"I find comfort in imagining that long after I am gone to dust, I may yet remain connected to every man who reads what I have written."

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Giovanni is a painter in Renaissance Italy who has been commissioned to paint an illustrious courtesan favored by one of the most powerful men in Venice. Giovanni has a secret, he is losing his sight. He is drawn to courtesan at first sight and they quickly fall for one another even though such a pairing would mean the death of both of them. The two fight to be together amidst the backdrop of war between the Venetians and the Ottomans, a time that is fraught with religious tension. This story comes to light as a book restorer is restoring a manuscript Giovanni left behind. It has been passed through the generations of the family and has landed with a man who is also a painter.

Ok, this one sat in my Netgalley queue for way too long! It wasn't until I came across a copy in the bookstore that I double checked and realized I already had it available to me. It just goes to show, books come to you in their own time. I generally like a dual timeline historical fiction novel but in this case I would have much prefered just the Renaissance time period. The characters and backdrop were so engrossing. When I found myself in present time, I was a little bored by Rose and annoyed by the married man flirting with her. I get the theme of star-crossed lovers but felt like it diminished the beautiful story in Italy. The brutality and hypocrisy of the Christians of the time was heartbreaking to read.

Read this one if you liked The Scribe of Siena.

Thanks to Ballantine Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own. Apologies for taking so long to get to it!

DNF

I have been struggling with historical fiction over the last year and this book fell victim to those struggles. Additionally I struggle with the gray area involving possible cheating and felt like it would be for the best to set this one aside.

This novel had an interesting premise that sounded like it would be a perfect read for fans of Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton, and Elena Mikalson. However, this tread was hard to keep track of. The timelines were not labeled, and it made for a confusing and frustrating read. Thus, it had great potential, but was not executed well.

I'm usually a sucker for a dual timeline book, but this one just didn't work for me. I think that trick with a dual timeline book is that you have to be just as drawn in by each of the storylines, or you will find yourself dreading the switch. That's how this one was for me. I was enjoying the timeline in the past, but when it switched back to the present-day I was disappointed. Also, I felt that the entire book was a bit slow, and could have been edited a bit. It was a good concept, but the execution needed some polish. I really wanted to love this one, but I just didn't.

Finally read this one, and although I liked the premise, I just felt that the story dragged in places. The contemporary story is about Rose, a bookshop owner who also restores old manuscripts. A young man brings her a book that is in need of repair - and it's been in his family for generations. Upon inspection, it appears to be a diary from the Venice in the early 1500's. The historical part is the section I struggled with the most - so many characters to keep track of and so much descriptions of the Ottoman wars with Venice that I felt at times I was reading a history book. While the backbone of the story is a good idea, it just didn't resonate with me as it did with many readers. I do appreciate being given the chance to review this book, and would give it 3.5 if half stars were allowed!

I enjoyed this book, there was a lot of historical details that I loved. I liked the dual timelines as well. However, I took forever to finish it, the book wasn’t compelling enough for me to stick with it. I liked the sections in Venice better than the Connecticut scenes. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I truly enjoyed this book. The intertwining of the stories was well done as was the intriguing romantic storylines. Highly recommended for anyone who likes historical fiction with an enjoyable story.

Two timelines, two star-crossed love stories, one book tying it all together. This vivid and immersive historical fiction was a delight to get lost in.

In the present day, in New Haven Connecticut, William finds a book form his deceased grandmother that he brings to bookstore owner and restorer Rose to look at and work on. This begins their story. Five centuries earlier, Giovanni, a well respected portrait artist, is commissioned for a painting. What unfolds in an intriguing story of how these pieces connect, and possibly even a connection between Rose and William.

Oh how I enjoyed and appreciated the richly detailed writing here and the way the two timelines wove together so beautifully. Historically it is very clearly well-researched and I found by the end that I had learned so much, particularly with the Renaissance Venice timeline. There’s some mystery and intrigue here that kept me turning the pages, and the romance woven in was just the icing on the cake. I enjoyed not just what I learned culturally about Venice but also about book restoration! I’ve not read about this element in a book before, so I found it was a unique and memorable touch. I love walking away from my historical fiction reads having learned something, and this one delivered on that.

The Lost Diary of Venice is very much a refreshing read in the genre and I would definitely recommend to all of you fellow historical fiction lovers and history buffs out there!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the gifted e-copy!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I admit in my joy at joining NetGalley I may have been overzealous in my requesting numbers. As this book has already been published, I am choosing to work on the current upcoming publish date books in my que. As I complete those I will work on my backlogged request and will provide a review at that time. I again send my sincere thanks and apologies.

I really wanted to like this book, but it was only average for me. The writing was very good, but I had a hard time keeping the characters straight without the chapters being labeled which timeline they were in. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thought it was good. Enjoyed the historical fiction piece and the two timelines. I also liked the forbidden love aspect. I would definitely recommend for history buffs.

I’m late with this review but it’s an unpopular opinion. I tried several times but for whatever reason I just couldn’t finish. This is a DNF for me. I was not connecting with the characters or the story. Not every book is for everyone! I’ve seen many great reviews for this book and I know others will enjoy it.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity!

This book was super interesting.

I knew nothing about book restoration or the last 1500s in Venice.

Also - courtesans where the only women in Venice allowed to be educated and allowed to read?!

I googled/researched so many things from this book. I love when I book sparks more.

An interesting read though I found it hard to follow the two separate timelines and kept rereading parts to stay straight.

I lived in italy for a while...so I was excited about this book. The discussion ms were nice but sadly could not hold me. I would read this author again.

This isn’t what I normally read. I couldn’t finish it because it wasn’t for me at the time. I will try to maybe pick it up again when the mood hits me right.

I loved the premise of this book as I felt it had all of the components of a book I’d enjoy. It turned out to be just “okay” for me because I just couldn’t fully connect with the characters and storyline.

Very well written in my opinion. The character and world-building were done nicely that I was able to picture myself during both times, present-day Connecticut, and five centuries prior to Venice. The author did a fantastic work intertwining the two different times together. Reading this book gave me a good historical background related to those eras and it made me feel like I was a ghost who is a part of their discovery. This story might seem like you can easily predict what is going to happen next but it will take a turn and becomes unpredictable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

#TheLostDiaryofVenice #NetGalley

Interesting historical story with two timelines. I liked all the connections between the characters and learning about art in the early part of the fifteenth century.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction. It has multiple timelines. One take place in present day Connecticut and the other in 1500's Venice. I would definitely recommend this book if you like historical fiction.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.