All The Lost Places by Amanda Dykes

Summary

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.

Positives

When I first saw this book and its synopsis via bookstagram, I was afraid it would be too slow for me. But I couldn’t resist the beauty of the story and that gorgeous front cover. I could not have been more surprised.

True, this book is slower-paced than some others I could name on my shelf. But it is one of the most compelling books I’ve read in a while. I couldn’t put it down. I cared so much about each of the characters, but especially Daniel. I couldn’t wait to put all the Ventian-glass pieces together, past and present, to discover what it had been shaping all along.

Amanda Dykes’ writing is amazing. She writes truly beautiful stories and does so using truly beautiful prose. It’s a unique talent that made this book a treat to read.

Negatives

None.

Conclusion

All the Lost Places is a book rocks with the gentle pace of a gondola. But not the sort of rocking that puts you to sleep—the kind that wakes you up and makes you turn another page to discover more of the beauty and the mystery in your lost places.