What Casanova Told Me ~ Susan Swan

Disclosure: I received a copy of this from the Goodreads First Reads program.

From the back cover:A dazzlingly imagined novel that embraces two centuries, two women, a long-lost journal and the mystery behind the legendary Casanova's last great love, What Casanova Told Me celebrates the unexpected in life and love, and the transforming lessons of travel.

I don't know what I expected from this book, but what that was is not what I got. I immediately noticed that the book was originally published in 2005 and this worried me a little. Then I noticed that several Canadian newspapers rated it rather highly, so I curled up on the sofa with cup of tea at hand and read...and read.

I was fortunate that it was a week end as I did not want to put the book down. I wouldn't call it an edge-of-your-seat-page-turner, but my interest in the protagonist - Luce and her ancestor - Asked For (yes, that is her name) parallel lives in Venice and Greece never waned. Armed with her ancestor's journal Luce reluctantly navigates through the Mediterranean with her late mother's partner. Asked For's writings serve Luce as both a therapeutic tool to cope with her mother's death, and and a means of encouragement in finding a partner worthy of her love.

Swan elegantly intertwines Luce's and Asked For's stories in ways that render even the blustering Lee Pronski likable. For his part, Casanova is quite simply a conduit for all of these women to realise their potential and who they really are. As it turns out, I am quite pleased to have a read a 7 year old book that I had never heard of.

Publisher: Random House of Canada
Publication Date: 6 June 2005
Format: Paperback

Review previously appeared on the now defunct Bookworm's Buffet Blog