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The Garden of Angels

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The Garden of Angels

By: David Hewson
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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About this listen

At his beloved Nonno Paolo's deathbed, 15-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.

The Palazzo Colombina is home to the Uccello family: three generations of men, trapped together in the dusty palace on Venice's Grand Canal. Awkward 15-year-old Nico. His distant, business-focused father. And his beloved grandfather, Paolo. Paolo is dying. But before he passes, he has secrets he's waited his whole life to share.

When a Jewish classmate is attacked by bullies, Nico just watches - earning him a week's suspension and a typed, yellowing manuscript from his frail Nonno Paolo. A history lesson, his grandfather says. A secret he must keep from his father. A tale of blood and madness....

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.

©2021 David Hewson (P)2021 W. F. Howes 20th Century Historical Historical Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Emotionally Gripping

Critic Reviews

"Gripping and powerful, The Garden of Angels richly evokes the tension and threat of Nazi-occupied Venice. A moving and important novel.” (Tess Gerritsen, author of The Shape of Night)

"Vivid and compelling. A richly wrought thriller, a love story and a warning that spans decades. I was thinking about this book for days." (Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes)

All stars
Most relevant  
a story is so well written I felt like I was there. I really loved this.

So immersive

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Heart wrenching, gripping, page turning, mind altering story which reminds us to look deeper, and remember.

Amazing

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Hewson takes you on a journey of discovery, makes you fall in love with Venice and feel for every character and the ethical dilemmas they face.

I can't recommend this enough. Armitage's narration is superb from characterisation to evoking pathos. I will listen to him again.

Haunting, Evocative and Compelling

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beautiful story . it has it all - mystery, romance, courage and I enjoyed the narrator too, despite the Scottish accent.

wonderful story

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I wish I had finished this before a recent trip to Venice. Though fiction, new insight into an obvious history would have had me seek out different alleyways to get lost in and given more meaning to the memorials I did see. Great work again, Mr Armitage!

Before visiting Venice

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An interesting story but marred (for me, anyway, as a long-time resident of Venice) by the mispronunciation of many of the Venetian names. Generally it is a question of misplaced stress. For example, the University of Venice is at Ca' FOscari, not Ca' FoscAri. San ZanIpolo not San ZanipOlo etc.
Also common Italian names like StEfano, ended up as StefAno. Probably the most egregious historical error of all, SalO became SArlo.
Perhaps this does not worry most English-speaking people, as it is generally believed, erroneously, that all Italian words are stressed on the penultimate syllable, but for anyone attuned to the Italian, it is painful.

Incorrect pronunciation of Venetian names

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I absolutely loved this book, really recommend.

Well narrated and written, definitely worth downloading it

Fantastic

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A captivating story. Read by one of my favourite narrators. Well worth a read, descriptive. I could visualise the canals of Venice.

The Garden Angels

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Phew!Not many stories rip thru you with emotional highs and lows like this one. Wow! I loved it! I was challenged to feel for things that felt very personal yet it happened to someone else. Well written and an excellent storyline.

WARNING: Extremely emotional 😭

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This is quite a beautiful piece of fiction work, an interesting storyline set in times and situations that are so very relevant to what is happening right now across much of the world, sadly including Australia: the ostracisation, hatred and persecution of Jews. A highly recommended read.

A story with relevance today more than ever; highly recommend

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