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    Golden Web
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    Golden Web
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    Golden Web
    Ebook189 pages2 hours

    Golden Web

    By Barbara Quick

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Alessandra is desperate to escape.

    Desperate to escape her stepmother, who's locked her away for a year; to escape the cloister that awaits her and the marriage plans that have been made for her; to escape the expectations that limit her and every other girl in fourteenth-century Italy. There's no tolerance in her quiet village for Alessandra and her keen intelligence and unconventional ideas.

    In defiant pursuit of her dreams, Alessandra undertakes an audacious quest, her bravery equaled only by the dangers she faces. Disguised and alone in a city of spies and scholars, Alessandra will find a love she could not foresee—and an enduring fame.

    In this exquisite imagining of the centuries-old story of Alessandra Giliani, the world's first female anatomist, acclaimed novelist Barbara Quick gives readers the drama, romance, and rich historical detail for which she is known as she shines a light on an unforgotten—and unforgettable—heroine.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperTeen
    Release dateApr 6, 2010
    ISBN9780061991943
    Unavailable
    Golden Web
    Author

    Barbara Quick

    Novelist and poet Barbara Quick is author of Vivaldi's Virgins, translated into 13 languages, made into an audiobook, and in development as a mini-series by Lotus Pictures. Her first novel, Northern Edge, was awarded the Discover: Great New Writers Prize. Her debut book of poems, The Light on Sifnos, won the 2020 Blue Light Press Poetry Prize. She returned to Italy to write A Golden Web, which tells the tale of the pioneering teenage anatomist, Alessandra Giliani. Barbara’s fourth novel, What Disappears (2022), is a multi-generational tale of ballerinas and Jewish history set in Belle Époque Paris. An avid student of other languages, Barbara has traveled the world to do the research for her stories. She and her husband split their time between the Hudson River Valley and the Wine Country of Northern California.

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    Reviews for Golden Web

    3.5/5

    30 ratings9 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Alessandra develops into a strong protagonist who demonstrates courage and determination during a time period that sentences death for those like her. She risks her life to satisfy her quest for knowledge of medicine; though clearly the abnormal and very unique route for a woman of her time period to travel coupled with the unique family background business of bookmaking--all tie together neatly in the end. Abrupt ending--I yearned for more. I enjoyed the historical explanations at the end.
    • 5/5
      I'm usually not a big fan of historical fiction, but Alessandra's story drew me in right from the beginning. Her story is one that fills story books. The girl who is trapped, and longs to be free. Who knows that she is destined for something better. However where Alessandra's story strays from the norm, is that she actually does it! She doesn't just dream about leaving, she doesn't just wish to be better, she does it.

      As a character, I fell in love with Alessandra instantly. Her fiesty attitude, her love of learning, the way that she didn't care about the conventions of the times. She is truly one of those characters that will sear her way into your brain. Oh, and she's so smart too! I loved the times throughout the book when she simply wasn't satisfied with the answer that was given to her, and she set off to come up with her own that was more logical. Alessandra is the woman's liberation front, before that actually existed. The fact that she had to dress as a man to accomplish what she wanted didn't change that she was all woman. I truly admired her.

      Of course woven in and out of her epic journey is a Cinderella story of sorts. Complete with the evil stepmother who wishes that she would just disappear as soon as possible. The romance aspect of the book was really sweet. I liked how realistic it was, and how it was based on a mutual respect of one another. Alessandra and her beau have my heart. Prepare to be emotionally involved in this story as well, the ending wrenched my heart from my chest, but I am still in love with this book.

