The Lost Diary of Venice

This book is about a young woman called Rose, a book restorer, who is given a manuscript by William, a struggling painter. They find out the manuscript is a palimpsest, which reveals the secret diary of William’s ancestor, Giovanni Lomazzo, which has been hidden underneath the words of an art book. Giovanni, a painter, is beginning to lose his sight, and so he records everything about his life, including the first meeting with Chiara, a courtesan, who he has an affair with. We learn more about each of these four characters, and you sympathise with them, particularly Chiara, who has a hidden secret. What I love about this novel is the way that the author divides the story between the past, late Renaissance Venice, and the present, and that each chapter is dedicated to an individual character. This gives us the chance to learn more about them. The author does an excellent job with describing society in late Renaissance Venice, especially when describing the aristocratic parties and the historical conflict with the Ottomans. The characters are described in great detail and there are some characters that you can easily hate, for example Corvino who is described as a crow. I loved the ending as it is not what you would expect. Overall the novel is very moving. I would highly recommend this book to those who are interested in romance and historical fiction.

Submitted by Orlagh