Book Details:
Book Title: The Art of Traveling Strangers by Zoe Disigny
Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 272 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Subplot Publishing
Release date: February 2022
Content Rating: PG13 + M for cursing (from a side character), reference to adultery, and discussion of AIDS.
Book Description:
It’s the 1980s, and art historian Claire Markham reels from a series of
heartbreaking losses. Desperate to escape her shattered reality, she becomes an art guide in Europe for quirky stranger Viv Chancey and embarks on a life-changing journey through the art-filled cities of Milan, Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Siena, Rome, and Paris.
Once abroad, Claire tries to hide her woes by focusing on Viv’s art education, but Viv—who is not who she seems—has a different learning experience in mind. Frustrated and wanting to reimagine her life, Claire embraces the idea of reality as illusion and finds herself slipping into the tales of art and history.
When threatened with one more crushing loss, Claire must learn from the spirit of her eccentric companion and the lessons from the art they encounter to take charge of her life or lose the most precious thing in it.
The Art of Traveling Strangers is a journey of self-discovery and personal empowerment inspired by the great art masterpieces of Italy and France. It’s a tale of female bonding and the amazing powers of perception. After all, reality, like
art, is just an illusion.
Zoe Disigny holds a master’s degree in art history and has taught at the college level throughout her career. She has led numerous art tours in Europe and established a business in Paris offering art history adventures for American tourists.
connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
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The author is a qualified Art History professor with several decades of experience, and her descriptions are accurate and elaborate. I loved both of the main characters – Claire Markham and Vivian Chancey. Both of the characters are vividly different, and it is fun to read about their frustration with each other. The book keeps alternating between the European adventure and Claire’s past. While some of the pieces of the story seem like a guide book, it contributes to the narrative of the story.
Overall, I had mixed feelings about the book. I found the author’s writing style innovative and intriguing. I would definitely read more of Disigny’s books.