David Hewson is a new author for me. The Garden of Angels is a combination of historical novel and World War Two thriller, written in a patient, multi-layered style which explores a moment in history through the lives of a small number of people. Hewson makes wartime Venice come alive in all its stench, beauty, cruelty, fear and starvation.
It is 1943 and the locals are watching the news, following the Allies’ progress towards Rome, wondering how much longer they must wait to be free once more. Meanwhile the Germans search amongst the locals for partisans, traitors, communists. But most of all they search for Jews. A teenage boy, alone after his parents are killed in a bombing raid, must continue the business of the family firm, jacquard weavers of the most beautiful velvet. He must complete the commission his father won just before he died. He stays within the four walls of his home, whilst on the streets outside people are being killed. Until one day Paulo sees something that makes him determined to do something rather than stand by.
The story hinges on the modern-day relationship between a boy and his grandfather, encapsulated from page one as Nonno Paulo reads a bedtime story to five-year-old Nico. He reads from a true story from a history book and they discuss the nature of truth, the truth of death. Ten years later, in 1999 when Nonno Paulo is dying, he gives to Nico a series of letters telling the truth of his life in Venice in 1943 during the German occupation. No one knows Paulo’s real story.
In 1943, Venice is a closed city, tight-knit, full of secret spaces and places the Germans don’t know. It is both a place for hiding and a place for living under the eye of the Nazis and Black Brigades. Paolo shelters two partisans who are on the run. Brother and sister Vanni and Mika Artom are not hunted solely because they have killed Germans, but because they are Jews. Mika, unable to sit quietly by, finds a local resistance group and agrees to take part in a plot to murder a visiting VIP, Salvatore Bruno, a Jew who is betraying other Jews. Vanni, injured and hardly able to move, helps Paolo and his assistant Chiara to weave.
This is a powerful story that hooks you from the beginning and draws you in. I was still thinking about the book days after finishing it. It is not a regular war thriller though it has all the usual conventions. It is more about how we as humans act under extreme circumstances, what we do to survive, where we draw our red lines, when to stand aside and when to step in, how far we will go to win; surprisingly similar dilemmas for the occupiers and the occupied when all are ultimately ordinary people.
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I'm afraid that this was a do not finish for me. I tried multiple times but just couldn't get into the story.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel. Since I didn't finish it I will not publish a review to purchasing sites.

One of the best books I have read in the last year! Nico and his grandfather really came through in the characters and writing. It was so beautifully done, weaving between past and present. I can only imagine having one’s grandfather passing and finally learning the secrets he held on to.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

The Garden of Angels is an immersive thriller with a definite "destination fiction" element (Venice) beautifully written by David Hewson. Released 6th April by Severn House it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. It makes it so easy to find info quickly with the search function.

This is such a beautifully written and crafted book. The interwoven timelines and juxtaposition of the (mostly) unchanging physical city contrasted with the sometimes desperate, short, muddled, and tragic lives of its inhabitants is powerfully metaphorical and effective. I loved that nearly all the characters were nuanced. Few of them were *truly* evil or good and the author does a very good job of portraying them believably.

The historical mystery elements are cleverly done and though the plot is slow at the beginning (it's a complex story, deeply told), it kept me engaged and never lost me. I was a teenager the last time I visited Venice and the author's intimate knowledge of the city historically and currently is impressive and filled me with a desire to visit again.

Five stars. This is one of my better reads for 2021 thus far. I would unhesitatingly recommend it to readers of historical fiction, mystery, and well written family saga.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Garden of Angels by David Hewson
Source: NetGalley, Severn House Publishers, and Purchase
Rating: 5 stars

I have spent a great deal of time reading this summer and I believe this is the first five-star read I have come across. This one was certainly worth the wait!

Written in a past meets present format, The Garden of Angels follows the lives of grandfather and grandson, Paolo and Nico Uccello. Nico has spent his entire life with his grandfather by his side and now, at the end of his beloved grandfather’s life, Nico finds Paolo may not be the man Nico has known and loved. With strict orders to share his secrets with no one, Paolo sets Nico on a journey through history that deeply alters everything Nico has ever known and believed about the Uccello family.

With just over fifty years separating the past and the present, Nico is astounded to read the words written by his grandfather. Though the place is the same, the times are vastly different. Nico’s home, Venice is “run” by Mussolini and Hitler’s henchmen occupy the city. Though Paolo is only 18 years old at the time, he is virtually alone thanks to one of Hitler’s bombs. With only a loyal family friend to help him, Paolo finds himself adrift in a world he can’t possibly navigate.

