Destined to be a bestseller

This is a book that has everything this reader looks for; good strong characters, an amazing plot, and well researched back story that makes for a story that stays with you after you turn the last page.

The story is told in two different time periods. The modern time takes place in the United States with Rose and William. Willam just inherited a book that is very old, and would like it restored. Rose is a highly regarded book restorer and while looking at it notices that the book is not just one book, but two. A palimpsest. One book on top of one that had been partially scraped off.

As she begins to decipher it, her contact with William increases, and she becomes drawn to him despite his being married. He, too, is drawn to her, but as a married man with children, tries to fight the draw. This part of the story was written so well, I had rollercoaster feelings about their getting together or not as I progressed through the story. I felt I was part of their relationship, and that I, too, had an agenda in how it would turn out.

The second time period is about the author of the book which is to be restored. Gio lives in Venice, Italy and is an artist who is slowly going blind. He is commissioned to paint the portrait of a courtesan of a man who is destined to be a doge. Gio is entranced with her, and his art and life are forever changed by meeting her.

Through this story there is woven the history of Venice at that time, and the battle of Lepanto. The details, though factionalized, are based on actual facts, as well as historical characters of the past. I was more often than not fascinated enough with some of the details to look them up, only to find that the details were so amazingly accurate. For instance, the use of fireworks in Venice at the time period was something new I learned reading this book.

I highly recommend this book to any and all, and will be recommending it for my book club. And, even though I was given an advance reading copy digitally, I can honestly say I will most likely be one of the first to buy a print copy to have in my library. And, I have a few folks I think would enjoy this as a gift.

This was a very well written and very well researched book. It took you on a journey through Venice in the 1500s. This author showed you what life was like for an artist during the Renaissance and showed you what Venice was like during a tumultuous time of war. This book really played with your emotions and kept your attention engaged. I loved reading the love story of Giovanni and Chiara. I also really loved the idea of a hidden diary in a art treatise. I also liked that she wrote about real people even if she took some creative license with telling their story. Overall I thought this was a really good book.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

This book was an interesting read that follows two different timelines, one in the present and one set during the 1500's.

I was drawn to this book on NetGalley and was excited to receive an advance copy. It took me a while to get into reading the book and find myself completely immersed in the book.

I definitely enjoyed the weaving between the two timelines and would recommend this to readers who enjoy historical fiction.

I was intrigued by the cover and the story drew me in. Weaving together two romances DeRoux has created a painting in prose that illustrates the similarities between the two romances. Intertwined in the story is a current romance between a bookshop owner and a man who has asked her to restore a palimpsest that has belonged to his family since the 1500’s and the artist and the courtesan revealed in the text Rose is restoring. It’s well-written, and complex and yet not as compelling as I was expecting. Getting three stars from me means its still a readable book and it will find an appreciate group of readers.

Following two stories, one of Rose the book restorer in present-day Connecticut and the other of Giovanni the artist in 1571 Venice, this historical fiction novel traces the path of a recovered diary and what it reveals about a romance amidst the War of Cyprus. ⁣
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I was gifted an Advanced Readers Copy of this title from NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I cannot say I enjoyed it. I found most of the storyline trite and some of the historical sections casuistic. I really struggle with the should-I-or-shouldn’t-I-cheat-on-my-spouse trope, and was underwhelmed by the characters DeRoux created to inhabit her Venetian storyline. I also did not think the insertions of battle scenes added anything to the story. ⁣

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This is a great piece of historical fiction that jumps between Venezia in 1571 and present day New Haven, Connecticut. They are linked by a diary. This is an enjoyable read and I found myself learning a lot about that time period even though this was fiction.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I finished this book a couple weeks ago but wasn't able to write the review until today and I am having a hard time remembering much about it. I think that is an accurate way of describing this book for me- forgettable and unremarkable. It wasn't that I disliked it, but I never really found myself that interested in it while reading nor can I think of anything that really stood out about it now. It was a quick easy read with some interesting characters and plots, but overall it was just meh for me. I consistenly wavered in my opinion throughout the book, sometimes liking the story and characters, other times annoyed and ready for it to be over. I don't have complaints about the writing style and feel that it could be an enjoyable book for other readers- it just didn't grab my attention. I'm giving this book a medium rating as I didn't have any strong dislikes or great things I liked about it.

The first thing that caught my eye for this book is the beautiful cover.. As a fan of dual time books I was intrigued by the storyline as well. I do not know a lot about Renaissance Italy so was also interested in learning more. I was not disappointed.

The book is a dual time novel, one of my favorite genres. In the present we have Rose a reclusive book restorer and William Lomazzo who brings her an ancient book he found in his Grandmother’s belongings. Rose discovers this is a diary from Italy in the 1500’s and sets about restoring and translating it.

In the past we have painter Giovanni Lomazzo who is commissioned to paint the portriat of a courtesan named Chiara. Sadly Giovanni is losing his sight, a horrible condition for a painter, and soon loses his heart to Chiara. Never a good thing when her sponser/lover is a powerful man.

The novel switches between time periods and has some really interesting history of Venice during the 16th century. I am not really knowledgeable about this time period and this book really peaked my interest in that era and the politics between Venice and the Ottoman empire. If you are looking for a historical dual time novel wiih some romance thrown in. I recommend this book. I look forward to more books from the author.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine book and the author Margaux DeRoux for the opportunity to review this book

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Margaux DeRoux for the ARC.

The book is an historical fiction and a modern day story. The story is intertwined between past and present. Rose does book restoration and is brought a journal by an artist. The story takes place in the 1500’s Renaissance in Venice and modern day college town outside of NYC. The characters we well written coming to life visually. I throughly enjoyed this book.

This book is uniquely intriguing in which it utilizes two timelines, one from the past and one from the present. In the present, the book narrates the story of Rose, a young woman who lives in Connecticut who dedicates her time to restore antique books. Her work has been a form of escape ever since an illness took her father. One day she meets William Lomazzo, a painter who carries with him a piece of art from the 16th century in perfect condition. Rose identifies the pages of the palimpsest and immediately starts the restoration process. The other timeline is set during the Renaissance Era in Venice, Giovanni Lomazzo is an artist who struggles to earn a living from creating art. However, a possible war against the Ottomans is looming, so the military presence has alarmed the young artist. One day he is commissioned to paint the adorable courtesan of one of the most respected commanders. Giovanni is amazed at her beauty, it is almost impossible to stop the vivid attraction he feels for her. It is interesting how the author develops the two stories since it demonstrates the complications of the two time periods. Rose's passion for discovering the contents of the palimpsest makes this a magnificent book. Rose and William exchange experiences and knowledge, which makes their friendship very enjoyable. I loved Giovanni's personality because he is an artist who does not pay attention to people's prejudices. He is very observant and loves to draw his own conclusions. It is a very well written book, I loved the classical music references, I felt completely immersed in this story that I couldn´t stop reading it until the end. Amazing book Margaux Deroux! I thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Beautiful cover. Dual timeline story, one present day and one in 1570 Venice. Modern day art restorer is translating and restoring an old diary from 1570. That was a tumultuous time in Venice, war with the Ottoman’s, dirty politics, and great art. The story connects through Rose and William in the current day.

The best kind of book for me is a book that teaches me something I didn't know before, or makes me think about things in a new way. This book certainly did that. The story flips points of view between Giovanni, an artist in 1570's Venice, and Rose, a present-day book restorer who comes into contact with Gio's work and begins to restore it. Rose gets really involved in the project, and we learn more about her life and of course Gio's life as well. One of my favorite things was learning about Gio's time period; the author did a ton of research and was able to paint a really clear picture for us readers about that time period and multiple things that were going on at the time, which was really interesting to me. I also loved the relationships in the story; it isn't something I think I can explain without giving too much away, but I feel like they developed and changed in a realistic way. It wasn't predictable and that made it very enjoyable to me.My only complaint about the story was that it was a little long winded at times. But it was still a worthwhile read and I loved the history and the story in general. I'm interested to see what else the author writes about in the future!

The Lost Diary of Venice by Margaux DeRoux is filled with artistic angst, forbidden love, war, modern day romance and the love of preserving literature. How can you not want to read this engrossing novel?!

Told in two time lines we meet current day Rose a young reclusive intellect who owns a bookstore in a quiet college town. She also restores antique manuscripts. She even has a cat who resides in the store. Her routine life is turned around when artistic painter William walks in looking to have an inherited manuscript from 1571 restored and translated from its original Italian.

Before William and Rose even speak a word there is an undeniable connection between them. He is not a free man and there is the drama.

As Rose works on the manuscript written by Giovanni Lomazzo, a portrait artist in 1570s Venice, we learn about Gio the artist starting to lose his sight but not before falling in love with the beautiful courtesan Chiara who he has been commissioned to paint a portrait of by the powerful man who owns her.

We are introduced to villains, sorcery, anti semitism and religious wars in Gio's world while Rose and William deal with feelings they don't know how to control.

This book is detailed in it's historical background and lends to the urgency of Gio and Chiara's ill fated love affair. There were some elements of wizardry and sorcery that took me out of the story for a bit.

Though the end may not be what everyone would want it has merit. It beautifully displayed that in every kind of love we all want our feelings validated. We want to be acknowledged even if we don't get the exact happily ever after we imagined for ourselves.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opionions are my own.

This dual time line story gives voice to several characters. We have Rose, a present-day book restorer, and William who owns a newly found ancestral book he takes to Rose to restore. Then in 1571, Geo Lomazzo, a great artist, begins painting the portrait of Chiara, a courtesan of Venier, a military commander. As events fall into place and as love blooms, someone’s life is going to be in danger.
I enjoyed this story even though I don’t know a lot about art. I felt the emotions of the lovers, their passions and their fears. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good romance, some action (a battle scene) and enjoys the tension that a crazy antagonist brings to a well-crafted story.
Thank you #NetGalley and #TheLostDiaryofVenice for the advanced copy of this book.

This is a great novel to read. It combines anti-semitism, woman’s rights along with a love of literature and art all couched in a dual time line of 21st century America with 16th century Italy. I could not put this novel down. I certainly highly recommend that it be read by anyone who enjoys historical fiction with real people immersed in a fictional tale. I was supplied this novel by Netgalley for an unbiased opinion
#netgalley #margauxderoux #randomhouse

Like Rose wanting to finish the restoration and translation of the manuscript I similarly wanted to finish the book to find out how it was going to end. Both in present day and 1571 Venice, the story shows a glimpse in the life of the original writer of the manuscript and through Rose’s research we also get some more clarification on what is happening during that time period in Venice. The author did a marvelous job in pulling you into the lives of Rose, William, Lucas, Chiari and Giovanni. Each is a unique person and you keep wishing that it will come to a good ending for everybody. The story is friction but makes us aware of some of the historical facts happening in Venice and surroundings in that time period

I was privileged to read an ARC of Margaux DeRoux''s debut novel, The Lost Diary of Venice, thanks to NetGalley. This tale captured my attention immediately, pulling me into the world of contemporary book restoration and the setting of Renaissance Venice. Weaving together these two timelines with believable characters, the author created a compelling portrayal of Venetian society, including many historical settings and people. I learned so much about this era, guiding me to do some extra research. I highly recommend this book!

I very much enjoyed this novel. It is set in two different eras: present day and during the time of Venice's heyday. The diary was written by an artist in Venice and the characters in the present day are restoring and reading it. There are love stories in both times. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Renaissance is one of my favorite time periods, particularly for art, so my interest was piqued by The Lost Diary of Venice. And while, as a dual timeline storyline, the present day storyline sounded less compelling and potentially more troublesome, I was willing to give it a chance for the sake of the historical storyline.

And the historical timeline is the highlight of the book. I didn’t know anything about Giovanni Lomazzo prior to picking up this book, but I found it heartbreaking how he faced the threat of losing his sight and thus his livelihood, and later falling into an impossible relationship with the courtesan Chiara. And while that relationship is the center of that arc, I love how it fleshes out the society of the time through the inclusion of the conflict between Venice and the Ottomans.

But the modern timeline…apart from anything that has those characters looking back at the past, I wasn’t particularly moved. I wondered what the justification would be for William to pursue a relationship with Rose in spite of being married, and after reading it, I’m not buying it. There just aren’t the same stakes in modern times when divorce is an option.

The transitions between timelines were super jarring as well…they would alternate between chapters, so I never felt like I spent as much time as I would have liked in Renaissance Venice before being forced back to modern day with insufferably boring, unsympathetic characters.

This book is all over the place, and I kind of wish DeRoux had dispensed with the “lost diary” concept in the present timeline and worked on fleshing out the historical one more. I can recommend picking this book up for the sake of the Venice bits, with the caveat that that’s my own personal opinion and it’s possible there are people out there who will enjoy it in its entirety more than I did.

This book didn't do it for me, but I could see it being successful for someone who likes romance more than I do. The premise was intriguing, but the plot ended up being pretty thin. No one or no thing was particularly compelling. The descriptions of settings were well done, but the writing for the characters' thoughts left a lot to be desired. A lot of "their arteries touched" type language.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an advanced copy.