Francesca is a complex read.Like any good historical fiction should, it takes you to the heart of the era it's set in, giving the reader an idea of what life was like in that time and place. The characters are likeable, and Mayo's research was throroughly done. The titular charcter has an interesting journey, and each of the other major characters has a believable arc in their development. No one stays static.

Francesca's main flaw is the number of characters who are given the role of narrator. Althought the alteration between story lines and perspectives builds tension within the story, the sheer number of perspectives makes it difficult to truly experience the lives of any one of them. We are given tastes, and the book provides a landscape view of the period, but with a title derived from the name of one of the characters, I expected something a little more personal than the wide picture Mayo provides. Also, with the constant moving between narrators, some of whom only speak for a paragraph before we switch to a different character, it can be difficult to determine who is speaking, which breaks the flow of reading.

Overall, this was a thought-provoking read with solid characters - even if I wish I could have gotten to know some of them a little better.

I'd like to thank the author and publisher for providing a review copy of this book. ( )