The secrets of the past are treacherous…and irresistible.A Renaissance-era female artist and an American scholar. Linked by a centuries-old mystery… embrace a theory that Mira’s paintings are the work of a famous man, Zari must act. Racing against time, she travels to a windswept corner of Spain. What she discovers there solves the puzzle of Mira forever—and unlocks the secrets of Zari’s own past.
1505: Pregnant and reunited with the love of her life, artist Mira survives a harrowing journey to the city of her dreams. But Bayonne is nothing like she imagined. Navigating a dangerous world ruled by merchants and bishops, she struggles to reignite her painting career. When an old enemy rises from the shadows, Mira’s life is thrown into chaos all over again—and she is faced with a shattering decision.
A thrilling tale of obsession, mystery, and intrigue, this mesmerizing saga will stay with you long after you read the last page.
“Luxuriantly detailed…addictive to the extreme.” — The Coffee Pot Book Club
“I thoroughly enjoyed A Place in the World. The plot keeps the reader turning pages anxious to learn what happens next. The settings are beautifully drawn. I highly recommend all three books in the series for art and history lovers and anyone who wants a well-written, thoughtfully-crafted book.” — Deborah Swift, author of Entertaining Mr. Pepys
“In this last book, Maroney brings Mira and Zari’s adventure to a satisfying close. Like the first two books, A Girl from Oto and Mira’s Way, A Place in the World is fast-paced and the writing seems effortless. Maroney’s Miramonde series is storytelling at its best.” — Rose City Reader Reviews
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This is the last in the series and I’m sad to see it end. I thoroughly enjoyed this dual time-line narrative that takes us back to the sixteenth century, and Mira, a female artist trying to find her place in the world. On the trail of this artist is Zari, and art historian who is confounded at every turn by other less well-informed (and male) historians of the establishment. Both women are looking to make their mark, and both have long journeys to find their niche. For Zari it is a fight to prove that Mira’s paintings were not painted by a better known male artist. For Mira there is a more life-threatening adventure as one of her old enemies seeks to wreak revenge. The plot of both time-lines keeps the reader turning the pages anxious to find out what will happen next.
The settings in this book are beautifully drawn, the convents, the rich merchants’ houses, and the landscape around Bayonne. I also enjoyed reading about Zari’s journey to Basque country, and her encounter with her distant relatives in her search for her own identity.
There is much more in these books than a brief review will allow. If you haven’t read the others, do start from the beginning. All three are excellent reads and I highly recommend all three for art and history lovers and anyone who wants a well-written, thoughtfully crafted book.
Please, please write a fourth book!
I loved this series and can’t bear to say goodbye to the characters, their world and their stories. I finished A Place in the World with a real sense of loss. If you love travel, good food and drink, the fascinating world of modern art restoration, academia and the true workings of auctions, then this is the series for you. That’s before we get to a total immersion in early sixteenth century France, Spain and the Basque country. I had the feeling that the author had been on her own pilgrimage to not only these two places but England and the Netherlands too, capturing every detail as if she were travelling the well-worn path of the Compostela de Santiago (also featured).
As soon as you pick up the wonderful first instalment: The Girl from Oto, you are entering two worlds, the modern and the medieval. As Maroney herself puts it, this is what happens “when history and obsession collide.” All the characters are so well-rounded and fascinating it’s a joy to switch viewpoints. And the author does ‘Bad’ brilliantly. There are baddies in both time frames, deliciously wicked and creating havoc for the main protagonists.
The description is astonishingly good. You can smell the salt air of the wild Atlantic Ocean, near Bayonne, Gascony; taste the rabbit stew; recoil at the acrid tallow candles. Maroney writes so fluidly it frequently makes you pause at her eloquence. Yet it is a very user-friendly series, extremely easy to follow the plot as well as the finer details of art restoration. I learnt so much from it. A great deal of research has gone into her work and yet the novels wear it so lightly, using it to draw the reader in until the present world around them fades. The memory of the Miramonde Series will never fade and I urge everyone to pick up Book One. I envy you!
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: A Place in the World
Author: Amy Maroney
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 18
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 8/10
Of the 18 readers:
18 would read another book by this author.
16 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
18 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
16 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
18 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘For me, I loved the setting. It was as if it was a character in the story.’ Male reader, 29
‘Mira is a rich character who I thoroughly enjoyed following. The author has put together a clever plot of mystery and suspense. Also, the ‘art’ element of the book is informative and will undoubtedly be enjoyed by any art lovers.’ Reader, aged 40
‘I have enjoyed all three books in this complex and thoroughly gripping historical drama. The characters, good and bad, jump off the page, and the plot is gripping. The historical setting is always fully imagined by the author and she puts it across to the reader in a wonderfully descriptive way. Of course, the central premise of two artists living so far apart in history but still connected, is very clever. I will read more of this author’s books.’ Male reader, aged 59
‘Descriptive writing style but still able to keep up the pacing. A rare talent.’ Female reader, aged 39
To Sum It Up:
‘A cleverly plotted, complex saga written with flamboyance! A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards