Why the luke warm reviews I wonder? I have to say I loved this one. I'm a sucker for historical novels set in Italy (or any book set in Italy really...) and in this book Siena towards the end of the Medici dynastly lives and breathes, and the thrills of the Palio are wonderfully portrayed. OK, maybe the characters are a tad stereotyped - the beautiful and innocent Pia, the evil villains, the romantic hero with an air of mystery, the aging good duchess, the corrupt relatives - but it doesn't matter one jot. This is a book that gives you a slice of escapist heaven - it sweeps you up, makes you gasp, laugh and cry, and deposits you home at the end in a wholly satisfying way, wondering where the time's gone. Not one for the historical purists maybe, and not great literature, but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.