All the Lost Places
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
When all of Venice is unmasked, one man's identity remains a mystery . . .
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.
"Introspective, surprising, and achingly beautiful."--Booklist starred review
"Dykes's pen is fused with magic and poetry. Every word's a gentle wave building into the splendor that is All the Lost Places, where struggles for identity and a place to belong find hope between the pages of a timeless story."--J'NELL CIESIELSKI, bestselling author of The Socialite
"Luscious writing, authentic characters, and an ending that satisfies to the core of the spirit, this novel is another winner from Amanda Dykes."--HEIDI CHIAVAROLI, Carol Award-winning author of Freedom's Ring and Hope Beyond the Waves
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This lyrical dual-narrative historical from Dykes (Set the Stars Alight) dives into the histories of Venice, Italy, and Venice Beach, Calif., as it follows two men in search of spiritual fulfillment. In 1904 San Francisco, Daniel Goodman, recently out of prison for committing robberies, lives in an abandoned railcar and longs to return to his estranged mother in that city, from whom he's been hiding out of shame. After a visit from his cousin, Daniel learns his mother is in financial trouble and he contemplates committing one last heist to help her. Instead, he stumbles upon developer Edward Wharton, who hires Daniel as an Italian translator for a real estate project aiming to bring the culture of Venice to California. To cinch the job, Daniel offers to give Wharton his copy of a rare memoir that Daniel's mother gave him and that Wharton is eager to add to his new library. The book tells the story of Sebastien Trovato, who was abandoned as a baby and taken in by artisans in early 19th-century Venice. He becomes curious about where he came from and embarks on a search that leads to surprising answers that affirm he is loved "by a God who flung the stars, hovered upon waters, and cradled his life with care." Elegant prose powerfully evokes historical Venice ("There was shadow and song in every stone"), and Daniel's quest to atone for his thieving past testifies to the power of redemption. Fans of Jaime Jo Wright will want to take a look.
Customer Reviews
Beautifully Written Historical Fiction
All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes is a dual-timeline historical novel set in Venice during the early 1800s and the early 1900s. This beautifully written story involves a complex mystery, some romance, and love for the beautiful city of Venice.
Story Recap:
1806 A basket with a baby inside is found floating down a Venitian canal. Fisherman Guiseppe pulls the baby from the murky canal and starts to take him to the local orphanage. On the way, he changes his mind and decides to keep him and he takes him to his guild to help raise the baby. Guiseppe the fisherman, Pietro, the glassblower, Elena, the gardener, Dante, the printer, and Valentina, the lace maker, all decide to raise the baby together. They named him Sebastien Trovato, and each member of the guild train him in their perspective careers.
1907 Daniel Goodman needs to redeem himself for the trouble he’s been in. Fresh out of prison, and working in a cannery in San Francisco, he makes just enough money to repay his debts. When he finds out his mother is in financial trouble, he needs to make more money, so he takes on a job to travel to Venice to obtain a rare book and to sketch the city for a San Fransisco developer who wants to replicate the canals and beauty of Venice.
My Thoughts:
This is the story of two men, Sebastian who is searching for his parents and wants to know why he was left in a basket, and Daniel, who wants to make up for the sins of his past.
This book has everything I want in a story, I loved both mysteries, and they do intersect eventually. Daniel was such a great character. He needs to atone for the mistakes he made when he was young and needs to help his mother before she loses her house. His dedication to his mother is heartwarming as is his love of books.
Sebastian had an unusual and loving upbringing with the guild acting as his parents. But, he always wondered why he doesn’t have just one mother like his friends growing up. When he saves a young woman who washed up on his island, she helps him uncover the mysteries of his origin.
The star of this book is Venice. The author wrote lovingly about the history, and the people of Venice, but it never felt overdone, or too much. In each timeline, the characters are trying to solve a mystery and we get to follow them along the roads, bridges, and canals as they search for clues. We get little snippets of Venitian history woven into the beautiful descriptions as we follow Sebastian and Daniel on their individual quests.
Recommendation:
I highly recommend All the Lost Places to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
SOUL- STIRRING!
One of my favorite things each year is reading the latest release from this fabulous, award-winning author. Each time I read one of her novels it is like opening a priceless treasure where I will be taken on an intense journey through a character’s life, only to discover that the real journey has taken place in my own life as her words have caused me to examine the depths of my soul.
All the Lost Places is a beautifully written story of a man who feels as though he is lost and who is searching to find the answer to one of life’s most important questions: “Who am I?” It makes me think of the assurance in Psalm 8:4, that “God is mindful of me.” It is in the telling of his search for self-discovery that the Author weaves a beautiful story of redemption, perseverance, family, friendship, and love—the story of one man being faithful against all the odds and expecting a miracle. Like my favorite quote from the book, “And isn’t that the way of miracles? Something extraordinary because of the faithful ordinary.”
This is a novel that is not to be missed! Add it to your Book List!
I was provided a complimentary copy of this novel by Baker Bookhouse. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.