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The Dogs of Venice by Steven Rowley

80 pages Publisher G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publication date October 14, 2025

ABOUT THE BOOK

After months of planning a romantic holiday getaway in Venice, Paul is blindsided when his five-year marriage suddenly unravels. Fueled by heartbreak, Paul endeavors to take the trip alone.

Soon after arriving in Italy, he notices a small, scruffy, self-assured dog trotting alongside a canal with the confidence he so desperately wants for himself. When their paths cross again, Paul feels compelled to learn how his new four-legged friend thrives on his own. Amid the food, sights, and welcoming people of Venice, Paul’s journey culminates in a magical encounter that leads him to feel real connection—to a dog, to a foreign city and, most importantly, to himself.

Capturing Steven Rowley’s signature wit, insight, and indelible characters, The Dogs of Venice offers another timeless story of love lost, and independence found—a holiday tonic for the soul.

MY THOUGHTS

When his five-year marriage ends a man is blindsided by it and decides to go alone on the trip he and his soon to be ex-husband had planned on going on in Venice.
While there he discovers a lot about himself and has a newfound strength. We meet a lot of characters some quirky and they help him to discover himself.
There are many “street dogs” as they are called, tame dogs roaming the streets non collared because there is no traffic there and it’s accepted and many are welcomed into shops.
Finding strength through one of the dogs he meets his loneliness isn’t as bad as he had thought.
A poignant read novella length and with a magical feel to it. Connections are made with people, a special city and a dog.
A pleasant read that I enjoyed and wouldn’t mind reading more by the author.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About the author

Steven Rowley is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels and the winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. His fiction has been translated in twenty languages. He lives in Palm Springs.

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All the Lost Places

by Amanda Dykes-Review

About The Book

When all of Venice is unmasked, one man’s identity remains a mystery . . .

1807
When a baby is discovered floating in a basket along the quiet canals of Venice, a guild of artisans takes him in and raises him as a son, skilled in each of their trades. Although the boy, Sebastien Trovato, has wrestled with questions of his origins, it isn’t until a woman washes ashore on his lagoon island that answers begin to emerge. In hunting down his story, Sebastien must make a choice that could alter not just his own future, but also that of the beloved floating city.

1904
Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. Hoping to redeem a past laden with regrets, he is sent on an assignment from California to Venice to procure and translate a rare book. There, he discovers a city of colliding hope and decay, much like his own life, and a mystery wrapped in the pages of that filigree-covered volume. With the help of Vittoria, a bookshop keeper, Daniel finds himself in a web of shadows, secrets, and discoveries carefully kept within the stones and canals of the ancient city . . . and in the mystery of the man whose story the book does not finish: Sebastien Trovato.

My Thoughts

This book deserves many more than five stars.

I am not sure I have ever read a book quite like this one before.

Some books come into your life, are read and quickly forgotten. 

Not so with this one It will be remembered by myself and many other readers for quite some time.

I feel spiritually fulfilled after reading this.

The descriptions are so vivid that I feel as though I was experiencing this with all the characters in the time periods portrayed.

The book is a real gem, the words are clear, concise and fluid.

I am really looking forward to reading more by this author.

I was given a complimentary copy by Interviews and Reviews and Bethany House Publishers. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Author

Amanda Dykes is a drinker of tea, dweller of redemption, and spinner of hope-filled tales who spends most days chasing wonder and words with her family. She’s the winner of the 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten title, and the winner of an INSPY award for her debut novel, Whose Waves These Are. She’s also the author of Set the Stars Alight (a Christy Award finalist), Yours is the Night (recipient of the Kipp Award, Christy Award finalist), All the Lost Places (starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Foreword), and three novellas. Find her online at amandadykes.com

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