**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**


I had very conflicted feelings about this book. To just start from the beginning, the front matter seemed longer than it needed to be and more convoluted. I found it hard to believe that a woman married to an abusive man would engage in an affair. I would have scratched that. Her continual longing for Alec was just sad and my eyes started to hurt from rolling them. I couldn't figure out why the book was set in the 80s, but then Viv let her bigotry fall out and it made sense. Viv's homophobia was problematic for the 80s, but if set in current times, it would have been unreadable. Both characters were very unlikeable, and not in a "they have human flaws" kind of way, but in a "this book is pretty hard to stomach" way.

However, this book did have a number of redeeming features. Claire's descriptions of Italy and the art were amazing. When Claire and Viv were viewing Da Vinci's Last Supper, I could feel those walls come up and I was back in that dark, musty room and I could see the painting before me. I could see the aspects that Claire was describing. It was very obvious that art history was Claire's thing and she absolutely thrived in those scenes. I would have longed to see that Claire more throughout the book. I also really enjoyed the offer Claire received in Paris. I think I actually screamed YES! outloud because I was so excited for her. I was a little disappointed that we never actually learned what her decision was. I would have loved an epilogue of Claire and her daughter living their best life in Paris.

It would also have been cute, for those not familiar with all the art pieces discussed, to have pictures of "Claire and Viv" with pictures of the art. Like "these were cute pictures we took on our trip". It would have been a fun inclusion for a fiction novel, while still providing pictures of the art for those less familiar with some pieces. Truly I'd like to give this a 2.5, but I'm going to round to 3 because of my love of nerdy art Claire and her potential.

The idea of traveling with a stranger to Italy, learning about art and art history was the reason why I gave this book a read. I had fun reading the parts about art but I just couldn't connect with the characters. Their personal issues were too heavy for me. I guess this book is for those who love heavy family themes and art history. Thank you NetGalley and Zoe Disigny for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Art of Traveling Strangers is the first book I have read by author Zoe Disigny. I thought it was a good read. I recommend it for readers who enjoy reading fiction that takes them to different places around the world. I will be looking out for more releases by this author to see what else she has in store for readers. This one is worth a read and a nice way to spend an afternoon.

I honestly really liked this book. I really loved the cover and the title. They drew me in first. The blurb description detailed a book about an art historian needing to get away from her life, and I was hooked. I love books about art, art history, artists, anything art really. Especially if they are fiction or historical fiction. This one did not disappoint. The story was well thought out and well developed. The characters were believable and likeable. The book flowed really well. The only criticism I have is not even a criticism. It is really just an FYI or a warning for other readers. There is a LOT of art history in this book. If that is not your thing, this probably isn't either. There's tons of fashion and some fashion history as well. I loved that! Try it! You will like it and you may even learn something! It definitely made me want to book a trip to Italy to do some art exploration and shopping!

What do you do when the dominoes of your life keep tumbling down? You take a trip to Europe, that’s what!

Slammed by several family tragedies and sudden career instability, Claire Markham is left reeling. When she is asked by the mysterious Viv Chancey to provide a private tour through Italy and Paris, the art history professor agrees.

I was heartily intrigued by the blurb for Zoe Disigny’s ‘The Art of Traveling Strangers,’ along with its postcard-perfect cover. I love Italy and was keen to go on a romp through the beautiful country alongside two women seeking empowerment. However, the ‘life-changing journey’ I was promised by the blurb fell flat for me.

The story is sold as one of a woman taking charge of her life. Yet the surging triumph I expected felt absent – the overall mood of the novel is melancholic. The story oscillates between dry art history lectures and many, many flashbacks to Claire’s traumatic past. We quickly learn that her student Viv has a traumatic story of her own, but it remains frustratingly unexplored – we are given breadcrumbs, but the tale is never fully fleshed out.

I was quite shocked by Disigny’s nonchalant use of the racial slur ‘g_psy’; the lack of explanation about anxiety disorders, despite their being frequently referenced; and the poorly-addressed homophobia. The book is set during the AIDS crisis of the 1980’s, but there are ways of establishing a time period while addressing such topics with far more tact than they were given.

Ultimately, I didn’t connect with the story or either of the main characters. While both women are said to be in their early-to-mid-thirties, Claire frets and lectures like an insecure, middle-aged woman while Viv whines and pops her gum like a teenager. There are some pleasant moments in the book, and I will never turn down a novel about the joys of Italy, but I did not find this the uplifting read I was expecting.

⭐️⭐️

** Thank you to @netgalley for providing an eARC copy of the @mascotbooks publication in exchange for an honest review. Due for publication 22/2/22

Highly recommend!! This book is a definite page-turner! You'll be left thinking about the story long after you put the book down. First book to read by this author but definitely not my last!

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!*

The Art of Traveling Strangers is Zoe Disigny’s debut work featuring narrator Claire and her experiences with life, love, art, and travel.

I rated this book one star due to the overwhelming amount of clichés they used to substitute actual character growth as well as factual inaccuracies about mental health and toxic character tropes that served no purpose to the overall narrative. Unfortunately, this book failed to engage or entertain me as a reader and continued to frustrate me with its out-of-touch characters and immature prose.

I feel that this book is likely meant for an older audience, or an audience that is not well-adjusted to modern expectations of communication, accountability, and healthy relationship dynamics (whether amorous or platonic). The narrative felt uncomfortably out of touch, even for being set in the 1980s. For example, in one scene Claire ventures to an art museum and restaurant where she comments on how she “loves people watching,” and especially people “of the arts” claiming they often make such grand visual spectacles. She then goes on to describe someone in a polka-dot dress with a red cummerbund, and another woman with a silk scarf wrapped around her head and matching glasses. Sorry, but that’s not really “grand,” honey, not even for the 80’s.

I’m sure there is an audience for this story, but it definitely wasn’t for me.

I tried to like this. I didn't hate it but I didn't feel like I connected with the characters which was unfortunate because I loved the premise. The author did a great job with descriptiveness, and I've been to some of the places she spoke of so it was like being transported back but I maybe needed to be a little more into the art aspect to have fully appreciated this one....

Thank you to NetGalley and Amplify Publishing Group for providing my with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I believe there is a target audience that would really enjoy this book, unfortunately I was not one of them. But in the interest of being fair for this review I’m going to give it a very middle of the road 3 stars, although for me personally it would probably be closer to a 2 and I probably would have DNF’d if this wasn’t an ARC.

Claire is a mid-30s art history professor who is currently devastated after both her husband and the man she was having an affair with have left her. Realising that without her husband’s income it will be difficult to make ends meet as a single mother to her daughter, Claire decides to spend the summer as a personal art history tour guide across Europe to Viv. Viv appears quite strange at first and the two don’t really mesh, but the two grow closer and learn from each other in their journey across Italy and France.

Let’s start with the positive. The author herself was an art history professor and her knowledge and passion for the subject really come through in her writing. I’ve never been very interested in the different artistic periods, nor have I ever been able to keep all the different terms straight, so I do think this aspect of the book would be more appealing to people who are already interested in the subject. I was far more interested in the descriptions of the European cities that Claire and Viv visit, as well as the museums and cathedrals on Claire’s art tour.

Now for the negatives. Unhappy in her marriage, Claire seeks therapy and eventually enters into an affair with her therapist, Alec. Eventually Claire’s husband figures out she’s cheating and leaves her, and following this Alec also breaks it off with Claire to try to fix his own marriage. I found the affair subplot unnecessary as all it did was make Claire unlikeable. We are told Claire’s husband Kurt is selfish, manipulative and downright vindictive. Because of this I would have much preferred for the marriage to fall apart on its own without the need for infidelity to vilify Claire. The next thing that really bugged me is that for no discernible reason this book is set in the 1980s. Practically, this adds nothing to the story, and you are only ever reminded of it when one of the characters says something like “primo” (Viv’s favourite adjective), “whammo”, or “what a buncha yahoos.” However, being set in the ‘80s provides context for Claire’s fundamental misunderstanding of mental health and anxiety, as well as Viv’s casual homophobia. More than once throughout the book Claire fears that Viv will go off the rails after she learns that Viv has suffered from panic attacks in the past. Viv, on the other hand, refers to speculation over artists like Da Vinci and Michelangelo’s sexuality as “bad mouthing” them. This stems from a poor relationship with her brother, who is gay, and being ridiculed for her brother’s sexuality when she was in high school. I think this could have been explored in a productive way but I was uncomfortable with the author’s use of the f-slur even if the book is set in a time when it was widely considered acceptable.