With a business to keep afloat and a home he rambles around in alone, young Paolo clings to the things that remain. Life in Venice under Nazi occupation is often a deadly affair and Paolo would do well to keep his down, complete the commissions he has, and cause no trouble. Unfortunately, trouble finds Paolo in the form of a brother and sister on the run from Hitler’s men. Though Paolo has never imagined himself a hero, he can’t see not helping these two souls.

As events begin to unfold all around him, Paolo discovers many truths about himself and the world around him. The war has changed everyone, and Paolo is no exception. Living life beyond the war is not something most can imagine and many in Paolo’s city won’t outlive the war to see a better tomorrow. Death surrounds Paolo at all times and helping, even in his own small way is more than enough to see him killed along with the other undesirables.

As Nico reads his grandfather’s account of life during the last days of World War II, he begins to his home and his family from a very different perspective. Though Paolo never meant for Nico to have to grow up so quickly, life is often too short, and time is of the essence. With his newfound knowledge, Nico must now decide who he is and how he is going to process the rest of his life moving forward. With a weighty history behind him, life has become far more challenging than he ever expected.

The Bottom Line: What a wonderful generational story this turned out to be. As always, I enjoyed the chapters from the past the most as they so clearly informed the people of the present. With that said, my absolute favorite part of the book was the last few chapters the delved into the years between Nico reading about the past and working out his own life with that knowledge following him. The last several chapters serve as a sort of extended epilogue, and I really enjoyed the expanded information about Nico and his life. For me, these last chapters really brought the entire book together into a most satisfactory conclusion. Finally, The Garden of Angels really checks all the boxes for me: historical fiction, the Holocaust (even in only tangentially here), generational/family saga, and past meets present.

Garden of Angels offers a three-timeline narrative: the story of the choices made by Paolo Uccello during the Nazi occupation of Venice; the written account of those choices that he shares while on his deathbed with his fifteen-year-old grandson Nico; and Nico's later reflections on his grandfather's story and his efforts to find a resolution of sorts in memories that are not his own.

The novel begins slowly then picks up speed after the halfway mark. The conclusion, at least for this reader, was unexpected. David Hewson uses Garden of Angels to explore themes of complicity and resistance. How do those who engage in resistance find the strength—or outrage—to take actions that appear to be right, but put their own lives at risk? Is there an honorable way to resist from the inside, to participate in the injustices with the goal of preventing some, but only some, of these from happening? Hewson also considers the fragility of historical memory: the events we willingly forget, but that then can recur precisely because of the decision to forget.

The characters here are interesting, most of them highly engaged with the world around them—and all of them making choices to act that lead to very different results. Young Paolo, who makes a quick decision to harbor two partisans, is the central figure, but readers also get to explore the outlooks of the partisans, of a Catholic priest and a secular Jew, and of ordinary people trying to survive honorably when honor is no longer truly possible.

There's a lot of WWII fiction out there right now. What makes Garden of Angels stand out are its multiplicities of both character and time. The narrative isn't a thread, but a densely woven fabric, which seems particularly appropriate given that the Uccello family have preserved the almost-lost art of weaving beautiful and costly Venetian velvets.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Venice, under the occupation of the Germans in World War II was a dangerous place for Jews, gays, and anyone different or outspoken. It was also the darkly secretive and complicated place it remains today, with twisting alleys, dead end streets, and neglected corners. In this setting, a young man, the orphan heir of luxury weaving factory, becomes involved with a pair of partisans fleeing the Nazis. Years later, telling the story to his grandson, the weaver reveals family secrets that were always too dangerous to share.

This was a great historical novel, with plenty of tension as the pressures of wartime Venice mount and the modern day story unfolds.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

... so Compelling!