      A Golden Web is a perfect example of a well balanced, well executed and extremely well researched historical novel. If you are not yet a fan of historical fiction, you might want to start with this one! Alessandra's story is one that is easy to believe in, and although Barbara Quick mentions that we aren't entirely sure if she actually existed, if she did she is my hero. Thank you to Quick for sharing her with us! I eagerly await more.
    • 4/5
      Based on the true story of a girl in 14th century Italy, this was a fascinating read. Alessandra wants nothing more than to study medicine, but as a female in Medieval Europe, she is not permitted to attend university. This is all about how she triumphs over the prevailing attitudes towards women and leaves her mark on the world.
    • 2/5
      The book was good but the story was predicable.
    • 3/5
      A Golden Web speculates how the life of female anatomist, Alessandra Giliani, might have progressed. She was a brilliant young girl fascinated by medicine and how the human body worked. Unfortunately, she lived during a time period when it was not acceptable for women to be intrigued by such things. Her interests risked her being burned as a witch if discovered. This fictional biography begins when Alessandra is just an infant, and ends when she is a grown woman. I really enjoyed reading about this new (to me) and fascinating character. According to the author’s notes at the end there isn’t much information about Alessandra’s life or family, but I think she did a wonderful job of piecing together what her life may have been like. The first part of the novel, that took place while Alessandra lived at home with her family, was well paced and nicely detailed. The author took time to explore the sibling dynamic, and show the love Alessandra felt for her family. I loved this and found all of the characters absolutely endearing. Once Alessandra arrives in Bologna to study medicine things seemed to become a bit more rushed. I would have loved to see more time dedicated to her life in Bologna. I also would have liked to see more of a focus on the relationships she formed while there. It all seemed to happen so fast. Also according to the synopsis she “will find a love she could not foresee”. This had me expecting the romantic element to play a larger role in the plot than it actually did. Unfortunately, the relationship between Alessandra and her love interest lacked the development I’d hoped for. Even with a few minor complaints I still found this book very enjoyable, and it was a very quick read that had no problem holding my interest. I just would have liked to see the author explore Alessandra’s life in Bologna more. I’d recommend A Golden Web to both adults and older teens who enjoy books based on the lives of real historical figures.
    • 3/5
      If you are a fan of historical fiction, you should check this one out. It was quick, interesting, inspiring tale of Alessandra Giliani, Italy's first anatomist (who may or may not have actually existed). Part biography, part fiction and part cinderella story, A Golden Web is a book you want to check out. Alessandra was lucky enough to grow up in the country where she was allowed to ride, play games, study and read like a boy. That is until her stepmother deems her actions unacceptable for a women and starts the process of finding her a wealthy husband. Alessandra wants nothing less than to be married. Getting married would strip her of her freedom, and quite possible kill her in childbirth like it did her mother. What Alessandra wants is to go to Bologna to get her degree in philosophy so that she may be admitted to the school of medicine. A women studying medicine would be accused of being a witch, and quite possibly killed. But even that is not going to stop the very intelligent and determined Alessandra. She realizes that in order to get what she wants, she has to hide not only her identity, but her gender as well. I really enjoyed this story. I loved all the characters, the plot and the realistic nature of how the time period was portrayed. I love historical fiction, and I love Italy, so maybe I'm biased... But regardless, Alessandra is a strong female character, drastically ahead of her time, and that is something alot of people can appreciate. She goes behind the backs of people she loves, risks her life, gives up comfort and domestic luxuries to transcends the limits put upon her, and prove not only what she is capable of, but what women in general can achieve. The ending! Gosh, I'm not gonna say much about it. But wow, not what I was accepting... Not what I was hoping for... You'll see what I mean.So in short, if you like historical fiction, try this one out. It was a very quick read and an inspirational and entertaining story.
    • 2/5
      The fictional retelling of actual events, A Golden Web has me a bit ambivalent. Eloquently written by Quick I found myself going back and forth between really liking the story and not caring either way.What worked for me most with this book was the historical aspect. When I picked it up I had no idea that it was based on actual events. It wasn’t until I completed it and read the Author’s Note at the end that I realized that Alessandra was real and true. Having that knowledge gave me the opportunity to better appreciate the story as well as recognize that the weaknesses I viewed may have been influenced by factors outside of the author’s control.What were those weaknesses? Well, I wasn’t a fan of how long it took to get to the part where Alessandra disguised herself and went to Bologna to study. I recognize that showing the strife between she and her stepmother as well as the strong relationship between siblings was a foundation that the story needed to have, but it felt very Cinderalla-ish and could have been established much more quickly for my liking.I also thought that the romance was downplayed a bit. I would have preferred the reader to see a bit more about Alessandra’s future husband earlier on. I felt that their relationship was quite rushed when they discovered each other in later chapters. I imagine this part of the story was set up this way because in history the relationship was downplayed as well but for teenage girls I think that romantic element would draw more in to a story that has great historical value to it.The story overall was compelling and the fact that it teaches readers about certain events in history they may otherwise not learn about is of significant worth. It is probably the largest strength after Quick’s writing style — I’m glad to say that this is no boring fact listing story. There is excellent dialogue and we certainly get the feel for the era as a result of just the right amount of description. The two elements combined made for a quick and easy read.While not necessarily a book that is likely to appeal to boys I do think younger girls will gravitate to and be inspired by Alessandra’s story. For that reason I recommend parents of a middle-schooler to grab a copy and encourage their child to read it.
    • 4/5
      Alessandra develops into a strong protagonist who demonstrates courage and determination during a time period that sentences death for those like her. She risks her life to satisfy her quest for knowledge of medicine; though clearly the abnormal and very unique route for a woman of her time period to travel coupled with the unique family background business of bookmaking--all tie together neatly in the end. Abrupt ending--I yearned for more. I enjoyed the historical explanations at the end.
    • 3/5
      Alessandra is desperate to escape—from her stepmother, who’s locked her away for a year; from the cloister that awaits her if she refuses the marriage plans that have been made for her; from the expectations that limit her and every other girl in fourteenth-century Italy. There’s no tolerance in her village for her keen intelligence and her unconventional ideas. In defiant pursuit of her dreams, Alessandra undertakes an audacious quest, her bravery equaled only by the dangers she faces. Disguised and alone in a city of spies and scholars, Alessandra will find a love she could not foresee—and an enduring fame. In this exquisite imagining of the centuries-old story of Alessandra Giliani, the world’s first female anatomist, distinguished novelist Barbara Quick gives readers the drama, romance, and rich historical detail for which she is known as she shines a light on an unforgotten—and unforgettable—heroine.