Stories magically unfold within this novel’s irresistible tale of Miss Julia Garnet, a schoolteacher who decides, after the death of her longtime friend Harriet, to take an apartment for six months in Venice. Soon overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the city and its magnificent art, Miss Garnet’s English reserve begins to melt away. For the first time in her life she falls in love—with an art dealer named Carlo—and her once ordinary world is further transformed by a beautiful Italian boy, Nicco, and an enigmatic pair of twins engaged in restoring the fourteenth-century Chapel-of-the-Plague. Most affecting to Julia, though, is her discovery in a local church of panels depicting the ancient tale of Tobias and the Angel. As Julia unravels the story of Tobias’s redemption, she too strives to recover losses—not just her own but also the priceless painting of an angel that goes mysteriously missing from the Chapel along with one of the twins restoring it. His name is Toby. And Miss Garnet herself may prove to be an angel, but nowhere in this haunting, beautifully textured and multilayered novel is anything quite what it appears to be.

To be released at the monthly meetup.

Caught at meetup on TBR pile

Julia Garnet is a retired history teacher, a solitary person, and after her housemate Harriet died she decided to go and spend some time in Venice. She rented out her flat in London and rented a small apartment in a Venice. She is captivated by the paintings in the local church which tell the story of Tobias and the Angel, as she learns more of the story her own life is thrown into question. She meets new people, she is exposed to new experiences, and she realizes what a lonely life she has lead. A quiet, contemplative novel, rich in beauty and history. A delightful read.

To be released at Meetup

The ancient Jewish story of Tobias and the Angel is deftly interwoven amongst Julia's story of re-awakening and discovery. Tobias undertakes his journey of ancient times as Julia travels in the present day, and there are subtle threads between them.