This was a book I did not finish, but hope to get back to someday. By that I mean, I didn't have the time needed to really take in the story and understand it, as it jumped between time and stories in the city of Venice. It was beautiful, poetic writing that really draws you in, but at times, it took away from the story itself, and the back in time to present became confusing at times. I couldn't follow the older story as well. The blend of history, mystery, art, and faith is fascinating and I love that there are more and more fiction books coming out with this. The story of the boy in the basket found by artisans, aside the past thief looking for a new life who found a treasure relic, is an incredibly promising premise. I could see each individual story being a solid book in itself, rather than the back and forth. I generally enjoy historical fiction books which jump between time eras, and the writing is absolutely breathtaking, but for some reason that pure enjoyment of it, was missing for my tastes personally, with this one.

4.5 stars

All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes is a novel that intertwines history, mystery, and faith in a richly detailed narrative set against the backdrop of Venice. The story spans two centuries and follows Sebastien Trovato and Daniel Goodman, whose lives intertwine through the enigmatic Book of Waters.

1807: Sebastien Trovato is found floating in a basket along the canals of Venice. Raised by a guild of artisans, he grows up skilled in various trades but haunted by questions about his origins. His quest for answers intensifies when a mysterious woman washes ashore on his lagoon island.

1904: Daniel Goodman, a reformed thief from California, seeks redemption and a fresh start. Tasked with procuring and translating the rare Book of Waters from Venice, he becomes ensnared in a web of secrets tied to the city and the unfinished story of Sebastien.

Dykes delivers a fascinating exploration of Venice’s history, both in Italy and California. Her attention to detail brings the Venice, Italy’s unique landscape to life, including its island cemetery. As always, Dykes writes well-developed and likable characters, and she infuses her prose with magic and poetry.

However, the novel isn’t without its flaws. The first 30% drags, and the plot occasionally becomes overly complex. While Dykes’ rich descriptions add depth, they occasionally feel overdone. The novel shines in its latter half, where the pace picks up and the narrative threads come together.

Faith is a central theme, and Dykes’ author’s note adds a personal and profound touch, showcasing how her belief in Jesus drives her writing.

All the Lost Places is an introspective and achingly beautiful tale with themes of redemption and healing that will appeal to fans of historical fiction, art, archaeology, and history. Amanda Dykes continues to be a favorite author, though Whose Waves These Are remains my preferred work. I’d love to see her tackle a devotional.

** Thanks to the publisher for a comp of this title. The opinions are my own.

I often love Amanda Dykes writing, I love her poetic and lyrical feel to her books but this one just did not pull me in. I found myself not really caring for the characters and as a result not caring for the storyline.

First time reading this author. Her writing is beautiful and the story was intriguing. But I did feel like as I was reading it was hard to decipher what was truly important to the story. Everything felt important, every look, every sigh, every corner of, every description. Part of that added to the whimsy, but eventually it felt like I was missing something if I didn’t fully capture the depth of each sentence. It started to feel a little boring and almost tiring to read that way. Maybe it was just the reading season I’m in. I think most people would read it and love the intricacies of the writing. But for me it caused me to want to skim. And in doing so, by the time I got to the end of the story, I still felt like I knew exactly what happened and followed along. All that to say, I think maybe it was too wordy and flowery for me right now. I struggled with the purpose of going back and forth between Daniel and Sebastian. I struggled to care about parts of Sebastian’s story because it seemed longer than Daniel’s and I was more in to Daniel’s. But by the end, it unfolds and makes sense. I still just think overall the book could have half the length and still told the same story in a beautiful way.
I’ll definitely try another book by Dykes, just going in to it know what style of writing to expect.

Immersive slow build read, with a full cast of characters, and an unfolding mystery.

It took some time to get oriented and into the story, but there is pay off for patience as this dual time line story comes together piece by piece. Beautifully written, captivating and downright poetic. Perfect for fans of thought provoking and immersive novels.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

You seriously cannot go wrong with an Amanda Dykes book. I learned so much about Italy that I had no clue about before. So not only was a taken into the magical land of Venice, but I learned so much history!

I love Venice and the premise of the story -- an abandonded baby in a basket floating in the canals -- was intriguging. The setting, mystery and dual time line made for an engaging read. I enjoy recommending this book to library patrons.

Thank you Netgalley and Bethany House Fiction for the gifted book! All opinions are my own.

It's 1904 Daniel is trying to live up to his last name, Goodman. He has made some mistakes, suffered the consequences, and now is trying to atone for his wrongdoings. So when the opportunity presents itself for him to make things right with his estranged Mother by traveling to her homeland of Italy to capture the essence of Venice in his sketchbook as he also translates a rare Italian storybook to English, he convinces himself it is the beginning of a new life for himself.

The book Daniel is trying to translate begins in 1807 when a baby boy, Sebastian, is found in a basket floating along the canals in Venice. Taken in and raised by a group of artisans, he struggles with his identity and when a woman washes ashore in his life, he must contend with not only who he is, but who he wants to be.
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This book is beautiful. I may have highlighted the most number of passages ever in a fiction book that I have read. Sometimes I would read something four times to just appreciate how Dykes crafted a beautiful description in place of what could have been very ordinary. I love how the two storylines were woven together. I loved each story equally and we all know how rare that is.

I don't think I have said this before but DO NOT read this on audio. I tried this on audio and felt lost and distracted the whole time. I could not engage my brain to care. And this was my IRL book club book in June and everyone who read it on audio didn't love it. But those who read it with our eyes did. There is just something about reading this lovely prose with your eyes that pulls you into the story.

It took me WAY too long to finally write this review . . . not because I didn't have anything to say about All The Lost Places, but more because I knew no matter what I said, it wouldn't be enough to sum up the magic and loveliness that is this story! Amanda Dykes became a new favorite of mine from her debut novel a few years ago and every story since has only solidified her place on my "must read, must buy, must have a paperback copy on the shelf!" list. This story was gorgeous and mesmerizing, both deep and whimsical . . . and no surprise at all, it was poignant and powerful. I loved it, and I can't wait to read whatever Amanda Dykes writes next!

This was a “did not finish/dnf” at 22% unfortunately. While I really enjoyed Daniel‘s story, in that he was a reformed thief, and an artist with a passion for books and art. I found going back in time confusing, and the language was too flowery and too descriptive for me to follow the older story. I wish she would’ve just stayed with Daniel’s story and I would’ve enjoyed it so much more.

Initially I was really drawn in by the imagery in this book. It was beautiful. I made it about half way before I couldn’t read any more. The pacing was pretty slow, and I just had a hard time picking it back up. I may try again in the future to read the book because the imagery really is wonderful.

Amanda Dykes creates characters that engage the spirit, and weaves a spell with her words and story building.
A magical, mesmerizing must-read.

All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes is a work of historical fiction that will stay with you for a very long time. This book is really three stories in one— two stories set in the past plus an extra story that ties them together. This language in this book just shines. It’s beauty is nearly lyrical at times. The places that the author features in this book— San Francisco and Venice— are both places I know well. The author did a fantastic job bringing them to life. Venice in particular is so vivid and true to life, bringing you there even if you are far away. This book radiates with themes of hope and redemption. I could not love it more. Highly recommend! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you to Bethany House & Baker Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

DNF @ 25%

I might find my way back to this one someday, but for whatever reason I absolutely could not get into it, no matter how much time I tried to dedicate to reading it.

🛶( pretend that emoji is a gondola, k?) I have spent days trying to figure out how to write this review. I’ll start out by saying, Amanda Dykes’ novel, Whose Waves These Are, was the book that made me realize beautifully written, (non-cheesy) Christian fiction was out there. I adored that book and have read every thing she’s written since! So I was stoked when @netgalley and @bethanyhousefiction sent me a Kindle copy!
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🛶 Having said that, this book felt a lot different than previous ones. Her writing is always beautiful and poetic - but in this case, I found myself really not knowing what I was reading for several chapters 🤣. This is probably just because I’m not a deep reader - I like to just know what exactly is going on. I don’t want it veiled, I want it to be really clear. So this is likely just a reading preference, but because the story, particularly the history portion of it, was so vague, I really struggled to get into it.
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🛶 Halfway through the book, things picked up for me and I was fully invested in both story lines. I also loved the Venetian setting! There were some really interesting twists, but then some were left with loose ends 😫. I ended up really enjoying the stories, but just wish it was shorter so that I could enjoy reading the whole thing!
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🛶 Anyone else with me?
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🛶 These mixed feelings won’t hinder me from reading whatever Amanda writes next. She is so gifted, even if this one wasn’t my fave! Also, no content warnings!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Empty places...are not always lost places." This is a beautifully written story about being lost and redeemed, being empty and filled - iti s filled with beautfule and wondrous imagery and lyrical prose. This is the first book I've read by Dykes but her writing is captivating and her characters poignant and identifiable and so it will not be my lost. The book is about a hidden island, a hidden talent, a hidden guilt, a hidden identity, and a hidden book. All lost and waiting to be found. Daniel is seeking redemption and hopes to find it in Venice, but it may not come in the form he expects. He is hoping to find the original copy of the Book of Waters, of which only a few copies exist with Daniel owning one. But the clues to finding the book are in the book. As Daniel translates and tryies to uncover the lost book he finds his story in the story of the book. Dykes intertwines the the two stories - Daniel's and the Book of Waters - creating an engaging plot to complement her vivid imagery and wonderfully constructed characters. An amazing read.

Loved this poetic tale of the romantic city of Venice! The writing style is magical and captivating, and I could easily relate to Daniel's wish to right the wrongs of the past.

The book is a fairly thick tome compared to most books that I read, but was well worth it. And the artwork? Bello. Magnifico!

I especially loved the quote at the beginning:

“Courage keep, and hope beget; The story is not finished yet . . .”

—Dante Cavellini

And this quote that reminded me of the beloved Dr. Seuss books:

"You are loved. You are you. You are full of good purpose. You were made for this, your time, and this, your life. There is none like you, and I see the fingerprints of a mighty and good, kind, loving God in your good, kind, loving soul. You are full of honor and goodness. There is no one in this world with such a big heart as you. I see it in the way you tend to each of us, always watching, always helping. You, Sebastien, are a man who loves well.”

Simply put, I can't wait to see what Mrs. Dykes writes next!

I received a complimentary paperback from Bethany House Publishers through an Open Bookies giveaway. I also received a complimentary e-book copy from Bethany House Publishers through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts above are my own.

All the Lost Places takes you on a beautiful and meandering journey. It is not meant to be devoured but savored, with each description written to captivate and inspire. Lose yourself in the many layers of Venice and its surroundings while you discover how this dual timeline story comes together in the end.

I loved the premise of an artist and his way of paying back, but the writing just didn’t capture my attention, I’ve loved Amanda’s stories before. This one was just very hard to get into. It felt like the beginning dragged before the plot would pick up.

I do love Amanda’s writing style and messages. Her wording is poetic and flows in such a beautiful way. And she always points to truth.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Amanda Dykes's beautiful novels never fail to sweep me away and make me forget my daily life. Each of the characters in All the Lost Places had a unique story and voice, and I think they'll be living in my heart for some time to come. The writing is lyrical and imaginative, and it will be going on my "keeper" shelf.