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msbookworld's review against another edition
4.0
A mix of mystery, romance and historical fiction, it was The Lost Diary’s cover that originally caught my eye. I fell in love with the vibrant greens of the woman’s eyes, the pinks of the Roses and the blue waters of Venice.
The story itself was everything I could have asked for. There is a dual timeline with modern day protagonists, William and Rose working to uncover the secrets of an old Venetian manuscript and 16th century artist, Giovanni Lommazo navigating the murky waters of a Venice on the brink of war.
Reading this book I really enjoyed learning a bit about manuscript restoration as well as 16 the century Venetian politics. I studied Italian back in high school so it was also fun to see some familiar Italian words throughout the pages. Lastly, I relished the feeling of wondering as I read, will they or won’t they when it came to William and Rose as well as Giovanni and Chiara.
If you enjoy a good art mystery or historical fiction then consider giving this book a shot
The story itself was everything I could have asked for. There is a dual timeline with modern day protagonists, William and Rose working to uncover the secrets of an old Venetian manuscript and 16th century artist, Giovanni Lommazo navigating the murky waters of a Venice on the brink of war.
Reading this book I really enjoyed learning a bit about manuscript restoration as well as 16 the century Venetian politics. I studied Italian back in high school so it was also fun to see some familiar Italian words throughout the pages. Lastly, I relished the feeling of wondering as I read, will they or won’t they when it came to William and Rose as well as Giovanni and Chiara.
If you enjoy a good art mystery or historical fiction then consider giving this book a shot
pterodashtyl's review against another edition
4.0
First I want to thank [a:Margaux Deroux|19311822|Margaux Deroux|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1582086420p2/19311822.jpg] and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy of this novel.
This book had a very [b:A Discovery of Witches|8667848|A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1)|Deborah Harkness|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525097370l/8667848._SY75_.jpg|13190160] vibe to it without the... you know. Witches. Delving into an old manuscript to uncover some history. A palimpsest. The research bringing two people together who probably shouldn't be brought together. There are just a lot of vibes in this that made me think of ADoW, and honestly? It made me like this novel more.
At first I thought that Gio and Chiara's storyline was more interesting. But as the novel progressed, I found myself leaning more toward Rose and William. And I'll admit, DeRoux got me at the end. I wasn't sure how I would like the whole her and William not being together -- which probably makes me a monster, but William's wife was not a super sympathetic character, tbh. By the end, though, with the clear evidence that William was going to make an honest to god try at making things work with Sarah and the way Rose found Lucas, it gave the story a satisfying ending that I had hoped for, but wasn't sure would be achieved. I also want to give DeRoux credit in that neither Rose nor William turned to hatred and hostility. William didn't have to be a bad guy in order for Lucas to be a prospect. And the impression never came that Rose was settling for Lucas. Rose and William didn't hate each other in the end. Instead, he let her know that what she felt had been just as real for him. And it just... It was an ending that felt complete.
Even for Gio and Chiara. While I wished they could have had a happy ending, because I like happy endings, there was still a satisfactory conclusion.
My one complaint about this novel comes from the ends of Gio's chapters. The excerpts from the battlefield felt... irrelevant, ultimately. Like, yes there was war raging, but they didn't add anything, in my opinion, to the story as a whole. But a couple filler paragraphs are absolutely not a reason to not read this book. I think there are many who will enjoy the combination of past and present merging.
This book had a very [b:A Discovery of Witches|8667848|A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1)|Deborah Harkness|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525097370l/8667848._SY75_.jpg|13190160] vibe to it without the... you know. Witches. Delving into an old manuscript to uncover some history. A palimpsest. The research bringing two people together who probably shouldn't be brought together. There are just a lot of vibes in this that made me think of ADoW, and honestly? It made me like this novel more.
At first I thought that Gio and Chiara's storyline was more interesting. But as the novel progressed, I found myself leaning more toward Rose and William. And I'll admit, DeRoux got me at the end. I wasn't sure how I would like the whole her and William not being together -- which probably makes me a monster, but William's wife was not a super sympathetic character, tbh. By the end, though, with the clear evidence that William was going to make an honest to god try at making things work with Sarah and the way Rose found Lucas, it gave the story a satisfying ending that I had hoped for, but wasn't sure would be achieved. I also want to give DeRoux credit in that neither Rose nor William turned to hatred and hostility. William didn't have to be a bad guy in order for Lucas to be a prospect. And the impression never came that Rose was settling for Lucas. Rose and William didn't hate each other in the end. Instead, he let her know that what she felt had been just as real for him. And it just... It was an ending that felt complete.
