Publisher 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.
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About Linda Lafferty
Linda Lafferty is the author of several books of fiction and historical fiction, including The Drowning Guard and The Shepherdess of Siena, winners of the Colorado Book Award. Her books have been translated into ten languages.
About the Narrators
Mary Robinette Kowal is a Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author, professional puppeteer, and former President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (2019–2021). In 2008 she won the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and her debut novel, Shades of Milk and Honey, was nominated for the 2010 Nebula Award for Best Novel. In 2019, the first book in the Lady Astronaut series, The Calculating Stars, won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards, becoming one of only eighteen novels ever to do so. She lives in Nashville with her husband Rob and over a dozen manual typewriters. Sometimes she even writes on them.
Angela Dawe is an actor, writer, and audiobook narrator based in the Midwest. Her work as an actor has included roles in theater, film, and television, as well as improv and sketch comedy with such theaters as Second City and the Annoyance. In the literary world, Angela has received multiple awards and nominations for her work as an audiobook narrator, and is a published fiction author herself. She holds a BA in philosophy, so if the writing/performing work dries up, she has something to fall back on.