Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #904 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-02
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Sunday Telegraph
`An intriguing puzzle, elegantly written... a pleasure to read...
the atmosphere of an Italian summer and of the mysterious garden are
beautifully captured'

The Times
`Mills writes beautifully... an unusual, captivating novel that is
a cut above the norm'

Daily Mirror
`Unputdownable... hugely atmospheric'

Customer Reviews

Different
Not the type of book I normally read, but well written, art and history a good combination. Found it a little slow to start with, but the twists and turns were good, and as secrets unfolded quite gripping. Caz

Not the best book ever but I loved it all the same
I really enjoyed this book, and unlike other reviewers found it fast-paced, rather than slow-paced. Mills keeps everything relevant, and there weren't loads of sidetrack storylines, which can often make a good novel slightly infuriating. Very much a summer read though. Not one if you're looking for a literary great, but if you want enjoyable, easy reading with a couple of twists, and great story-telling then this is definitely worth a go!

I, for myself, loved the Renaissance garden, with all the Classical references - Echo and Narcissus being my favourite of Ovid's Metamorphoses. And I also loved the image of late 50s Italy that was created. Really made me want to escape!

Really Interesting Read
I had never read a book by Mark Mills before and I stumbled across this one in our staff room. I was intrigued by the subject matter and became quickly immersed in the story.
The book follows Adam, a university student who is encouraged to travel to Italy by his lecturer to write about Villa Docci, an old historic family home. Adam travels to Italy to write a thesis on the 400 year old memorial garden in Villa Docci. The garden contains grottos and statues depicting Greek gods and goddesses and Adam quickly becomes enchanted with it. But it soon turns out that the garden is holding a dark family secret that Adam discovers.
The characters are very believable and the descriptions of the scenery are brilliant and so real. By the end of the book, you can clearly see the emotional journey that Adam has taken and light relief arrives in the form of his brother Harry.
Overall, I found the book slow to start but definitely worth persevering.