Even for Gio and Chiara. While I wished they could have had a happy ending, because I like happy endings, there was still a satisfactory conclusion.
My one complaint about this novel comes from the ends of Gio's chapters. The excerpts from the battlefield felt... irrelevant, ultimately. Like, yes there was war raging, but they didn't add anything, in my opinion, to the story as a whole. But a couple filler paragraphs are absolutely not a reason to not read this book. I think there are many who will enjoy the combination of past and present merging.
agartner's review against another edition
1.0
The premise of the book sounded interesting to me. The plot was very slow moving though, and the characters weren't interesting enough to draw me in, I ended up giving up less than half way through. I think that it could be a case of just the wrong book at the wrong time for me though, and I may try again later. There were a lot of complicated relationships in the book, so maybe the characters start to develop more as the story moves on. It just felt really slow and flat.
engallop15's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
crazeedi73's review against another edition
5.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publish date June 20, 2020
Thank you #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book. This story unfolds in the present time and in 1571 Venice. Rose is a book restorer who has been engaged by William (an artist) to restore a tome found in his grandmother's belongings. As she begins to restore the fragile vellum, she finds it's a palimpsest. At the same time she finds herself drawn to William each time he visits. The story also unfolds in Venice where Gio, an artist (and William's ancestor), is engaged to create a painting for a wealthy patron's courtesan, Chiara, whose beauty immediately captures his heart and imagination. The author does a fine job weaving each story together as the book progresses. I felt as if I were in Venice and in Rose's restoration room. I loved the authors use of language to create the atmosphere of each chapter. I highly recommend this book.
Publish date June 20, 2020
Thank you #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book. This story unfolds in the present time and in 1571 Venice. Rose is a book restorer who has been engaged by William (an artist) to restore a tome found in his grandmother's belongings. As she begins to restore the fragile vellum, she finds it's a palimpsest. At the same time she finds herself drawn to William each time he visits. The story also unfolds in Venice where Gio, an artist (and William's ancestor), is engaged to create a painting for a wealthy patron's courtesan, Chiara, whose beauty immediately captures his heart and imagination. The author does a fine job weaving each story together as the book progresses. I felt as if I were in Venice and in Rose's restoration room. I loved the authors use of language to create the atmosphere of each chapter. I highly recommend this book.
beka_ray's review against another edition
3.0
I like Venice, it's a fun city and heavily romanticized. This was another novel of that token. It is a back and forth, now and then story. I think I need a break from those, I'm starting to not like the format.
For the modern part of the story:
Anyway - I will never be pro-affair in what I read, no matter how bad the relationship (and this one really wasn't that bad) if the protagonists want to get together, I want them free and clear of any prior commitments. So the fact that a lot of this story focused on the 'Oh I want to but I just can't!' on his side and 'Oh, but he's married' on hers made me not like it all that much.
For the historical part of the story:
Saints I hate the Corvino character.
And the continual jumps to the war that was happening...I don't care, go back to Venice! It felt like the just wanted to jam in some cool little historical facts.
The beauty of the book restoration was good, love me a good bookstore setting. But overall I felt like this was a book that was trying to live up to its absolutely gorgeous cover and didn't quite make it.
For the modern part of the story:
Anyway - I will never be pro-affair in what I read, no matter how bad the relationship (and this one really wasn't that bad) if the protagonists want to get together, I want them free and clear of any prior commitments. So the fact that a lot of this story focused on the 'Oh I want to but I just can't!' on his side and 'Oh, but he's married' on hers made me not like it all that much.
For the historical part of the story:
Saints I hate the Corvino character.
And the continual jumps to the war that was happening...I don't care, go back to Venice! It felt like the just wanted to jam in some cool little historical facts.
