Book Synopsis:
One hidden painting. Two women born centuries apart. A secret uncovered.
In 2019, Rachel is stuck in a rut when she discovers what appears to be a Canaletto painting in her grandmother’s loft along with a note addressed to Philippa in 1782. With help from Jake at the local art gallery, Rachel endeavours to find out if the painting is an original and uncovers a secret from the past.
In 1780, governess at Chipford Hall, Philippa is offered the role of mistress by Earl Rupert. She escapes to Venice as companion to bluestocking, Lady Cordelia who reveals a secret that changes both their lives. They do their best to keep the secret from Lady Cordelia’s social circle, but their nemesis is determined to reveal all and ruin them.
My Review:
The Venice Secret is a beautifully written, intriguing dual timeline story that is hard to believe is a debut novel.
The story is told from the point of view of Rachel in the present day and Philippa in the 18th Century. I really liked Philippa and enjoyed following her as she tries no negotiate her new life after the death of her father. It was interesting learning more about the governess role which must have been quite a lonely job at times. I loved the support network she has to help her and the wonderful housekeeper who takes her under her wing. I wasn’t so sure about Rachel though and it took me a while to warm to her. She’s obviously been through a rough time and I had a lot of sympathy for her as it was heartbreaking to see her doubt herself. However she frustrated me with some of the decisions she made which only seemed to make life harder for her.
The author does a fantastic job of describing Venice so that I felt like I was actually there, experiencing everything alongside the characters. I especially loved the fabulous details about the grand tour and what happened on one as I’d heard it mentioned in other books but not in great detail. Venice is a place I’d love to go visit one day and this book has made me even more determined to get there.
I felt immediately drawn into the story and into the lives of the characters. The two timelines were easy to differentiate between and I loved the subtle ways they complimented each other, gradually drawing out the answers to the painting mystery to the very satisfying ending. This is the author’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Anita Chapman enjoyed writing stories from a young age, and won a local writing competition when she was nine years old. Encouraged by this, she typed up a series of stories about a mouse on her mum’s typewriter and sent them to Ladybird. She received a polite rejection letter, her first.
Many of Anita’s summers growing up were spent with her family driving to Italy, and she went on to study French and Italian at university. As part of her degree, Anita lived in Siena for several months where she studied and au paired, and she spent a lot of time travelling around Italy in her twenties.
Anita likes to read journals and diaries from the past, and one of her favourite pastimes is visiting art galleries and country houses. Her first published novel, The Venice Secret is inspired by her mother taking her to see the Canalettos at The National Gallery in London as a child.
Since 2015, Anita has worked as a social media manager, training authors on social media, and helping to promote their books. She’s run several courses in London and York, and has worked as a tutor at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College.
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