Really, I had trouble finding words to suit. A mesmerising read. Set in Venice, partly during 1943 and the Nazi occupation and partly from the late 90’s on. Containing underlying commentary on the fierce independent character of the Venetian people, a look at those who chose to survive alongside the Nazis and those who chose to fight, the ordinary people, the Fascists (the Black Brigade), the Mussolini National Guard, and the Resistance fighters. We switch between a young weaver, Paolo Uccello, whose parents have been killed in an air raid, who agrees to aid two Jewish Resistance Fighters on the run. Then we come into the 90’s when it seems Venetians want to forget the past and the cost. A story in six amazing parts. A story that dwells in the unromantic aspects of Venice.
In the beginning I’d wondered if I’d finish. Less than a chapter in I was hooked and stormed my way through the rest.
What a tale it is, switching between the Venice of the past and into the recent present of 1999, where a young fifteen year old boy, Nico Uccello is in trouble at school. He’s been hanging out with a bad crowd. Their last action has had him suspended, for bullying a Jewish boy.
His dying grandfather, Nonno Paolo, asks him to read a series of papers in five envelopes, one envelope at a time. A family history. Envelopes that he must read in order. If he wants to continue them he must return each missive before going on to the next.
The contents are his grandfather’s memories of Venice under the boot of the Nazis and the Fascists.
Nico is both is shocked and arrested by the story that unfolds. A story that’s fast being forgotten in the Venice of today.
Nico’s Nonno explains to him, ‘There’s a reason I write about these things, not speak of them. You’ll come to appreciate it, I hope. These were unreal times and both of us lived quite unreal lives. Don’t judge me … don’t judge us by how things stand today.’
The letters and their contents deeply effect Nico, a story he runs from for many years—his world turned on its ear. Just as my understandings were in the final realizations.
Exceptional reading!

A Severn House (Canongate Books) ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

As a child, Nico’s Nonno Paulo would read him stories. Nico is now fifteen and Nonno Paulo is dying but he has one last story for him. Paulo sees something of himself in Nico and wants to share his story before he dies. Five envelopes contain his manuscript and Nico will receive one envelope each time he visits. The story begins in 1943. Paulo Uccello’s parents were weavers. While they are in Turin to secure a commission they are killed in an Allied bombing, leaving Paulo alone with Chiarra, an employee who is more like family. Paulo has always been different and more withdrawn than other children and he has become a loner. Under German occupation life in Venice is dangerous but when Paulo is approached to hide two Jewish partisans he agrees. He must complete his parents’ final commission and he hopes to have help with the looms. Vanni Artom was wounded and as he recovers he learns to assist Paulo and Chiarra. His sister Mika is restless and makes contact with Venice’s partisans, putting them all in danger.

Each of the five envelopes reveals more of their time together and the tragic events that overtake them. After each section of the story is revealed the narrative returns to Nico and his reactions to what he has read. He sees the Venice of the past and present as two separate cities. Many of the locations in Paolo’s story still stand and Nico wanders the city photographing them and imagining their role in Paolo’s story. The revelations in the fifth part of Paolo’s manuscript leave Nico stunned. However, it is not until Nonno Paulo dies that Nico receives a letter written before his death that explains what happened in the years after the war and the reasons for giving Nico his story.

David Hewson populates his story with unforgettable characters. Dr. Diamanté is a Jewish doctor who knows the families of the Jewish community. As someone chosen to represent them in dealings with authority, he is forced by the Germans to make a list of every Jewish resident. As the time for providing his list nears he searches for ways to prolong the deadline. Vanni shows Paolo a love that he has never experienced before and Mika will never stop fighting. This is a story that stirs your emotions and stays with you long after you have turned the last page. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for providing this book for my review.

As I'm Italian born and bread and part of my family was in the Resistance I'm always a bit wary and curious when i read books set in italy during WWII.
This is a well researched and well written story that kept me hooked and turning pages.
I liked the well researched historical background and the vivid descriptions of Venice during the Nazi occupation.
The character are well thought and the author delivers an excellent story balancing the current and the past timeline.
It is a moving, gripping and interesting story that i strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

At his beloved Nonno Paolo's deathbed, fifteen-year-old Nico receives a gift that will change his life forever: a yellowing manuscript which tells the haunting, twisty tale of what really happened to his grandfather in Nazi-occupied Venice in 1943. When a Jewish classmate is attacked by bullies, Nico just watches - earning him a week's suspension time to read the typed, yellowing manuscript from his frail Nonno Paolo. A history lesson, his grandfather says. A secret he must keep from his father. Nico is transported back to the Venice of 1943, an occupied city seething under its Nazi overlords, and to the defining moment of his grandfather's life: when Paolo's support for a murdered Jewish woman brings him into the sights of the city's underground resistance. Hooked and unsettled, Nico can't stop reading - but he soon wonders if he ever knew his beloved grandfather at all.
The author is a must read for me & once again this very well written engrossing read didn’t disappoint. The descriptions of Venice are so real that I felt I was there & has given me the urge to travel there once I can - he also did the same for his descriptions of Rome in earlier books. I loved how Nico wandered about he city taking photos of the places his Grandfather mentioned & how he started to see his home city in a totally different light. Not always a comfortable read but an enthralling, intriguing one which I just devoured
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

La Serenissima is brought to life with all of its beauty and corruption in this wonderful novel by David Hewson, in which he explores the role the city played in the Nazi occupation of World War 2. It is a gripping tale of long held secrets passed on across generations. I loved it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review an arc.