The beauty of the book restoration was good, love me a good bookstore setting. But overall I felt like this was a book that was trying to live up to its absolutely gorgeous cover and didn't quite make it.
louisekf's review against another edition
4.0
Four and a half stars for this novel that bounces between the 1570s in Venice and modern-day New Haven, Connecticut. The bouncing back and forth is why I didn't give it a full five stars - it is a common enough framing device, but I always find it jarring. Just when I'm "getting into" one story line, the author pulls me out of it and back into the other one. Luckily, in this instance, both story lines were quite compelling, which I've found is often not the case for the modern-day framing story.
I was fortunate enough to have visited Venice many years ago and I could picture the places described in the book. Reading this in the middle of a pandemic, staying at home so much, really made me want to revisit that amazing city.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advance reader copy of this delightful book in exchange for my honest review. Highly recommended, especially if you like historical novels and/or the history of art.
I was fortunate enough to have visited Venice many years ago and I could picture the places described in the book. Reading this in the middle of a pandemic, staying at home so much, really made me want to revisit that amazing city.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advance reader copy of this delightful book in exchange for my honest review. Highly recommended, especially if you like historical novels and/or the history of art.
chelz286's review against another edition
4.0
Rose enjoys her quiet life at the book shop, although still grieving the death of her father. A handsome man comes in from the rain with an unexpected package, he need Rose to restore it if possible? Although he wants to be kept up to date of her progress and findings. She cannot wait to dive into what appears to be a very old diary.
As she starts doing her work, she realizes it has areas that were scrapped away and that it looks like a dairy as well as a guide to painting. She can pick out words here and there; shadow, light and whatnot but she has to send it off for translation. She turns a page, and uncovers a portrait of a beautiful woman. Who is she? It doesn't appear as this was part of the original book, but stuck between the pages. For as much as she was trying to put off contacting William, she must now!
Giovanni is a portrait artist, who has just been commission to paint a beautiful woman. During this Renaissance era, they are on the brink of war with the Ottoman Fleet and Giovanni, himself is running out of time. Can he capture this beautiful woman, in all her glory? Her personality and the secrets she holds? Will the others be able to see what he can see when he is done?
As the translations come back, piece by piece, Rose and William are astonished to learn all that was happening to Giovanni and at times it adds more questions than answers. They hold a powerful book in their hands, and cannot wait to find out the truth of everything hidden within its pages.
A very well written novel! I really enjoyed how the two storylines were woven together and what the diary brought forth in the truth of the matter of things, for the characters. Thank you to Goodreads, and Ballantine Books for the arc.
As she starts doing her work, she realizes it has areas that were scrapped away and that it looks like a dairy as well as a guide to painting. She can pick out words here and there; shadow, light and whatnot but she has to send it off for translation. She turns a page, and uncovers a portrait of a beautiful woman. Who is she? It doesn't appear as this was part of the original book, but stuck between the pages. For as much as she was trying to put off contacting William, she must now!
Giovanni is a portrait artist, who has just been commission to paint a beautiful woman. During this Renaissance era, they are on the brink of war with the Ottoman Fleet and Giovanni, himself is running out of time. Can he capture this beautiful woman, in all her glory? Her personality and the secrets she holds? Will the others be able to see what he can see when he is done?
As the translations come back, piece by piece, Rose and William are astonished to learn all that was happening to Giovanni and at times it adds more questions than answers. They hold a powerful book in their hands, and cannot wait to find out the truth of everything hidden within its pages.
A very well written novel! I really enjoyed how the two storylines were woven together and what the diary brought forth in the truth of the matter of things, for the characters. Thank you to Goodreads, and Ballantine Books for the arc.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
All the elements in these book are amongst my favorite tropes and I wasn't disappointed.
I found it hard to put down, well written and entertaining.
The historical background is vivid and well researched, the characters are rounded and the plot flows and never drags.
It was an excellent read and it's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I found it hard to put down, well written and entertaining.
The historical background is vivid and well researched, the characters are rounded and the plot flows and never drags.
It was an excellent read and it's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
drkaylabaldwin's review against another edition
3.0
*I won this copy from a Goodreads Giveaway.*
This book had a hard time capturing my attention. Overall, I did end up liking it, but I got lost in the middle. The last quarter picked up for me again. This is one that I would pick up again to see if I get more out of it with a second read.
This book had a hard time capturing my attention. Overall, I did end up liking it, but I got lost in the middle. The last quarter picked up for me again. This is one that I would pick up again to see if I get more out of it with a second read.