The Lost Madonna

by Kelly Jones

Thirty years after leaving Florence with a broken heart, Suzanne Cunningham is back, determined to solve the mystery of what happened to a priceless painting from her past-and to the man who forever changed the course of her life.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Italy, Book Club, Art History

328 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2007

About the author

Kelly Jones grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. She graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, with a degree in English and an art minor. During her junior year in Italy she developed a love for both travel and art history.
Her Dana Pierson mystery series includes Lost and Found in Prague (2015), Bloodline and Wine (2019), and Angel Boy (October 2021.)
The Woman Who Heard Color (Berkley Books, October, 2011), is a historical novel set in Munich, Berlin, and New York. A story of family loyalty, banned art, and creative freedom, it spans a period of over a century.
Other novels include The Seventh Unicorn (Berkley Books, 2005), inspired by The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries in the Cluny Museum in Paris, France, and The Lost Madonna (Berkley Books, 2007), set in Florence, Italy.
In her novella and short story collection, Evel Knievel Jumps the Snake River Canyon . . . and Other Stories Close to Home, she departs from these settings in a story set in her hometown of Twin Falls, Idaho.
She is a mother and grandmother and is married to former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones, who also served on Idaho’s Supreme Court. They live in Boise.

Visit Kelly at http://www.kellyjonesbooks.com

Reviews

[Faith Justice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on vacation and Italy was my theme. Finished this yesterday and very much enjoyed it for the setting in Florence. Passed it on to an American friend who is cat sitting in Tuscany. She'll leave it for someone else to enjoy.

Ciao!

Edit:

I included this book in a Bookcrossing article about the "empty nest" trip my husband and I took in the fall of 2009 and mentioned above. Here's the excerpt regarding this book:

"We said goodbye to our Italian archaeologist hosts and our Earthwatch dig mates to begin our solo adventure in Tuscany. It was off to Florence for a long weekend accompanied by The Lost Madonna. I couldn't have wished for more compatible reading. The book was rich in detail about the art and architecture of the city. As we wandered the streets, I felt like I had been there before. We saw the massive: the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore; the magnificent: Michelangelo's David; the bizarre: Galileo's finger; and so many Madonnas of so many eras, I'll be happy not to see any more for a long, long time."

You can read the entire article here.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the novels I love best; I have read it many times. The plot, the setting and the characters are vibrant, touching and very much part of my inner world.

I love the novel's world of Florence 30 years ago during the flood where the heroine was one of the "mud angels" who help rescue the deluged art and her current return there as an art professor. She returns full of memories of a love affair with a young married Italian art restorer and of a small, precious Renaissance painting which she helped restore long ago and which has been reported missing. Her American marriage has ended and she is childless. Possible love enters her life in the form of a widowed doctor who is partially crippled with polio. Though she is drawn to this kind though touchy man, she is also compelled to find out why both her former lover and the little painting of the Madonna have disappeared and goes in search of both.

Buy it!!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the descriptions and the details of the painstaking process of restoring the valuable works of art after the Arno flooded Florence in 1966. While the plot was a bit predictable, and the characters a little too "perfect", it was a fast-paced novel that kept me interested (although I would have liked a bit more meat to the main mystery).

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book is the mix of art in the story. The story of how the young woman looks to mistakes she made in her past and finds some answers is good too. She wrote another book called The Lost Unicorn (not listed on goodreads)which has more of a mystery and once again a history of a particular work of art.

[Gail Barrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful recreation of Florence--brings back many warm memories. The story is a bit limited at first but has a couple of very unexpected turns which jack up the interest quite a bit, not always showing man's better nature. Interesting in a minor way, only because your emotions are never actually engaged.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book while having a gallbladder attack on board a train. Any book that could keep me interested for six hours under those circumstances has to be a page turner! Just a good read, good chick lit.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page-turner! The plot alternates between the flood of 1966 in Florence, Italy, and present day, as Suzanne Cunningham's adventure of art restoration, young love, teaching art history, and making peace with her past is told.

[Greydj1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book by a local author! Loved reading about the artwork involved in this book . I have always like Wassily Kandinsky. But I like the painting concentric circles. This book is about his composition works. A Good read.

[Десислава Петкова · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! ❤️

[Anne Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young woman travelling in Italy with friends before returning to Idaho to attend college, Suzanne is swept up in a tragic flood that has destroyed or damaged countless pieces of Italian art. She decides to stay longer and becomes one of the many young people who volunteer to attempt to save the many works by cleaning and restoring them as much as possible. She is taken under the wings of one of the men who actually lead the restoration process and falls in love with him. She ends up with a broken heart. In the process she works on a small painting by one of the famous artists, it is a small picture of a madonna. She loves the painting and knows it is restored and sent to a place of safety.
Thirty years later Suzanne learns that the Madonna that she knows was saved is thought to have been destroyed and she embarks on a journey to attempt to find out the truth of the fate of the Madonna.
This is a complex, complicated mystery which also involves Suzanne facing a difficult time in her own story. I really enjoyed this book.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book. It did take me several tries. But after the initial slowness it smoothed into a comfortable read. The main character matures and learns to reconsider her past and learns the lessons it contains. I was moved by some of what she reveals.
There is minor plot twists and it keeps the book moving onward toward its end. It's slow start definitely was a downer which is why it took 7 tries to read this book.

[Juliet]

Страхотна!

[JayeL · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about an art professor who life is changed after a huge natural disaster. She encounters the flood by being in the wrong place at the wrong time or, depending how you think about it, the right place at the right time. One of the things that I like about this book is that it is a mystery and nobody dies. I think it is a lot harder to write a mystery where you can't fill pages with long descriptions of gore and forensic science, but you have to fill the pages with thoughtful writing. I do think that there are a lot of unresolved issues in this book. I didn't believe that the main character felt strongly about her love interest as she said she did. I thought that supporting characters could have been developed a lot more and that would have added to the book. I would have also liked to have seen the relationships developed more.

[Marek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirty years after leaving Florence with a broken heart, Suzanne Cunningham is thrilled to finally be going back to teach art history. While preparing for her course, she comes across something unexpected: a book reveals that a small but significant painting, Madonna and Child, was destroyed in the flood of 1966. But Suzanne knows that isn't true because, with the help of her former lover, Stefano, she rescued the painting - after the infamous flood.

Now, back in the magical city that once captured her heart, Suzanne is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to the priceless painting - and to the man who forever changed the course of her life...

[RuthG · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started reading this book I expected it to be a quick, non-challenging read and that's what it was. I enjoyed reading about the restoration of the art in Florence, Italy as a result of the flood of 1966. What an enormous undertaking that was and how much was accomplished with far less knowledge than we have today. This is not a murder mystery and that meant there was less suspense but the artwork and the descriptions of the art and of Florence and family life were very interesting. I found it well worth reading.

[Bobbie N · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Suzanne Cunningham is returning to Florence to teach a semester of art history courses. While making preparations for her classes and her trip, she comes across a book that states that a little-known painting was destroyed in the 1966 flood – something she knows is not true, because she rescued the painting as part of the clean-up and restoration following the flood. Once in Florence, she sets out to discover how and why such a mistake could have been made – and if her former lover was involved. COMMENTS: Excellent, highly recommended

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book. The first few pages were annoyingly over-detailed, but once I got into it, it flowed swiftly enough. Though now that I think about it, I was also annoyed by the main character's romantic relationship. It just didn't feel terribly real or romantic to me. If that's what finding love in your fifties is like, well, I'm extra-glad that I found it in my twenties.

[Hrpilz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love art, and lived in Florence for 4 months as a student. the topic-restoration was interesting as was the description of Italy. I liked the characters, and was caught up in their world while reading.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book! i stayed up until the wee hours to finish this one!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise bogged down by glacial pacing and an all-too-easily guessed final revelation.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book-- not so much for the story, as for the setting in one of my absolute favorite cities and for the glimpse into the world of art history and restoration.

[Jill Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the setting: Florence, Italy and the references to the art. It was a poignant of Suzanne's life. I liked the perspective on the relationships later in life.

[Maya Ganguly]

again, from the river forest public library's blog

[Nidia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the setting more than the story. Beautiful detailed descriptions of Florence during the flood of the 60's and a great look at some of the artists of the early Renaissance.
An easy read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good historical fiction mystery ... written by the author of The Woman Who Heard Color which I read recently and loved!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the writing and her story, not mushy but romantic in an adult sort of way. The author's description of Florence and all the Art there was an enhancement.

[Charland Garvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, light read book - one of those summer reads. Interesting subject and I quite liked it.