Review by tristenb -- The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio
Posted: 20 Nov 2019, 12:59
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio" by Belle Ami.]
The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio by Belle Ami is the second book in the Out of Time thriller series. The series follows Angela Renatus and Alex Caine in their search for missing paintings. However, the truly captivating part of the story is that Angela has the ability to see the past, specifically from her and Alex’s past lives. In a continuation of The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci, Angela and Alex travel to Illinois, California, and London to meet each other’s parents and announce their engagement. Unfortunately, they have little time to celebrate as both Angela and Alex begin having strange dreams and visions about Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio and his most popular muse and lover, Fillide Melandroni.
Around the same time, the couple is asked if they would be willing to help find one of Caravaggio’s paintings that has been missing for over 50 years. The Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco hung above the altar in the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo for 350 years until it was stolen in October, 1969. There are many theories about what happened to the painting, but it is believed that it was stolen and is still in the possession of the Mafia. Although, some claim the painting was eaten by mice or pigs. Will Angela and Alex be able to find the missing painting that has stumped authorities for years? What are they willing to risk in order to do so? There’s also a mystery that goes beyond the missing painting that could affect Angela and Alex’s relationship forever.
I must begin by saying that the first book in the series, The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci, is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The combination of history, mystery, thriller, romance, and even reincarnation is clever and truly captivating. I was instantly drawn into the story and connected easily with both Angela and Alex. Because The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio includes enough background information from the first book, it isn’t totally necessary to read them in order to understand this one. However, I highly recommend reading this series in order. You won’t regret it.
The best part of the book is that the history of Caravaggio and even the missing painting are real. Ami has done a lot of research about the life of Caravaggio and the potential whereabouts of The Nativity. While the story itself, including what happens to the painting, are merely fictional, there is much to be learned about the life of the artist and his paintings through reading this book. Even though I’m not all that interested in art, I often found myself looking up the different works of art in order to see them through my own eyes. I can assure you that Ami’s descriptions of different works of art are spot on.
Unfortunately, there were a few things that I didn’t like very much. One of the first things that I didn’t like includes a vision that Angela has related to Rembrandt. While Angela and Alex are in California, they go see a private collection and Angela has a vision of the future, something that hasn’t happened before. This likely foreshadows what will happen in the next book of the series, The Girl Who Adored Rembrandt. However, I wish Ami would have had this happen with Caravaggio as it would have seemed more relevant to the story. Also, I felt the connection between the past and the present was a bit weaker in this installment. Even though Alex is also experiencing visions, the tension that is created isn’t the same as in the first book.
In my opinion, The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio isn’t quite as good as The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci. However, it still deserves 4 out of 4 stars. It is exceptionally well edited and well researched. I appreciated the attention to detail and the continued strong relationship between Angela and Alex. There are some sexual scenes and profanity, in both English and Italian, so I wouldn’t recommend this book to young readers. However, if you love mystery, romance, or reincarnation, you are sure to love this series. I, for one, am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which is coming soon.
******
The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio by Belle Ami is the second book in the Out of Time thriller series. The series follows Angela Renatus and Alex Caine in their search for missing paintings. However, the truly captivating part of the story is that Angela has the ability to see the past, specifically from her and Alex’s past lives. In a continuation of The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci, Angela and Alex travel to Illinois, California, and London to meet each other’s parents and announce their engagement. Unfortunately, they have little time to celebrate as both Angela and Alex begin having strange dreams and visions about Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio and his most popular muse and lover, Fillide Melandroni.
Around the same time, the couple is asked if they would be willing to help find one of Caravaggio’s paintings that has been missing for over 50 years. The Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco hung above the altar in the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo for 350 years until it was stolen in October, 1969. There are many theories about what happened to the painting, but it is believed that it was stolen and is still in the possession of the Mafia. Although, some claim the painting was eaten by mice or pigs. Will Angela and Alex be able to find the missing painting that has stumped authorities for years? What are they willing to risk in order to do so? There’s also a mystery that goes beyond the missing painting that could affect Angela and Alex’s relationship forever.
I must begin by saying that the first book in the series, The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci, is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The combination of history, mystery, thriller, romance, and even reincarnation is clever and truly captivating. I was instantly drawn into the story and connected easily with both Angela and Alex. Because The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio includes enough background information from the first book, it isn’t totally necessary to read them in order to understand this one. However, I highly recommend reading this series in order. You won’t regret it.
The best part of the book is that the history of Caravaggio and even the missing painting are real. Ami has done a lot of research about the life of Caravaggio and the potential whereabouts of The Nativity. While the story itself, including what happens to the painting, are merely fictional, there is much to be learned about the life of the artist and his paintings through reading this book. Even though I’m not all that interested in art, I often found myself looking up the different works of art in order to see them through my own eyes. I can assure you that Ami’s descriptions of different works of art are spot on.
Unfortunately, there were a few things that I didn’t like very much. One of the first things that I didn’t like includes a vision that Angela has related to Rembrandt. While Angela and Alex are in California, they go see a private collection and Angela has a vision of the future, something that hasn’t happened before. This likely foreshadows what will happen in the next book of the series, The Girl Who Adored Rembrandt. However, I wish Ami would have had this happen with Caravaggio as it would have seemed more relevant to the story. Also, I felt the connection between the past and the present was a bit weaker in this installment. Even though Alex is also experiencing visions, the tension that is created isn’t the same as in the first book.
In my opinion, The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio isn’t quite as good as The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci. However, it still deserves 4 out of 4 stars. It is exceptionally well edited and well researched. I appreciated the attention to detail and the continued strong relationship between Angela and Alex. There are some sexual scenes and profanity, in both English and Italian, so I wouldn’t recommend this book to young readers. However, if you love mystery, romance, or reincarnation, you are sure to love this series. I, for one, am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which is coming soon.
******
The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
