**When all of Venice is unmasked, one man's identity remains a mystery ...** *1807*When a baby is discovered floating in a 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,...
**When all of Venice is unmasked, one man's identity remains a mystery ...**
*1807*When a baby is discovered floating in a 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.
*1904*Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. Hoping to redeem a past laden with 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.
**When all of Venice is unmasked, one man's identity remains a mystery ...** *1807*When a baby is discovered floating in a 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,...
**When all of Venice is unmasked, one man's identity remains a mystery ...**
*1807*When a baby is discovered floating in a 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.
*1904*Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. Hoping to redeem a past laden with 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.
A beautiful, poetical read that will sweep you up and away.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. That being said, the start is a bit slow. I counted three metaphors for the same thing listed in a single sentence once. While the poetry is pretty, it made the first 70 odd pages a bit slow for me. HOWEVER, once the guy gets to Italy, things really pick up. So, do yourself a favour and stick out the beginning if it seems a little slow. This book is well worth the read once it gets going. \\n\\nThe 1900s timeline is first person POV and the historical is a mash of third person and omnipresent/narrator. Since the historical is supposed to a real book written in that time period, the omnipresent/narrator style is perfect since that is what was used back then, but to prevent that becoming too much for modern readers, the author will sometimes put in a divide and switch to third person POV. I really enjoyed the mix of styles. They were seamlessly used. \\n\\nThis is a very sweet story. It's not particularly romantic, but then Amanda rarely is. There is a mild romance theme running through the book, but it's all the other interesting stuff about the characters and the mystery of the unfinished book that makes you want to keep reading and reading and feel connected to the main characters. \\n\\nA great, poetical read.
A
Anonymous
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
3 years ago
redemption is a major theme
This book was a mixed bag for me. It took a while to get traction as the it was rather poetical and abstract in description for me. There were chapters mixed of present day and either historical or from a children's book (I could never tell which as the story intermingled. ) The children's story was anything but. It was too in depth and confusing to make sense for a child and not a theme for early readers. . . or maybe I was never reading any of the actual book referred to? The themes of redemption were strong and the stories were interesting. I was glad for the present day main character to have a chance at a happy life. The end of the historical/kid's book part was not satisfactory in my estimation.
