Thanks to Robert Soares of Sparkpoint Studio, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Shepherdess of Siena’ by Linda Lafferty.
Book Description:
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.
About Linda Lafferty:
The daughter of a naval commander, Linda Lafferty attended fourteen different schools growing up, ultimately graduating from the University of Colorado with a master’s degree and a PhD in Bilingual/Special Education. Her peripatetic childhood nourished a lifelong love of travel, and she studied abroad in England, France, Mexico, and Spain.
Her uncle introduced her to the sport of polo when she was just ten years old, and she enjoys playing to this day. She also competed on the Lancaster University Riding Team in England in stadium jumping, cross country, and dressage. A veteran school educator, she taught at the American School in Madrid and at Aspen High School as an English as a Second Language and Bilingual American History teacher.
This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on April 19, 2015. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
Captivating historical and locale. thanks.
the main character
The story of a shephardess in sixteenth century Italy sounds very intriguing. Thanks for the giveaway.
I also love horses.. I’d love to see if the shepherdess gets to ride 🙂
The strength and courage of a girl living during a time where women had set roles and we’re not allowed to explore their dreams. Despite it all she doesn’t let that stop her from living her dreams. That is a very courageous thing to do.
The plot seems charming, and I’m familiar with her other novels and have read one before. I think I underrated it at the time. I should rewrite the review after re-reading the book sometime soon.
…Anyhow, now I realize I’ve failed to correct the auto-tweet text to advertise this title’s giveaway (it was coming up as Joel Fishbane’s auto-tweet text each time). I kept forgetting and thinking I would fix it next time. But I didn’t enter each day, although I did several times thus proving myself a dunce and shortchanging her work grossly again! I must read this book and review it especially thoughtfully. Then of course I will post it everywhere and tweet teasers for it with a vengeance! 😉
Speaking of such incompetence, I have also been mixing up the proper cut and pasted response text for the different pinterest pin confirmations and even the identification of the posts I’ve commented on for which I’d like to receive credits. Your understanding would be appreciated; I’ve been double-checking to make sure I do each required pin, etc. because I took care of yesterday’s entries right before midnight. I don’t want to shortchange your system through using incompetent auto-pilot mode as I just have been in several instances here on the site.
I’m a disaster. I hope I can make it up to Ms. Lafferty through a sequence of events that involves an occasion of perverse good fortune for me in this matter of chance! ‘-)
With gratitude for this and everything you give us on and through this blog…& your humane treatment of sometime fools like me through all — Kara S