We all are given a choice in life but what would you choose? Nico is about to find out about his grandfather's life and what choices he made. At first Nico doesn't want to read the letters as he knows that his grandfather is dying. What he learns will change the way that he sees things and he realises how much his grandfather loves him. We follow Paolo's journey during the war and what choices he made. He did something that most people were scared to do but he knew that it was the right decision. He found love during those stressful times and he suffered great loss but what will Nico do once he has read all the letters?
A good read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review

An intriguing dual timeline story where Nonno Paulo hands over his wartime story in the form of letters to grandson Nico. I thought it interesting how Paulo writes in the third person and in doing so makes Nico realise that even ordinary people can do horrific things. I hadn’t realised Venice was so involved in the Second World War- maybe it’s because it’s not usually one of the cities mentioned in the history books - but the historical detail brought it alive with the ghetto and the impact of the Nazis.

Master storyteller David Hewson blends tension, atmosphere and suspense in his latest captivating thriller, The Garden of Angels.

Fifteen year old Nico is by his grandfather Paolo’s deathbed when he receives a gift that will end up changing the course of his life forever: a yellowing manuscript which tells the shocking, haunting and fascinating story of what really happened to his grandfather during the war in Nazi-occupied Venice. As Nico begins turning the pages, he finds himself transported to a time when there was danger and jeopardy round every corner. Nico thought that there was nothing he didn’t know about his beloved Nonno, but as he finds himself completely and utterly enthralled by this powerful story, he begins to wonder just how well he really knows his grandfather…

In 1943, the majesty and splendour of Venice had been completely and utterly overshadowed by the evil machinations of the Nazi Party. The lives of the Venetians had been changed forever and their lives were now lived in constant fear and terror as incurring the wrath of their overlords could spell serious consequences for them all. The Nazis have completely and utterly transformed this beautiful city and its streets, once teeming with joy and happiness, are now shrouded in shadows and despair. But a young man called Paolo simply cannot continue to turn a blind eye to all the horrible things being perpetrated by the Nazis and when he hears that a Jewish woman had been murdered, he finds himself with no other choice but to speak up in support. Only Paolo’s support soon gains the attention of the city’s underground resistance and he finds himself taking centre stage in a dangerous game where he must not let anyone or anything distract him as one false move is all it takes for him to end up paying the ultimate price for his courage.

David Hewson’s The Garden of Angels is a wonderful thriller that grabbed me from the very first page and kept me gleefully turning the pages until I reached the final jaw-dropping twist. David Hewson is a master storyteller who knows how to ramp up the tension and terror and immerse his readers in a twisted, sinister and menacing world which is recreated so beautifully and vividly that they will feel as if they are living the story alongside his characters.

Brilliantly paced, spookily atmospheric and spine-chillingly suspenseful, David Hewson’s The Garden of Angels is an absolute triumph readers will not want to miss.

Surely David Hewson's best novel to date. A painfully beautiful book. It is a bit of everything - mystery, war drama, romance - with a cast of compelling characters. The evocation of Venice and its people, during war and peace, is impressively perfect.
The man who was once the head of the House of Uccello, quality weavers, lies in a hospital bed dying. He has a story he wants his grandson to read. And so the story shifts from 1999 to 1943 and then finally to the present day. A dark and secret history unravels, of Nazi atrocities, Jewish tragedies, and heroism.
An unforgettable book.

Paolo Uccello is dying. Having used his years building up the fortunes of the family’s Venice-based weaving business, he has one last thing to do: Tell his story.

His grandson Nico has been suspended from school. A “friend” of his was caught bullying a Jewish classmate while Nico stood by and did not intervene. His schedule suddenly empty, he visits his grandfather in the hospital every day.

Paolo has written out his story and enclosed it in a series of envelopes. He gives them to Nico one by one. They tell the story of Venice near the end of World War II. It was a time of Nazi occupation. It was a time of collaborators and partisans. It was a time of secrets and lies. It was a time of death.

The Garden of Angels pulls you inexorably into its drama. There are two stories being told in parallel: Paolo’s very personal recollections of Venice and Nico’s equally personal reactions to the story being told. Each story informs the other, though obviously the history as read by Nico has the more immediate effect on Nico. Still, we feel Nico’s reactions throughout the historical portions: admiration, disgust, revulsion, fondness, despair.

