The Venice Sketchbook - by Rhys Bowen (Paperback)

About the Book

Inheriting her beloved great-aunt's sketchbook, a recently divorced woman uncovers mysteries about her great-aunt's star-crossed romance with a nobleman in World War II Venice.

Book Synopsis

"Rhys Bowen crafts a propulsive, unexpected plot with characters who come vibrantly alive on the page." --Mark Sullivan, author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky

Love and secrets collide in Venice during WWII in an enthralling novel of brief encounters and lasting romance by the New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and Above the Bay of Angels.

Caroline Grant is struggling to accept the end of her marriage when she receives an unexpected bequest. Her beloved great-aunt Lettie leaves her a sketchbook, three keys, and a final whisper...Venice. Caroline's quest: to scatter Juliet "Lettie" Browning's ashes in the city she loved and to unlock the mysteries stored away for more than sixty years.

It's 1938 when art teacher Juliet Browning arrives in romantic Venice. For her students, it's a wealth of history, art, and beauty. For Juliet, it's poignant memories and a chance to reconnect with Leonardo Da Rossi, the man she loves whose future is already determined by his noble family. However star-crossed, nothing can come between them. Until the threat of war closes in on Venice and they're forced to fight, survive, and protect a secret that will bind them forever.

Key by key, Lettie's life of impossible love, loss, and courage unfolds. It's one that Caroline can now make right again as her own journey of self-discovery begins.

Review Quotes

"A clever prologue referring to Romeo and Juliet sets the stage for Bowen's...diverting romantic adventure in Venice, complete with intrigue, mystery, and, woe...This novel's engaging entertainment is enhanced by its dual time line that uncovers Juliet's secrets, and a plot enlivened by coincidences and romance. A must-read for Bowen fans and historical fiction enthusiasts." --Library Journal (starred review)

"Bowen's vivid storytelling style holds readers enrapt...Bowen has written a tender, poignant story balancing dark and light." --Historical Novel Society

"The Venice Sketchbook is that rare book, both epic and personal, and utterly compelling. Two women, decades apart, escape to Venice, each forced to grapple with the influence of world events on her own life. This is a tale brimming with secrets, romance, and possibilities, cast against the colorful setting of irresistible Venice. I was utterly captured." --Barbara O'Neal, bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids and The Lost Girls of Devon