By Kelly Bridgewater
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.
My
Thoughts:
All
the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes dives into a world
of identity. It is a timely novel with so many people trying to figure out who
they are by diving into a world of sin and chaos. No, Dykes does not touch on
those issues in her story, but she allows her hero in 1807 to dive into the
world of discovering who he really is. At first, the story starts a little odd,
and I was following the story, but I had no idea what was really occurring. But
once the story moved to Italy, it made more sense, and I became fully invested
in the character's lives. I love the hunt for the missing pages of the story. I
enjoyed reading the actual story as Daniel is translating it while he is in
Italy. Both stories intertwined really nicely and had a satisfying ending. Both
characters discovered who they were created to be and relished in God's love
and plan for their lives. Dykes does have a lyrical way of crafting the
description. I took notice of how she described certain things like the water
and the lagoon and marveled at her use of imagery to convey the scenes and the
emotion of the scenes. Nicely done! Overall, All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes is a unique, yet important
story with a lesson that everyone needs to uncover. I really enjoyed the story.
I received a complimentary copy of All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes from
Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.
My
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase All the Lost Places
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