There is much history in this novel that was unknown to me. I of course knew of the pogroms that slaughtered Jews by the millions throughout central and eastern Europe. I was not really aware, though not surprised, that they had extended into Italy as well. Collaborators with the Nazis were not surprising. I knew of them. But the presence of a Jewish collaborator charged with rounding up other Jews for the ovens caused a visceral reaction. On one level I was not surprised. Venality is hardly a rare trait. I realized that I had mentally refused to believe that such traitors existed. Garden opened my eyes.

Which is, of course, part of the majesty of well-crafted fiction. David Hewson could undoubtedly have turned his research into a history of Venice during the period. A city torn between Nazi occupiers, allegedly enforcing the will of Mussolini but in reality cementing the control of Berlin, and the advancing American and British armies coming up from the south. But I doubt I would have read that. I would have been interested and I’m confident he would have made it interesting. It still would have had a very small audience.

Fiction, though, allows you to share stories with people who might never pick up a book of history. Fiction shares truth through the windows of stories. Humans are people of story. We are each protagonists in our own tales, heroes and villains, saints and sinners, not always at the center of the action but always in the center of our own narrative. Paolo and Nico resonated with me because of their stories. They came to life in my mind. Their stories shaped my thinking, expanded my knowledge, touched my heart, and reshaped part of my mind.

The Garden of Angels is outstanding. I am not the same person that I was before I read the book. The events may be dark, the truths hard to face, the choices made might not be the choices you would make. But the power of this book is undeniable and the characters may prove to be unforgettable.

This is a really atmospheric book. It transports you easily back to Venice in 1943 and shows the stresses and strains of living in Venice under occupation, something I hadn’t realised had happened until I read this. Nico is learning about his grandfather’s past so the story is mostly about Paolo and what happened in a short period in 1943.

The way the story is written is so vivid and really comes to life. I found myself almost holding my breath at times when some of the characters were trying to sneak past the German soldiers without being caught. Unsurprisingly the sense of danger is there throughout for all the characters from the resistance fighters all the way down to the people trying to live as normal a life as possible. While the story focuses on Paolo and the unexpected changes in his life, it also shows the impact of occupation on others and the repercussions of the decisions they make.

It’s a compelling read and one that kept me reading into the early hours of the morning. If you want something that focuses more on the civilian impact of the war, rather than the fighting itself then this is an excellent choice. It’s a story that gets you wondering how you would react in these situations and what choices you would make.

The Garden of Angels by David Hewson is an engrossing historical fiction novel that is set in Venice and it is told over two timelines.
Fifteen year old Nico is part of the House of Ucello, a family well known due to being fabric weavers. His beloved grandfather, Paolo is dying in the summer of 1999. Nico gets suspended from school for not helping when a Jewish schoolmate is stabbed. His grandfather hands him an old typed manuscript and tells him it is a history lesson but warns him not to tell his father.

As Nico begins to read we are transported back to Nazi Occupied Italy in 1943. We learn of the persecution of the Jewish community in Venice and also of the Venetian Resistance and the ways in which they saved so many during that time. The story switched back and forth over the two time lines while Nico learns of the history that has been well hidden over the years. The story eventually takes us into 2019 and we see Nico returning to Venice to discover the final secrets still to be told of his family.
I am a big history geek, it is no secret and Italy during the Second World War is a country I don't know overly much about. This book had me immersed in Italy and I feel like I have been educated and entertained at the same time.
David Hewson has written a story rich in historical details and descriptions of the settings along with strong characters that keep you wanting to know how this compelling story will end. To say I found it a moving story is an understatement, I personally found it to be a powerful one that, as I said previously, educated me on things that happened in Italy at that time.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and David Hewson for my copy of the book and my place on the tour.

This is a piece of historical fiction solidly based in fact, in which the author’s expert knowledge of Venice is vivid and depicts the city in such a way as to almost transport the reader into its narrow calli and hidden secrets.

Set both in modern day and against the backdrop of the second world war, ‘The Garden of Angels’ is a dark tale in many places, as the atrocities of Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s drive for power are portrayed through the ‘Crucchi’s’ actions against the Jewish community within Venice and anyone thought not be towing the party line.

The way the author mirrors the characters of modern day Nico with wartime Paolo is an interesting twist and relationships are an integral theme throughout the story. Former policeman Alberti, now working for the German soldiers, is perhaps the most intriguing character of all as he struggles throughout to reconcile his new role with an innate desire to protect the citizens of his city.

The ending provides food for thought for the reader as questions are asked about the lessons we learn from war and heartache and how perceptions can become distorted over time. This is an exquisitely written book, both for the historical aspect and the hauntingly beautiful portrayal of Venice. Highly recommended!

With thanks to the author, @rararesources and Severn House for the opportunity to participate in the blog tour.