Venice 1966 and the worst flood in its history – during which Frankie goes to stay in the troubled Palace of the Drowned.
Palace of the Drowned – the blurb
It’s 1966 and Frankie Croy retreats to her friend’s vacant palazzo in Venice. Years have passed since the initial success of Frankie’s debut novel and she has spent her career trying to live up to the expectations. Now, after a particularly scathing review of her most recent work, alongside a very public breakdown, she needs to recharge and get re-inspired.
Then Gilly appears. A precocious young admirer eager to make friends, Gilly seems determined to insinuate herself into Frankie’s solitary life. But there’s something about the young woman that gives Frankie pause. How much of what Gilly tells her is the truth? As a series of lies and revelations emerge, the lives of these two women will be tragically altered as the catastrophic 1966 flooding of Venice ravages the city
Sulpher, dread and cobbles
I picked this book as I had just returned from a holiday in Venice and was intrigued to read about it’s worst ever flood. The first half of the book sped by. The writing really got under my skin and you really started to wonder what was happening. Everything was not how it seemed and something was definitely not quite right. The book at this point could have gone anyway – A We Were Liars twist? A Mrs England esque deception? The potential was huge and I drank it up.
But then the book seemed to suddenly flounder. As Frankie spiraled I found little things suddenly annoyed me. Too often were there cold senses of dread and Frankie seemed to have so many fevered moments I feared the menopause. Venice was reduced to heels on cobbles, swirling mists and sulphuric stench. There was no sense of the 60s and also very little to do with the flood. The quality of the first half ensured I finished the book, I loved the title and the cover, I loved the idea and the suspense but by the time I got to the end I didn’t love the book. Let me know what you think though.
