"The Lost Diary of Venice" by Margaux DeRoux

The Lost Diary of Venice is a new favorite. Alternating between being set in modern day Connecticut and 16th century Venice, it is a quiet ode to art, books and love lost and found. If you like exploring bookstores, art history, libraries and old secrets, this book is for you.

Our main character Rose is a book restorer and a bookstore owner in New Haven, CT.  One day a stranger comes into her store carrying an old book that he inherited after his great-grandmother's death. It turns out to be a treatise on art by a forgotten 16th century painter Giovanni Lomazzo. As Rose takes on the project of restoring the book she discovers that the book is actually a palimpsest - there is another text underneath which was erased and written over. If the top layer is a work on Renaissance art, the one underneath it is the artist's diary. Rose is thus plunged into the life of Venetian courtesans, naval battles, and religious fanatics. As Giovanni unexpectedly falls in love with a lover of a Venetian nobleman, Rose too feels inexplicably drawn to her customer and Gio's descendent William Lomazzo.

I was enthralled by the story and DeRoux' writing from the very beginning. It was a real treat. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.