This book had everything I thought I wanted: a rare book restorer, a secret text, flashbacks to Renaissance era Venice, multiple romances. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I couldn't connect with the characters, and found most of their behavior to be wildly dramatic and overly emotional. Rose is book shop owner and rare book restorer and embarks on a project with William, who finds a secret diary in his grandmother's attic. The diary is more of a treatise on Renaissance art in Venice and is written by Giovanni Lomazzo, whose story we see in alternating chapters.

The writing is very lush and descriptive, which I enjoyed. Venice is one of my favorite cities and is full of macabre beauty which I feel the author captured. However, the descriptions of art often distracted from moving the story forward. There were many characters and subplots that I found to be a bit unnecessary, or came too late in the story to make an impact. The author's portrayal of anti-semitism in Venice was very interesting, but I felt it didn't start to gain traction until the last third of the novel. I would have liked this to be explored more.

My main gripe is how inappropriate Rose and William's relationship was. We're told his wife previously had an affair, I guess to make their behavior "okay" in the reader's mind? I did not feel that way. Both Rose/William and Giovanni/Chiara had "instant love" that can work in a romance novel, but didn't work (for me) in a more plot-based fiction piece.

While the setting and the story had potential, it gets muddled with overly descriptive passages and unrealistic relationships.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well, it started off slow and then picked up steam, but I just couldn't get into the storyline. It may be a good book, but by the end I was tired of it and ready for it to be over.

If you like literary mysteries and renaissance stories, this is the book for you. the author blends two stories and makes them mirror images of each other successfully. AND (spoiler alert) it has a happy ending, although the reader does not know that it is the way the book should end until the end. I found some of the history really interesting, I did not know anything about Venice, its society, or its history, nor did I know much about restoring old texts, so all it all the book had two good stories and was a good learning experience.

This is one of these books where there's so much that made me say YES: alternating timelines, rare book restoration (!!!), art history, but then the book seemed a lot more about military history, historical antisemitism, contemporary marriage troubles, and was too sparing on the stuff I cared about. So I was very excited for the first 20% or so, and then it fell into a bit of a slog for me.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***

I received a complimentary copy of The Lost Diary of Venice from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a great book! The split time periods were equally enthralling. Both situations captivated my interest and I was very satisfied (morally) with the resolutions of both storylines--though I have to admit that I was expecting more romance and drama from one of them and probably would have welcomed that too! Interesting book...I love a good historical fiction that can teach me a few things about real historical events and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This story is told in two different time periods and locations- present day in Connecticut and the 1500s in Venice, Italy. Giovanni Lomazzo is an artist in Venice. He falls in love with a courtesan who is also his muse. This story takes place in the Renaissance period. William Lomazzo walks into Rose’s book restoration shop with an old book he inherited from his grandmother. He would like her to translate and restore the book. The two stories intertwine in a fascinating way. If you love historical fiction, you don’t want to miss this one!

I wish to thank Net Galley and Random House for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a wonderful work of historical fiction! From the very beginning I was hooked and fascinated with all of the characters. The story is told in two time periods. The first is in the 1500s in Venice where an artist is commissioned to paint the portrait of a beautiful courtesan. He falls in love with her and writes about her in his diary. He uses a style called palimpsest in which the original work is scraped away and a second writing is placed over it. Fast forward to modern times. The present owner brings the diary to a book restorer. Her job is to try to restore the book and interpret the writings. This story is beautifully written and simply does not disappoint on any level. It is historically informative, engaging the reader on the process of restoration of art works, and the history of Venice in the 1500’s. It has it all. A little romance thrown in tops it off. I loved the book and highly recommend it.

Poignant stories. Well-developed and memorable characters. Stories that I will remember long after having read the book. I like to think that l learned a little bit more about artists. And that the next time I look at a Renaissance painting, it will be with increased perspective and appreciation. Both story lines are compelling. I would be reading one story line and at the same time wondered what was going on in the other. I appreciate the good writing and editing as well as the usage of metaphors and symbolism. Definitely a book worth reading.

The book cover and title were what drawn me to the book. Somehow together both complement each other and got my attention.

Thanks to #netgalley I was able to read an advance copy of this novel. It had a dreamy feel and the theme of a fairy tale was, appropriately, a major thread.

The action across two times offered the contrast of an independent, modern, often lonely career woman to a renaissance courtesan of murky beginnings who yearned to develop her musical gifts despite the handicap of her gender in this era.

There were many words and descriptions, but little action or emotion that caught at my heart. I enjoy reading stories set in Venice so that was some reward for my persistence in finishing the story. Not my cup of tea, I rounded up from 2.5 stars.

I loved it! In the beginning, This book is structured as two related stories. In the modern story, Rose is restoring a renaissance book for a handsome, but married artist. In the historical fiction portion, we follow Giovanni and his muse, Chiarra. In the first half of the book, I felt like I was always looking forward to catching up with the other story, but as I crossed the 1/2 way mark, I loved wallowing in the imagery so much that it was hard to leave one story for the other. This is for lovers of the renaissance, old books, romance, and history. Great book!

3 1/2 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for an opportunity to read this book. It’s funny, I’ve been seeing different images of Venice lately and was thinking about finding a book that takes place in Venice to read. So, the historical setting was great to read about. I like Gio and Chiara’s story, although at times I will say it dragged for me, especially the way the war/war character scenes were done. In the present day story I found I felt for Rose and the loss she’s going through and how she’s trying to find her place in the world. William was also at this crossroads in his life and an interesting character in his painting.
The book itself also intrigued me as it’s so interesting to think of the palimpsest and what it might really be like. All in all, I liked the way the story ended, the writing was good yet the story was a little slow for me at times

A very good novel with some historical background that was well researched. The story has two timelines. The first involves Gio a portraitist in Venice, Italy who is going blind and his muse Chiar as well as modern day Rose, a bookstore owner and William, the owner of Gio’s palimpsest (manuscript which has been written on twice). The two timelines are woven together through a manuscript that William brings to Rose to be restored and the manuscript itself. William and Rose’s infatuation with each other is developed through their interactions regarding the manuscript. Gio and Chiara’s relationship begins when Gio is commissioned to paint her portrait. The novel touches upon the Ottoman Empire, anti-Semitic Venice, the plight of women during the Renaissance, the role of the Courtesan and the art of restoration. I found the characters well developed and interesting. This was an ARC through #netgalley and #ballantinebooks.

I loved the cover. I did not care that much for the plot because it did not grab me and it kind of fell plat for me. Somehow, this book was not for me... Maybe it will be for you.

In present day Connecticut, book store owner and book restorer, Rose Newlin is approached by William Lomazzo about restoring a book from 1571. The book turns out to be a palimpsest - a secret document in which the author writes text, then scrapes it away, then covers it with a new text written crosswise against the old text.

In Venice in 1571, artist Giovanni Lomazzo is losing his eyesight. He gets commissioned by a high ranking military official to paint one of his favorite courtesans, a stunning and talented woman named Chiara. As Giovanni's fear of losing his sight increases, he begins to record his daily life.

As the story unfolds, two forbidden love stories will be explored amid a backdrop of art history and war.

I absolutely adore books that show how connected the past and present are. Even though technology and beliefs may differ centuries later, the personal stories of people are often very similar. Margaux Deroux does a beautiful job of showcasing this in her book The Lost Diary of Venice.

As an avid reader and full time book reviewer, I also love when characters are completely immersed in the book community. Rose's character owns a book store and has an obsession with restoring old texts. I was immediately in love with her story line. The scandal and suspense of the courtesan world combined with the skill and talent of the art world in Venice kept me completely entranced in this book.



Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Margaux DeRoux for the advanced copy of The Lost Diary of Venice in exchange for my honest review.

This was a hard book to get into. It's just not for me.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I tend not to enjoy books that switch between two time periods because I personally get really confused and lose interest.

The Lost Diary of Venice unlocks a secret affair that parallels Rose and William's interlude. Margaux DeRoux delivers a tale steeped in the romance language, literature and mythology. Rose unveiled a palimpsest during her the text's restoration and in doing so reveals Gio and Chiara's relationship.

A renowned artist, Gio is brought to the Venier's city palazzo to paint Chiara, the favored courtesan's portrait. As he brushes away the coltish .pretense, Chiara's wisdom and vitality surfaces. Threatening to topple the royal hierarchy, their perilous love is a passionate affair they can't extinguish.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for an honest review. The engaging cover drew me into the read but DeRoux's beguiling prose revealed the truth behind the Venetian's mask.

Masterly weaving the past with the present, history, religion and period pieces intercede and wreak havoc on the lovers' plans. Like the palimpsest, the novel can be enjoyed as a singular account or multi-layered narrative. Life imitates art as mythology embroiders the treatise.

The cover is what drew me to this book. It has dual time lines and both stories kinda deal with people in impossible relationships. I found the book interesting, I felt a bit sad for Rose. Historical fiction fans will enjoy this book
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

The two timelines of this book worked well together. I did not speed through this book as I have others, but I still felt invested in the story. The ending relationships did not end as I predicted, but it was not frustrating. Parts of Giovanni's timeline dragged a little, but Rose and William were engaging characters.

I really enjoyed this book. It was extremely well written and extremely descriptive. I am a huge lover of books and restoration myself so this was a fantastic treat to read spanning time and generations. I loved Rose’s character so much.