I annotated this book because I have been obsessed with all the other books by the author I have read, and I expected this book to make me cry, like Set the Stars Alight and Whose Waves These Are. Unfortunately this book fell a little flat for me, but I still enjoyed the process of reading and annotating it!

The writing style was super lovely as always: Amanda Dykes’ writing is one of my favorites! It is super lyrical and truly weave a story. The imagery was gorgeous, and Venice was described in such vivid detail. The historical aspects of Venice woven into the story were so gorgeous, and I really enjoyed learning about the architecture, history, and city of Venice!

My main reason for not loving this book is because I was not as connected to these characters. I don’t know if it was the writing style or the more abstract story, but I was not particularly able to relate to the protagonists, which made the story hit less hard. The story was told more like an allegory, with a thread of suspension of disbelief, which made it harder to relate to.

The first part of the book I was able to relate to Daniel, or at least think the story was believable, but once he got to Venice, it became more of a whimsical fairytale vibe that I wasn’t as connected to. There was a lot of mention about secrets and historical intrigue, which also didn’t make it super relatable.

The story was a dual timeline: I was more interested in Daniel’s story at first (like I mentioned, I was more connected to it), but then as the Book of Waters went on, I was super invested in Sebastian’s story (even more than Daniel’s). Amanda Dykes does split timeline stories so well. I do think the ending was a bit rushed, especially the one in the Book of Waters.

All in all, I did end up enjoying this book, though it took me quite a while to get into it. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy historical whimsical stories. I am rating this one quite low, but that is in comparison to the author’s other works: I would definitely recommend reading some of her other books if this one isn’t your cup of tea!

Things Liked:
-the prose was STUNNING!! there were so many beautiful descriptions and quotes, and in particular, the imagery of water was so richly woven throughout
-I really loved the male protagonists! They are so rarely seen in Christian fiction and I thoroughly enjoyed their character growth
-The characters were all so interesting and I wish I were more interested in them lol

Things Disliked:
-I couldn’t get into the story for quite a while: I kept putting the book down for weeks at a time and didn’t particularly want to pick it up because of this
-The characters weren’t not particularly relatable and I wasn’t attached to any of their struggles, so it was hard to enjoy them

I am not sure how to describe this book - part magical, part fantastical, part soul-searching, and part beautiful love story. Amanda's books tend to be more character driven rather than plot driven. Words are big in this book. In some ways, the plot drags along while the character development races and yet the plot is imperative to the character development. The words are beautiful and full of meaning but written in a way that requires some thought if you want to discern the full meaning.
To begin with, I simply couldn't get invested in the Book of Waters. I wanted to just follow Daniel's life and see how he grew in character and what he did, but as the book progressed, the whole story pulled me in. It did probably take about half of the book, before I was fully invested in the story.
"The words, they are buried deep inside of you. You are always a mystery. One has to work to invite your words up. Build a staircase with questions, that they might climb out." This is just one example of the beauty of Amanda's words.
I really enjoyed this book and am grateful to Bethany House via NetGalley for giving me a copy to read. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first of this author I am reading.

I like the slow pace of the book and it took a while for me to get into the rhythm of story. The author's writing style is unique.

An inspiring story with amazing characters and a settting that makes one want to teleport there.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion

All the Lost Places is a dual-timeline novel set in the beautiful city of Venice. The novel divides its time between early 19th century Venice (just after the invasion of Napoleon) and the early 20th century. One timeline involves a young foundling and another a thief sent from America to find a priceless and legendary tome called The Book of Waters.

All the Lost Places is a beautiful story about finding one’s place in the world. “The Lost Places” can be inside yourself and not just in the world, and one of the themes is that searching for can be a result of feeling lost and purposeless. Characters in this story find meaning, purpose and ultimately healing though faith and love.

This was, overall, just a very encouraging and uplifting book and I think we all need this at times. Recommended.

Thanks to Bethany House for approving my request for this title. I was not required to review it or write a positive one and all opinions expressed are my own.

BOOK REVIEW - All the Lost Places - Amanda Dykes - 5/5 Stars

THE STORY
Amanda Dykes writes truly beautiful stories! They are lyrical and poetic-like conveying wonderful truths amidst an engrossing tale. Other than facts about Vivaldi, I knew very little about Venice but this story opened a whole new world and taught me much about the famed city and its now added it to my bucket list of places to visit. I fell in love with Daniel from page one, I have such a soft spot for broken characters searching for redemption and atonement, of the lost looking for home and belonging. And I love reading of the bright and beautiful people who point them to God so they can find the pieces they were missing and feel the wholeness they've been searching for. The tale ended so perfectly, that you just want to sit and savour it afterwards.

THE ROMANCE
Romance isn't the purpose of this story but, being a dual timeline, you get two lovely romances anyway! Two bright women that bring light and love into the lives of the men they come to adore through chance (or fate) encounters.

THE TRUTHS
'Who am I?' is a question throughout this story as the characters search for their identity in the world. It's a question we all ask ourselves at one point or another, who are we? We are many things, sister, wife, mother, friend, businesswoman, etc. But most importantly we are children of God, loved despite our flaws and forgiven no matter our failings. We are priceless treasures who will always find a home in His loving arms. Who am we? We are His.

All the Lost Places
by Amanda Dykes
Pub Date 13 Dec 2022
Bethany House, Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance


I am reviewing a copy of All the Lost Places through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:


The year is 1807, when a baby is found floating in basket along the quiet canals of Venice, a guild of artisans takes him in and raises him as a son, skilled in each of their trades. Although the boy, Sebastien Trovato, has wrestled with questions of his origins, it isn't until a woman washes ashore on his lagoon island that answers begin to emerge. In hunting down his story, Sebastien must make a choice that could alter not just his own future, but also that of the beloved floating city.



In 1904 Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. He hopes to redeem a past full of regrets he is sent on an assignment from California to Venice to procure and translate a rare book. There, he discovers a city of colliding hope and decay, much like his own life, and a mystery wrapped in the pages of that filigree-covered volume. With the help of Vittoria, a bookshop keeper, Daniel finds himself in a web of shadows, secrets, and discoveries carefully kept within the stones and canals of the ancient city.. . and in the mystery of the man whose story the book does not finish: Sebastien Trovato.


Once again Amanda Dykes weaves a powerful and beautiful tale...


I give All the Lost Places five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

It took me a while to finish this book, mainly because there is SO MUCH STORY. I loved how the two intertwined and how the author created an atmosphere of Venice.

I don't read a lot of books that take place during this time period, so it was a welcomed escape for me. There were two romances going on throughout the book, both of them a slow, steady burn. I fell in love with them as much as I fell in love with Venice and all the mysteries it held.

Most of the book I read as a physical book, but I listed to the last 30% as an audiobook. It wasn't my favorite narrator (most likely because he didn't sound like the voice I already had in my head). However, you can't go wrong with this story! Being as this was my first Amanda Dykes books, I consider it a huge success!

I wasn’t as invested or drawn into this story like the author’s previous books I’ve read. I liked the book within the book and the mysterious nature of how the stories connected but I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. Its really well written and picked up towards the end of the book. It was a neat little peak behind the curtain of the history of Venice and the secrets it held.


Thank you publishers and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Amanda has weaved yet another remarkable story with characters that feel as real as your own family. I ADORE her books and this one is no exception. What a spectacularly vivid piece of fiction with an ending that made me weep for several minutes after the last few sentences were read. Beautiful.

I adore this author, and have read (and loved!) several other books she wrote, so was very excited for this release. Unfortunately it’s a DNF for now; just too much of a slow read, and characters that fall flat. Neither they nor the plot have drawn me in.

I may try again down the line; certainly open to it and hopeful, as I know she is a talented author!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Dual timelines
Set in Venice
Authentic characters
A slight twist of fate creates an absorbing story of not only our mysterious Sébastien(1807): a babe found floating in the Veice canals raised by a guild of artisans. A babe who is later given a choice that could change his life and those of his beloved city. But also the story of Daniel (1904) as well, lost and looking for direction he is sent to Venice to translate the story of Sébastien. Yet the story is incomplete so he takes it upon himself to find out what happened to Sébastien.

Having read and enjoyed other books by Amanda Dykes, I was eager to read All the Lost Places. I must admit it just didn't work for me. It took me till quite a bit into the book to finally be interested in this split time story. Not ever having read a book set in Venice, I did enjoy the portrayal of the history and information about the city. The struggle for knowing who one is and finding a place to belong ultimately find resolution in the story and there is a sweet romance and a mystery that spans the years. Maybe I need to read the book again and think more carefully about the story. I will definitely read more from Ms. Dykes.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Library Thing and NetGalley as well. I was not required to write a review and the opinions are my own.

This is such a beautiful book! Beautiful writing, beautiful characters, beautiful story.
From the very first sentences of the prologue I was intrigued. There was so much potential there for an amazing book cover-to-cover, and All the Lost Places did not disappoint!

Honestly, I don't think there was anything about this book that I disliked. The writing style was so pretty and flowed so beautifully. The characters were wonderful to read about, and so human. The alternating chapters between Daniel and The Book of Waters were seamless.

I could read this again and again.

5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.

Beautiful story - duel timeline setting, a slow burn read with a cast of wonderful characters. The book felt a little slow at times, but was overall a good and enjoyable read.

Full of eloquent language this book painted the imagination with a beautiful picture of Venice, not just descriptive of the physical aspect of the city but the emotion depicted in the very heart of the city contained within its inhabitants.
I found it beautiful to read but there was so much that for me it overwhelmed the story. I found myself skipping to the people which were rich in character, well rounded and so believable my heart pounded for them, my tears fell for them, and I was immersed in their very lives.
A child floating in a basket, rescued by a fisherman, and raised by a guild of five artisans was a wonderful way to begin this book. It immediately invested me in what was going to happen to this baby.
Although both time lines were necessary I was drawn to Sebastien’s story, as was Daniel which drew me to him as well. Both were entwined together, though almost a century apart, and made this a most satisfying book to read.
I recommend this book.
I was given a copy through NetGalley, courtesy of Bethany House a division of Baker Publishing Group. This is my honest opinion of the book.

I struggled to fall into this one, despite the enchanting writing style and mystery bridging the two timelines.

Do you ever start a book, that you really like, but then life gets crazy, and you don’t have much time to read. And then every time you try to read the book, you get interrupted, and even though you are still interested in the story, there are so many intricate details, that you really need to pay attention to, but since things have been so disjointed, you have hard time making progress… And then, the device you are reading the book on keeps losing your place?!?! Sadly, this is what happened with this book. I love the story, and I want to purchase the book and marinate in the story, but unfortunately, this beautiful opportunity to read an ebook of it through NetGalley, just did not work for me this time.

This was a nice historical novel, but what made it great was the atmospheric setting of Venice.
The dual timeline works well, and switching between eras made it easy for me to put the book down and pick it back up later.
The narrating style is slightly ominous, which gives the story a fairytale-like quality, as if I were in Venice listening to someone telling me all of it.
I felt like this is where the book got its beautiful atmosphere from, though simultaneously it makes it harder to feel the urgency of the plot.
I didn’t mind this, and lovers of historical fiction won’t either, but I wouldn’t recommend this to a fan of Donna Leon solely based on the setting.

All the Lost Places is a dual timeline novel set in Venice 1807 and 1904. Admittedly, dual timelines can sometimes be a little hit and miss for me. I love them when they work, but definitely want to find novels in which both timelines and their characters are equally intriguing, and that weave together well. I don't recall many (if any) dual timelines in which both timelines were historical, or at least this far back in the past. I was definitely curious how that would play out.

At the start, this one was really slow for me... part of this might have been me. I can take a little longer to get into historical books anyway, particularly coming away from much faster paced stories as I had before this one. I do think the pace was rather slow too, so I'm sure that contributed. This is the second book that I have read from Amanda Dykes, and I found the previous to be a slow build as well but really enjoyed it by the end. Having that experience encouraged me to push through, and I did find it improved vastly as it went on...so if you find yourself feeling ready to give up, keep that in mind. In the end, this is a thoughtful story that is beautifully written. While I certainly think I enjoyed the other book I had read from the author much more, it was still an enjoyable read. If you enjoy historical reads, this is certainly one to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

DNF'd at 40%

This book has such an intriguing premise! I've heard many good things about it from others who have read it and loved it, so I was prepared to be wowed. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me.

While it was beautifully written, the story moved incredibly slow. I struggled to feel a connection to any of the characters in the story, and it seemed to me that there was no real sense of urgency to Daniel's search for the book he was sent to Venice to find.