What a beautiful love story! I’m always looking for a gorgeous inspiring love story and this perfectly fits the bill! It shows obstacles can never trump true love!

This biographical account tells of the romance between British art historian Francis Haskell and Russian art historian Larissa Salmina, and is set against the backdrop of the Cold War. The two met by chance in Venice in 1962 and the attraction was immediate, although neither expected nor even particularly wanted to fall in love. Larissa was married but Francis was convinced no one would ever care for him. He had a troubled soul, battling with his sexuality, and Larissa was a Soviet citizen with a complex past and the weight of the state constraining her. But in spite of the sometimes seemingly intractable challenges and problems, they eventually married and embarked on a long and happy marriage. Pears gives the reader detailed portraits of both of them, drawing extensively from letters and diaries and his own conversations with Larissa until her death in 2024, chronicling their love across the political and cultural divide. It’s a truly compelling narrative, a fascinating story, narrated with insight and empathy and is an engaging account of an unlikely love affair that succeeded against all the odds.