When Julia Garnet retires from teaching, she unexpectedly inherits a substantial amount of money from her long time companion. Julia had always been the cautious one of the two, but now at a loose end and with money in her pocket, she decides to go to Venice to see if she can live a different kind of life. She develops feelings for a man who has taken her under his wing and shown her around the city, but her budding hopes are dashed when she gets the distinct impression that he is gay. However, he has helped her to appreciate the beauty of Venice and she finds herself drawn to the ever-present figure of the Angel Raphael. She endeavours to find out more about Raphael and why he seems to be everywhere in Venice. This leads her to acquire two young friends who are restoring one of the churches, and she becomes involved in the drama surrounding their relationship. Alongside the action in present day Venice, the story is interspersed with the ancient tale of Tobias, who travels to Media accompanied by the Archangel Raphael - although he is unaware of this. This book takes us on both a physical and spiritual journey with Miss Garnet as she begins to blossom in a far off city. There is so much to like about this book, which is gentle, but never dull. Miss Garnet's Angel, by Salley Vickers is definitely a love letter to Venice, but also to the idea that no matter how old you are, your life can take you in an unexpectedly fulfilling direction - you just have to take that first step! A thoroughly enjoyable read and I was a bit sad to finish it.
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 342 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my Mum.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment