Review by tristenb -- The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio

[tristenb]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio" by Belle Ami.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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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.

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The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio
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[AvidBibliophile]

I just finished reading this one too! After seeing it listed as BOTD recently, I decided to read both of the 1st two books in this series, and I do agree with you that I liked the first one better as well. The past life visions are so vivid and magical, and as far as the missing "Nativity" piece, I was convinced that the pigs ate it, but alas, it had a more fiery outcome than simply being a devoured porcine treat, lol

[Adina Lutinger]

Wow, sounds really interesting, I think I would like to read this series. Thanks for your great review!

[Bianka Walter]

I'm so glad it lived up to the first book. It's so sad when the second one falls short!
Wonderful review

[tristenb]

I just finished reading this one too! After seeing it listed as BOTD recently, I decided to read both of the 1st two books in this series, and I do agree with you that I liked the first one better as well. The past life visions are so vivid and magical, and as far as the missing "Nativity" piece, I was convinced that the pigs ate it, but alas, it had a more fiery outcome than simply being a devoured porcine treat, lol

I also read both books after seeing them listed as BOTD. The visions are definitely vivid and magical. I especially like how the visions took Angela away in the first book. I'm curious to see how the whole "family" situation works out. I'm sure it's not the last we will see of the missing "Nativity."

[tristenb]

Wow, sounds really interesting, I think I would like to read this series. Thanks for your great review!

I highly recommend it!

[tristenb]

I'm so glad it lived up to the first book. It's so sad when the second one falls short!
Wonderful review

It's not quite as good, but I still liked it. I'm hoping the third book will bring back some of what I missed from the first one.

[MsH2k]

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.

That’s a good sign that the author not only writes well but truly loves art. Thank you for a great review!

[tristenb]

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.

That’s a good sign that the author not only writes well but truly loves art. Thank you for a great review!

Agreed! Thanks for commenting.

[La Cabra]

I love seeing a book that's well grounded in research, I think Renaissance art enthusiasts will love this one. Personally, I'm not a fan romance so I won't be picking this up but I can certainly see this getting quite popular among readers of the genre.
And your review was brilliantly written, thank you for your honesty!

[Manali_DC]

Great review! I just read and review this book too. Having really enjoyed the first book of the series, I found this book a bit of a mixed bag! Loved Caravaggio's story and the amount of information about his work- thought Angela and Alex were not as interesting as they were in the first book! They almost seemed to be sleep walking from one clue to the next!

[JGretz-7]

Great review! I just read and review this book too. Having really enjoyed the first book of the series, I found this book a bit of a mixed bag! Loved Caravaggio's story and the amount of information about his work- thought Angela and Alex were not as interesting as they were in the first book! They almost seemed to be sleep walking from one clue to the next!

I totally agree! I loved parts of the story, but also felt that things were a bit off in others. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but you're description seems to have done that for me. It was almost too formulaic to be as engaging as the first.

[Sararob06]

I noticed this book and read the summary briefly. I’ll definitely be checking this series out. Thanks for your informative review!