Some books can be wolfed down like lunch at the office desk, quick bites between phone calls. Pauline Montagna’s finely-plotted, ambitious (400-plus pages) novel “The Slave” is best consumed unhurried, with a glass of Chianti at your elbow, like a traditional Italian Sunday dinner.

The author sets her table with familiar food – forbidden love between a Juliet and her Romeo – and the plot (with several unexpected revelations and some intriguing-subplots) unfolds without an eye on the clock, mirroring life in both medieval and modern Italy. As the unhappy heroine Aurelia and the wary, horse-whisperer slave Batu cautiously explore their feelings towards each other, the reader has time to notice and appreciate the investment Montagna made in her historical research – a persistent, zesty seasoning of “buongiornos” and “figlia mias”; curiosities like the farrier (a man who trims horses hooves) and the saltarello (a 15th century court dance with a curious hop step); a game of morra (similar to modern Rock, Paper, Scissors played in the 14th century Italy, and still popular in the 21st) and the venerable horse race in the piazza (a savory I particularly enjoyed – an Italian in-law of mine once competed in the famous Palio di Siena). The author is particularly strong here (she earned her BA in Italian, French and History). In due time, like involtini following the pasta, Montagna serves up the main dish – Lorenzo, the ne’er-do-well scion of the powerful Graziano family, Aurelia’s arranged-marriage partner, Batu’s rival. The dutiful daughter reluctantly obeys her father, and we dine well for the next forty chapters on the enmities between the mismatched couple and the roller-coaster fortunes of their respective families until we finally push away from the table satisfied. True, a judicious bit of trimming by the author, shortening the repast and serving up the denouement sooner, wouldn’t have spoiled the meal, but if tales set in Italy “ti piace,” (please you), and you aren’t in a hurry, you’ll enjoy this one.