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A review by emileereadsbooks
All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you Netgalley and Bethany House Fiction for the gifted book! All opinions are my own.
It's 1904 Daniel is trying to live up to his last name, Goodman. He has made some mistakes, suffered the consequences, and now is trying to atone for his wrongdoings. So when the opportunity presents itself for him to make things right with his estranged Mother by traveling to her homeland of Italy to capture the essence of Venice in his sketchbook as he also translates a rare Italian storybook to English, he convinces himself it is the beginning of a new life for himself.
The book Daniel is trying to translate begins in 1807 when a baby boy, Sebastian, is found in a basket floating along the canals in Venice. Taken in and raised by a group of artisans, he struggles with his identity and when a woman washes ashore in his life, he must contend with not only who he is, but who he wants to be.
_____
This book is beautiful. I may have highlighted the most number of passages ever in a fiction book that I have read. Sometimes I would read something four times to just appreciate how Dykes crafted a beautiful description in place of what could have been very ordinary. I love how the two storylines were woven together. I loved each story equally and we all know how rare that is.
I don't think I have said this before but DO NOT read this on audio. I tried this on audio and felt lost and distracted the whole time. I could not engage my brain to care. And this was my IRL book club book in June and everyone who read it on audio didn't love it. But those who read it with our eyes did. There is just something about reading this lovely prose with your eyes that pulls you into the story.
It's 1904 Daniel is trying to live up to his last name, Goodman. He has made some mistakes, suffered the consequences, and now is trying to atone for his wrongdoings. So when the opportunity presents itself for him to make things right with his estranged Mother by traveling to her homeland of Italy to capture the essence of Venice in his sketchbook as he also translates a rare Italian storybook to English, he convinces himself it is the beginning of a new life for himself.
The book Daniel is trying to translate begins in 1807 when a baby boy, Sebastian, is found in a basket floating along the canals in Venice. Taken in and raised by a group of artisans, he struggles with his identity and when a woman washes ashore in his life, he must contend with not only who he is, but who he wants to be.
_____
This book is beautiful. I may have highlighted the most number of passages ever in a fiction book that I have read. Sometimes I would read something four times to just appreciate how Dykes crafted a beautiful description in place of what could have been very ordinary. I love how the two storylines were woven together. I loved each story equally and we all know how rare that is.
I don't think I have said this before but DO NOT read this on audio. I tried this on audio and felt lost and distracted the whole time. I could not engage my brain to care. And this was my IRL book club book in June and everyone who read it on audio didn't love it. But those who read it with our eyes did. There is just something about reading this lovely prose with your eyes that pulls you into the story.