It’s a real pleasure today to be joining the blog tour for The Secret Daughter of Venice, the latest book from Juliet Greenwood, and sharing my review. Published by Storm Publishing, it’s now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook via Amazon in the UK and US. Thank you, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading copy (provided via netgalley).
It’s so many years since I first discovered Juliet’s lovely writing – in fact, I still have my treasured copy of Elissa’s Castle, now long out of print, published in (would you believe it?) 2005. She first made my Books of the Year list in 2016 with The White Camellia (you’ll find my review here) – the very best of storytelling, and an entirely compelling read. I also very much enjoyed both her books with Orion, The Ferryman’s Daughter (2020) and The Girl with the Silver Clasp (2021) – you’ll find both my reviews if you pop her name into my search bar. I sadly wasn’t able to read and review The Shakespeare Sisters, her first book with Storm Publishing – but I was determined not to miss her second, The Last Train from Paris. And my goodness, it was wonderful – tremendously moving, entirely unforgettable, one of my Books of the Year in 2023, and I really couldn’t recommend it more highly. And I was determined I wasn’t going to miss her latest, delighted when Rachel’s email dropped into my inbox, and was really looking forward to reading…
The paper is stiff and brittle with age as Kate unfolds it with trembling hands. She gasps at the pencil sketch of a rippling waterway, lined by tall buildings, curving towards the dome of a cathedral. She feels a connection deep in her heart. Venice.
England, 1941. When Kate Arden discovers a secret stash of drawings hidden in the pages of an old volume of poetry given to her as a baby, her breath catches. All her life, she has felt like an outsider in her aristocratic adoptive family, who refuse to answer any questions about her past. But the drawings spark a forgotten memory: a long journey by boat… warm arms that held her tight, and then let go.
Could these pictures unlock the secret of who she is? Why her mother left her? With war raging around the continent, she will brave everything to find out…
A gripping, emotional historical novel of love and art that will captivate fans of The Venice Sketchbook, The Woman on the Bridge and The Nightingale.
An engaging and compelling story with a mystery at its core, quite beautifully told, and with the most wonderfully drawn strong female characters and a range of enticing locations – my goodness I enjoyed this one!
Kate has never felt that she belonged with the aristocratic family who brought her up near Stratford-upon-Avon, and the threat of a convenient marriage and the discovery of some drawings in the spine of a volume of poetry hidden by her birth mother set her on a path to self discovery. First, she needs to escape – and, with the help of a friend, finds fulfilment caring for wartime evacuee children at a castle near St Ives in Cornwall. But her search is destined to take her to Italy – first to Naples, then to Venice and the island of Burano, where the pieces begin to fall into place as she slowly uncovers the secrets of her past. But her mother has also been on a difficult personal journey, betrayed by her family and surviving the dangers of the wartime fascist regime in the hope that her life too can follow a different path.
The settings are quite wonderfully described – this is writing that makes you feel present in the moment, whether in Kate’s childhood home, standing on the rim of a smoking Vesuvius, walking Pompeii’s ruins, and especially wandering the alleyways of Venice. I particularly enjoyed the time spent at the community of female artists – a feature in both women’s stories at different times, sharing the same passion. The historical period was also perfectly captured – the social landscape in 1940s rural England, and the rarely seen aftermath of wartime privation in Italy.
And then there are the women. Both Kate and her mother Sofia are particularly sympathetic and well drawn characters, but there’s also a very intriguing supporting cast. Kate’s grandmother, the Contessa, really is evil personified – but with a back story that’s entirely fascinating. Servant Magdalena is an equally complex character, ultimately showing the unexpected kindness that helps the women complete their search. And I also very much liked Miss Parsons, the village schoolmistress who had nurtured Kate’s artistic talents, passed on her mother’s legacy (while keeping a few secrets that weren’t hers to share), and played a significant part in facilitating her escape from her father’s control.
I will mention that this book follows on from The Shakespeare Sisters – which I hadn’t read, and that perhaps made getting a handle on Kate’s family relationships and history in Brierley-on-Arden a little more difficult at first – but I had no real problem catching up, and no-one would have any problem reading this book as a standalone. It’s such a powerful read, a story that explores the limits society imposed on women, the complications of family, the theme of belonging, and the importance of establishing your own identity – but it’s also a compelling mystery, with a conclusion that’s both emotional and wholly satisfying. I very much enjoyed it – and it’s a book I’d very much recommend to others.
Giveaway
With thanks to Juliet and Rachel, I’m delighted to offer the chance to win three signed copies of The Secret Daughter of Venice (open to UK readers only).
Here’s the rafflecopter for entry:
Terms and Conditions
UK entries welcome. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
About the author
Juliet Greenwood is a historical novelist now published by Storm Publishing. Her previous novel, The Last Train from Paris, was published to rave reviews and reached the top 100 kindle chart in the USA. She has long been inspired by the histories of the women in her family, and in particular with how strong-minded and independent women have overcome the limitations imposed on them by the constraints of their time, and the way generations of women hold families and communities together in times of crisis, including during WW2.
After graduating in English from Lancaster University and Kings College, London, Juliet worked on a variety of jobs to support her ambition to be a full-time writer. These ranged from running a craft stall at Covent Garden to running a small charity working with disadvantaged children, and collecting oral histories of traditional villages before they are lost forever. She finally achieved her dream of becoming a published author following a debilitating viral illness, with her first novel being a finalist for The People’s Book Prize and her first two novels reaching #4 and #5 in the UK Kindle store.
Juliet now lives in a traditional quarryman’s cottage in Snowdonia, North Wales, set between the mountains and the sea, with an overgrown garden (good for insects!) and a surprisingly successful grapevine. She can be found dog walking in all weathers working on the plot for her next novel, camera to hand.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky
