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.

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.

Fans of the dual time line novel will like this one for it's fascinating depiction of Venice in the 1570s. It starts in present day New Haven, when William brings a book he found in his grandmother's things, to Rose, who restores books. Giovanni Lomazzo was an artist who, in 1571, was commissioned to paint a portrait of Chiara, a courtesan. He's struggling with his eyesight but he definitely sees her, and falls in love, defying convention and the fact that her patron, Sebastian Venier, is a powerful man. William and Rose fall in love too but he's married. This hangs on the relationships but I was equally fascinated by the history Deroux has wrapped in-a looming war between the Venetians and the Ottomans as well as the politics of the time. Many of the characters were real people- I found myself googling not only them but also various events, something I only do when I'm fully engaged. This one pulled me in and kept me reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For those who enjoy historical fiction.

I chose to read and review this book because I love all things Venice; it's my ultimate travel destination. The Lost Diary started a little slow for me, but it really started moving about halfway. It's set in 2 time periods, which I love! It's based on true events, so I actually learned a few things, too. Overall, I thought it was pretty good.

4 stars

Immediately after reading the title, I was intrigued. My favorite genre is historical fiction and The Lost Diary of Venice by Margaux DeRoux didn’t disappoint my dreams of Venice.

This novel follows two forbidden love stories connected by the trial of history recorded in a long lost diary. One in late-Renaissance Venice and the other in present-day America. The story begins with Rose, a book restorer and bookstore owner, getting contracted to restore William’s family heirloom.

As the reader unfolds, the reader learns about the dark Venican history, the war between religions, and the way some love stories end tragically. The novel has several themes woven in the plot: religion, infidelity, war, love, and sexism.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC version of this novel. I truly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to a friend.

1500's painters in Venice,this is the account of the life. Received from Net Gallery,it goes back and forth from present day to the 1500's,a fictional story. It's hard to go back and forth from one century to another's and Margux DeRoux did a very good job in not getting you confused. Restoring a book she reads the diary of what happened so many many years ago. I struggled with this story so many times,I would lose my concentration and then have to reread. It may be a story for those interested in the period of and subject,it wasn't for me.

It took awhile to connect the story and characrers. Lots of historical details that I appreciated at the end. Well written!

The Lost Diary of Venice is a historical fiction book that tells a story through a dual timeline, present day Connecticut and late 1500 Venice. The story begins in the present with bookshop owner and restorer, Rose. William, an artist, walks into her store with an old document, found while cleaning out his grandmother's home, in search of answers and restoration. From here the story travels back to 1571 Venice and artist Giovanni Lamazzo's current commission to paint Chiara, the daugter of a very powerful military leader. Both Giovanni and Chiara find themselves in a difficult romance due to the impending war with the Ottoman empire.

This book has all the things that lovers of historical fiction look for: an author who loves description, a mysterious document with a hidden layer, an ancient war that is about to erupt, art and some romance.

Sadly, I found myself unable to connect with the characters. I also found the story to lag at times, and wished there had been more dialogue. I did find the book intriguing with a wonderful concept and interesting along with a good ending.

I still believe that this book is definitely for some.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for giving me an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Like so many other historical fiction novels that I have read previously, I expected "The Lost Diary of Venice" to volley between Rose's story set in the present day and Giovanni's story in the 16th Century. As the title implies, it was necessary to chronicle the religious persecution and events in and around Venice during the mid-1500's to understand Giovanni's story. The chapters dedicated to the telling of these times, including details of the Battle of Lepanto when the Ottoman fleet made a play to take Venice, were challenging to follow. The book may have flowed smoother if I had been more familiar with this period in history, but instead, I admit that I struggled during those chapters.

On the flip side, I appreciated the deep love between Giovanni and Chiara, and was captivated by Rose's story and the book restoration process. The development of Rose's character was well-plotted, and I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion.

Historical Fiction is a favorite genre for me. I’m usually entertained and always learn something about the era and locations. The historical details and references to actual events and characters taking place in Venice captured the essence of the Renaissance era. Both relationships of artist and muse depicted in modern day and 1500s Venice reveal many contrasts and parallels. At times this book really held my interest, at other times I kept wishing for the book to end.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This story is a blend of historical fiction and romance. Like many other current books, it spans two different time periods: modern-day Connecticut and Renaissance Period Venice. At first, I felt that the modern romance part was somewhat unnecessary. However, as the book progressed, I realized that the author was drawing interesting parallels between the two stories. Margaux Deroux does an excellent job of using Venice as the focal point of the tensions in that time period. The characters are well drawn and interesting. In an afterword, she tells us about the backgrounds of the actual people involved in the story.

William brings an ancient manuscript into the bookstore that Rose owns. Her real love is restoring old books and other documents. In reading this book, I learned about the skills required to bring these ancient works back to life.

In the Venetian story, Giovanni is an artist who is hired to paint a portrait of Chiara, the courtesan of a high-ranking military commander who is preparing for war with the Ottoman Empire. Chiara and Gio fall in love despite the impossible barriers between them. The reader learns about the religious relationships among the Christians of Venice, the Jews in the Venetian Ghetto, and the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire.