Miss Garnet, a retired history teacher, had planned to do some travelling with Harriet, with whom she shared a house in Ealing. When Harriet unexpectedly died Miss Garnet decided that she would travel to Venice where she planned to spend six months. This proved to be a life changing experience. Miss Garnet was not interested in religion but soon became fascinated with some of the sculptures and paintings of religious figures, particularly those featuring the angel, Raphael.
As we follow the changes to Miss Garnet's life as she makes friends, gains confidence, learns more about herself, explores Venice (often on foot), and generally falls under the spell of her new environment we also learn about, in a parallel story, the journey of discovery of Tobias at the time of the Assyrians. Aspects of this story also appear in some of the Venice churches and works of art.
This is a story of relationships, re-evaluation of life, history, art, religion - learning to adapt to a new lifestyle in a new environment.
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