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A Golden Web (2010)

by Barbara Quick(Favorite Author)

3.45 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0061448877 (ISBN13: 9780061448874)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

HarperTeen

review 1: Another book that I really enjoyed. It was very well written. It is the story of a young girl who is born with a great intelligence and an insatiable desire to learn and use that intelligence that she felt was given to her by God. But she lived in the 1400's in Italy, so of course there is no opportunity for her to get an education. She happens to be the daughter of a wealthy merchant who has a business copying books. This was very interesting to me, I have never really thought about how difficult it is to get books. They all had to be copied by hand by someone who was very talented, not an easy thing to do. They also at this time were just starting to think about numbering pages! Very interesting! But back to the story. The main character, Alessandra, wanted to study medi... morecine so badly that she was willing to risk disgusting herself as a boy and running away to study. She ran the risk of being accused of being a witch and being burned at the stake if she was caught. The historical details in the book are amazing: for instance they did not know much about how the body worked especially the book illustrated how little they understood about the heart and circulation. There was also some romance and the family relationships were handled with great success. Very good.
review 2: Alessandra Giliani is the daughter of a medieval stationer, or bookmaker and seller, living in 14th c. Italy where girls like Alessandra are expected to marry and raise children. Alessandra doesn't wish to be married. She fears dying in childbirth like her own beloved mother and dreams of going to the University at Bologna to study anatomy. Alessandra, bright and curious, is a thorn in her step-mother's side and Ursula is determined to be rid of her troublesome step-daughter. Alessandra is protected by her big brother Nicco but on her 14th birthday, Ursula shuts Alessandra away from the world as is expected of girls of her station before marriage. Alessandra's father is kind and sympathetic. Her brothers and sisters sneak her her beloved books but still she isn't content. When her father finds a wealthy man for Alessandra to marry, she knows she has to take action and soon, but how? When her father proposes she spend a year in seclusion at a convent, Alessandra reluctantly agrees. From there, she embarks on a dangerous journey of deception to live out her dream. She proves herself able to the task, though she must avoid detection at all costs or she could be burned at the stake. She even finds an unexpected ally and true romance. This is an exciting story about a (possibly) real young woman who dared to defy convention. The book is rich with historical detail, especially about the stationer's trade and anatomy lessons. The anatomy parts were pretty gross, unless you like that sort of thing. The romance is bit predictable and cheesy but the remarkable story caught my attention and I couldn't put it down. The language is fairly simple and some parts are a bit rushed but I think adults can enjoy this novel as well as teens. less

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