteristics of Lee Child's Jack Reacher, and will now go back and read The Bricklayer.

"Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End" are among my favorite books of all time. I love Follett's style of writing and his in depth research. While I enjoyed the story told by "Fall of Giants", I did not love any of the characters in the book. For the most part they were too thinly drawn or just plain unlikeable. This is why, to me, the book falls short of Follett's best work.
The sweep of the narrative is extremely ambitious as Follett interweaves characters and the political machinations of the world powers prior to and through World War I from Wales, and London, to Berlin, Petrograd and Moscow, to Washington, DC and Buffalo, New York. From a historical perspective, Follett provides an excellent insight into the motivations of the parties that launched and subsequently entered into WWI. Although I didn't love it, I liked the book and will read the next two books in the trilogy.

I loved this book and hated to put it down. After finishing Bury Your Dead I am anxious to read the prior episodes in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series.

The plot involves a delightful cast of eccentric, artfully crafted characters that feel real and comfortable, like a favorite pair of pajamas. It is clear Louise Penny has a sense of humor as well. She has crafted an engaging story interweaving the investigations of two murders with the flashbacks of Gamache's recent tragedy, the history of Quebec's founding by Samuel De Champlain, the continuing centuries old divisiveness and mistrust between the Anglos and French in Quebec, and vivid descriptions of place.

Unlike many mysteries, Penny continues to keep one guessing until the final pages and the solutions do not feel contrived. Fans of P.D. James and Elizabeth George will love Penny's book!