The Lost Diary of Venice: A Novel
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The Lost Diary of Venice: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Margaux DeRoux (Author), Lisa Flanagan (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 135 ratings
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Two impossible love stories are fatefully connected by one artistic legacy in a stunning debut that leaps between the mysteries of late-Renaissance Venice and the dramas of present-day America.

“Enchanting from the first page.” (Sarah Jio, New York Times best-selling author of All the Flowers in Paris)

In the wake of her father's death, Rose Newlin finds solace in her work as a book restorer. Then, one rainy Connecticut afternoon, a struggling painter appears at her door. William Lomazzo brings with him a 16th-century treatise on art, which Rose quickly identifies as a palimpsest: a document written over a hidden diary that had purposely been scraped away. Yet the restoration sparks an unforeseen challenge when William - a married man - and Rose experience an instant, unspoken attraction.

Five centuries earlier, Renaissance-era Venetians find themselves at the mercy of an encroaching Ottoman fleet preparing for a bloody war. Giovanni Lomazzo, a portrait artist grappling with tragedy, discovers that his vision is fading with each passing day. Facing the possibility of a completely dark world, Gio begins to document his every encounter, including what may be his final artistic feat: a commission to paint the enchanting courtesan of one of Venice’s most powerful military commanders. Soon, however, Gio finds himself enraptured by a magnificent forbidden love.

Spellbound by Gio's revelations, Rose and William are soon forced to confront the reality of their own mystifying connection.

A richly detailed pause resister shadowed by one of history's darkest times, The Lost Diary of Venice weaves a heartbreakingly vivid portrait of two vastly different worlds - and two tales of entrancing, unrelenting love.

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  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 29 minutes
  2. Author
    Margaux DeRoux
  3. Narrator
    Lisa Flanagan
  4. Audible release date
    June 9, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B0862H2L46
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 29 minutes
Author Margaux DeRoux
Narrator Lisa Flanagan
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date June 09, 2020
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0862H2L46
Best Sellers Rank #278,426 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#115 in Renaissance History Fiction
#736 in Renaissance Historical Fiction (Books)
#2,526 in Fiction Sagas

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
135 global ratings
Two love stories woven though time
5 Stars
Two love stories woven though time
I couldn’t put this book down. Margaux DeRoux weaves a magical tale through time and tragedy that keeps you wondering what will happen next. Beautiful imagery, enticing characters, and the complexity of love now and then.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Masterpiece!
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2020
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Margaux’s book is an absolute masterpiece! Her descriptive storytelling and ability to captivate her readers with love, intrigue, and magic is breathtakingly beautiful. I was not able to put the book down and absolutely fell in love with Margaux’s passionate gift of storytelling. Her book is a must read! Enjoy!!!
4 people found this helpful
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Francoise
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it.
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2020
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Loved the history, Venice, art, war, etc. Made me want to read more about the Venetians.
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Ann F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Literary fiction, very well-researched
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2020
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This novel blends the stories of three main characters in Renaissance Venice, an artist, a courtesan, and an ambitious courtier, with the contemporary story of a book restorer and artist, a descendant of the Venetian artist. The Venetian background is painstakingly researched, with the war between the Ottoman Empire and grouped European allies set as background.

The writing is luxuriant but not self-consciously so, which makes the rather predictable plot more of a vehicle for the imagery than a feature.

Recommended for readers interested in art, Renaissance history, or literary fiction. However, the novel does depict the anti-Semitism of period Venice, which sensitive readers may find difficult.
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Kimberly
3.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Diary of Venice
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020
Rose Newlin is a book restorer in a small college town whose life has been in stasis after the death of her father. But when William Lomazzo, an artist who Rose is instantly attracted to, brings in a sixteenth century palimpsest for restoration Rose finds her spark again. The treatise on art that’s the primary text is fascinating in its own right, but it’s the sketches and writings that had been scraped away underneath that truly capture William and Rose’s attention. As Rose works on the book, she and William are drawn to one another. But William is married and struggling with his troubled marriage. Past and present start to bleed together as they uncover a tale of forbidden love…

In the sixteenth century, Giovanni Lomazzo has already lost his wife and son. Now he’s losing his sight and despair is taking hold of him. He’s been tasked with one last commission: a portrait of a courtesan who takes his breath away. There’s more to Chiara than meets the eye and as she and Gio are drawn toward each other, the threat of what happens if they are discovered becomes more and more of a possibility…

The Lost Diary of Venice is a bittersweet tale. Margaux DeRoux weaves together two love stories, one set in the present and one set in a sixteenth century Venice on the cusp of war with the Ottoman empire.

Ms. DeRoux brings Venice to life quite well. The gorgeous clothing and scenery we like to envision is there, but also the darker elements. Antisemitism, sexism, religious zealotry, harsh conditions, and more aren’t overlooked and are, in fact, major elements of the story. Gio is the most well-drawn of all the main characters; an artist on the cusp of losing his sight who finds love when he’s close to giving up hope. I wish his relationships with secondary characters had been better fleshed out because it would have made the world stronger and the story richer. And I desperately wish we’d had more than brief moments in Chiara’s point of view. She’s hands-down the most fascinating character in the book, lovely and intelligent, bold and secretive. She’s a mystery in many ways throughout the book and as the pieces come together I wish we got to see her inner thoughts and feelings more. It’s a case of missed opportunity, for as Chiara’s past is revealed I found I could read a whole book just about her. The love story between Chiara and Gio is one of stolen moments and it’s beautiful and sad. Perhaps if the book were solely set in the sixteenth century the characters and the background scenes involving the battle over control of Cyprus would have had more depth, making the story go from good to great.

The modern-day storyline is where I struggled the most with The Lost Diary of Venice. I enjoyed the bits of the story where Rose was working on the restoration of the palimpsest and found those interesting. But the attraction between Rose and William never lived up to its potential, and not just because William was married. William and Rose’s love story is set up as a parallel of Gio and Chiara’s and it just doesn’t work. Rose and William aren’t as well drawn as their historical counterparts and their parts of the book felt flat to me. I couldn’t get emotionally invested in the modern day storyline so the book dragged in parts because of that. Still, though The Lost Diary of Venice takes a while to build steam, once it does it’s an engaging read. I had mixed feelings when I finished the book but the potential was there and I would be interested in reading more of Ms. DeRoux’s work.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
6 people found this helpful
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Ms P
5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic Prose Weaving Themes Together
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
The Lost Diary of Venice is a slow burn dual timeline novel. What kept me going is DeRoux’s beautiful prose drawing me into the world of the characters. If you need a great example of showing, not telling, there’s plenty of that throughout.

I love how throughout there’s reminders of the theme of characters finding redemption and peace via their unique paths. The main secret propels the story and the timelines, however, a close reader will catch the undercurrents tying the themes and characters together.
2 people found this helpful
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Rebecca Pettys
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2020
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This was an amazing novel. I have been an avid reader all my life (I'm 74) and few novels have made such a deep impact.
2 people found this helpful
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Celia Phillips
4.0 out of 5 stars An Ancient Book - Reviewed and Restored
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2020
Two time frames, linked together by one ancient book; a book that needs to be restored.

Present day, New Haven Ct. William Lomazzo, while going through his deceased grandmother's belongings, finds a book written by Giovanni Lomazzo. He takes it to Rose Newlin, a book store owner and book restorer. She begins to restore it and obtains translation. As a result of this restoration and its review, William and Rose are attracted to each other. Rose is single, but William is married... ah, an unfortunate complication.

Late 16th Century, Venice, Italy. Giovanni Lomazzo, a real person who existed, is commissioned by Sebastiano Venier (also a real person) to do a portrait of Chiara, Venier's courtesan. The artist and the courtesan fall in love and must keep their liaison as secret as possible.

The dual timeline is educational and entertaining. Present day CT bookstore vs Venice of the 1570's. Real people are named with real events. Battle of Leponto is at least one of the real events. The battle was engaged to free a colony of Venetians on Cyprus from the Turks. The book is slow reading for me because I keep stopping to look things up on Wikipedia.

The author provides a Note from the Author when the book is complete. It is a beautifully written note and explains very clearing the author's motivations in writing this book. It also makes some sense of what is historically happening in 1571 and also why she picked an Ivy League college city (Yale is the college) in which to locate the present day story.

The product of my research revealed the following: Venier was married to a woman named Cecilia. His marriage is never mentioned in Deroux' book. But Deroux did cleverly include Cecilia as the maid servant of Chiara.

I did have a problem with some of Deroux' similes. She just seemed to be trying too hard to impress.

I did like the book and treasure what I have learned both about book restoration and the Venice of 1571.

4 stars
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