5 stars I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and I have trouble believing this is a debut author. The story is so engrossing and so well told, it could have been written by a seasoned successful author. I’m not sure of the official category for this book, but I would classify it as literary fiction. The plot jumps back and forth between the present day in Connecticut and Venice in 1571, and the connection is not completely clear until the very end, at which point I was quite surprised to be provided with some unexpected details, kind of an epilogue, if you will (but not). There are some elements of the paranormal, with an alchemist who might be able to turn into a crow(?) and a budding relationship between Rose and Wiliam which seems like it may be a case of reincarnation of past lovers. But William is married and nobody likes a cheater so Ms. DeRoux wisely chose to avoid stepping over the line. Rose and William share a deep connection, which may or may not be related to the past, but a romantic relationship is not meant to be—although both will be profoundly changed for having known one another. Both will learn important truths about themselves. Scenes depicting battles between the Muslims and the Christians, though clearly important to the story, were not my favorite. There were some brutal things they did to one another, as any student of history knows, and I wasn’t thrilled about being reminded of such acts. Likewise, reading about the subjugation of women and Jews was unpleasant and made me anxious. I had not realized that the ghettos had originated in Venice, complete with yellow stars the Jews were forced to wear. It seems the Nazis were not exactly original, and sadly, history repeats itself more often than we might like. Needing a scapegoat to blame for societal ills is a recurring theme in this world. The other thing that made me nervous, particularly when reading about events in 1571, was the feeling that something terrible was going to happen to the characters. I made the fatal error of trying to read Pillars of the Earth a few months ago, and although I could not finish it, I am still haunted by scenes from that book that were so disturbing, they return in my nightmares. I was on edge, fearful that something equally terrible would happen in this book. I’d like to thank the author for NOT doing that. The worst in this book was the depiction of the leader of an army who was flayed alive before his skin was stuffed with straw and paraded around the city. Yes, it was ghoulish and disgusting, and I had trouble reading it, but it was nothing like Pillars of the Earth, which was unrelenting in its horrors. That said, I could have done without that particular scene in this book. Margaux DeRoux has the voice of a poet conveying the visions of an artist. Images like Rose walking down the street as “she watched fragments of herself slip past in store windows” were so easy to visualize, reminding me of times I have done something similar, never giving it a second thought. The ordinary became extraordinary because of the attention given, like Gio’s observation about Chiara: “Her voice was soft, with a scratch inside it like a fingertip curling: come closer… She was dazzling in a way only something that won’t last can be. In a few years’ time, he knew her face would be hardened, her posture settled into the architecture of a body accustomed to use.” There are so many wonderful images and profound universally-applicable observations—too many to list, really. For example, we are briefly introduced to Ali Pasha, admiral of the Ottoman fleet, who ponders the illogical nature of faith. “He could never understand the shortsightedness of the Christians. How could they despise the Jews for not recognizing Jesus, even as they themselves refused to perceive that the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) was sent to continue His very work? How could they not recognize that this was the advocate Jesus Himself had foretold?” When we are convinced of the truth of our beliefs, we will go to any lengths to prove the truth of them, even ignoring facts that may contradict these “truths.” By the time I had reached the end of this book, I was crying. It was so very touching, the characters so real and so relatable. Truly, I fell in love with them and felt their anguish. Life is hard. It is filled with lessons to help us grow along the way and the most resilient amongst us take the lessons and apply them to create better lives. I keep thinking of Gio’s words, and his desire to hold onto something when he knows he must let it go: “—to know in the very act that his mind would surely circle back again and again to these minutes, the way a desperate creature returns to a place where there once had been water.” I feel like my mind will keep returning to this book, to these characters, to their story. August 23, 2020
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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