- Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: Quercus (25 Jun. 2020)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1787476294
- ISBN-13: 978-178747629
Synopsis
With her marriage in danger of falling apart, Joanna returns home to the beautiful but dilapidated Mulberry Farm Cottage in rural Dorset, where her sister Harriet is struggling to keep the Farm afloat and cope with their eccentric mother.
When Joanna discovers a bundle of love letters in the attic, written by a watercolourist named Emmy, she is intrigued and sets out to discover Emmy’s true story. Emmy’s letters take Joanna to the picturesque alleyways and bridges of Lisbon, Prague, and the most romantic place of all: Venice – where a whole new magical world seems to unfold in front of her.
Meanwhile, back at Mulberry Farm Cottage, a mysterious prowler adds to Harriet’s problems and interrupts her search for a perfect partner. Will she ever find true love? Where will Emmy’s mesmerising pathway lead? And more importantly, will Joanna and Harriet be able to rescue the cottage and finally be able to re-discover their sisterly bond?
Review
I always look forward to a new novel from Rosanna Ley, and to have one partially set in my favourite country of Italy is an added bonus. Joanna’s marriage has fallen apart after her husband’s affair so she decides to go home to see her mother and sister at Mulberry Farm Cottage in Dorset, where her sister Harriet has problems of her own, financial and personal. Whilst there she finds love letters from Emmy, to her lover Rufus, from Venice, Prague and Lisbon, and decides to combine a job of writng for travel guides and her interest in Emmy’s letters, and follow in her footsteps. Both Joanna and Harriet find themselves reassessing their lives in very different ways, and trying to find out who they really are. Family secrets, love, loss and lots of fun make this such a pleasure to read.
One of the things I love about Rosanna Ley’s books is that she always takes me to some wonderful destinations around the world. In From Venice With Love, I was spoilt as she took me to Venice, Rome, Prague, Lisbon, Feurteventura and of course the beautiful Dorset and Cornwall. One of Rosanna Ley’s skills is writng warm and personable characters that you feel you know so well, and who have everday problems. Joanna and her sister Harriet seem very different but beneath the surface they are looking for the same thing. Joanna feels she has compromised her real self in her marriage, whereas Harriet feels she has sacrificed her real self at the expense of taking over the farm and looking after her mother. Joanna’s discovery of the letters from Emmy take her mind off the end of her marriage, and as she looks into her families past she is motivated to move forward, and see her own potential. I think that many readers will identify with both Harriett and Joanna, as along the way we can all lose a bit of ourselves along the way in life, as we grow older and take on responsibilites. There are other wonderful characters including Audrey, Joanna and Harriet’s mother, Owen their neighbour and Nicholas who finds a connection with Joanna through her travel guides, but you need to read this book to learn more.
There is no doubt that Rosanna Ley is a masterful storyteller, whose writing just draws you in, makes you feel comfortable with the characters, and brings the settings of the books to life. Her writing is sensual in the way that you can see the beautiful locations, smell the food, flowers, and fauna and feel the atmosphere, as if you were there with the characters. I really loved the descriptions of how the canals in Venice refelected the light, and how the old and the new stand side by side, showing Venice at its best; like in life our past and future are both important and make us the best we can be. Joanna’s journey is influenced by the letters and paintings of the famous bridges of the cities, but these bridges are also an allegory, a place to pause where you have the choice to move forward with your life, of move backwards. Marriage, in all its diffrent guises, love and family are other important themes that run through Joanna and Harriet’s story.
From Venice With Love is an enchanting and beautifully told story. I literally just fell into this book with the engaging story, and personable characters; it is like putting on you favourite pyjamas where you feel happy and comfortable. I loved the locations, and how they were seen by Emmy in the past and Joanna and Nicholas in the present, and the link between the two. This really is the perfect summer read, with romance, secrets, stunning settings to escape to and characters that you feel you know. Simply stunning