Review will be posted to Goodreads and StoryGraph

Fans of Italian art history with wanderlusty daydreams of being offered an all-expenses-paid trip to explore Florence, Venice, Milan and more will quite possibly adore this memoir!

What I loved about it: the setting, the detailed descriptions of well-known paintings and sculptures - this was a great art history lesson, served with scenes of pasta, wine, and leather shopping on the side. I also appreciated the conclusion, both the resolution of Claire and Viv's family challenges and the personal growth that came from their adventure (this is what travel does to us!) This was set in the 80s, and there is also a small set of interactions where Claire advocates for the homophobic Viv to reconnect with her queer family member who is infected with HIV (yet this is handled in a rushed and surface-level way.)

What didn't quite work for me: It was surprising to read in the author's note that this was based on her true experience. Overall, I found it stayed on the surface with character development and featured many implausible scenarios. I do think some, especially those Italian art history lovers, will find it an enjoyable read!

finished this in one sitting. i enjoyed it. love how it talks about arts and claire’s journey through every parts. i really learned a lot from this book about art. but something in this book i could’nt connect with some people might love this but its not my cup of tea. thank you for the publisher and the author for giving me this!!

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book!
I enjoyed this book but not as much as I thought it would. Although I enjoyed reading and learning about the art pieces mentioned in this book, it was overruled by romantic problems that I didn’t really care for. I felt that this book ended abruptly and that there were a lot of loose strings, but overall I enjoyed it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The characters were realistic and I enjoyed the emphasis on art. My only criticism is that some of the flashbacks and tangents didn't seem necessary.

If anything, this book made me want to spontaneously pack my bags and spend all my money just travelling and gallavanting around Europe. Years into the pandemic and self-isolation, this book was as far as my travel plans could go. Nice of it to offer me swift escapism while I valiantly try to fight off cabin fever.

Interesting book! The characters and the history are nice. The art history is the highest point of the book. Claire and Viv made it hard to like them in the beginning but chapter by chapter we start to know them e see the evolution the travel brings to both of them.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the feeling of traveling along with these characters and learning about the art along with them. Though I wish the book would've had the art so I can view and marvel along with Claire and Viv I do love this book. I love how the author showcases the different types of relationships. I really enjoyed this book.

When a 30-something introverted art historian suffers a string of losses, she lands an opportunity to take a boisterous - also 30-something - neophyte on a grand adventure across Europe to educate her on the world's masterpieces. The two young women couldn't be more different yet during their journey, they bond and grow, both learning to overcome and accept the circumstances of their current realities. This delightful. book is a fun-filled romp through Europe's enchanting capital cities, playfully infused with timeless art and haute couture.

Had a wonderful time reading this as I was commuting to work! A good travel read 💜
Thank you to #netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

the art of traveling strangers follows our protagonist claire, who decides to make a life altering move after varying failed romantic endeavors. in an attempt to find herself and escape her troubled past, she leaves for an adventure to become an art guide for her new eccentric and well-funded companion viv. these women travel throughout some really cool european cities while exploring the history and cultures of the artwork in these places.

while the premise of this book seemed intriguing (i’ve been to many of the places mentioned in this book), it ultimately fell flat for me. not being extremely into art myself, i found myself bored throughout much of the book. i also had a difficult time connecting with both of the main characters. while i did enjoy reading about them, there was nothing really that stood out, at least to me.

overall, i think that there is definitely an audience who will love and cherish this book out there, but i am not a member of said audience. people who are art/art history fanatics, enjoy traveling, and love to learn new things will really enjoy reading this book. there was so much detail woven into the pages; you could really tell that the author cares so much about art, and knowing that ultimately motivated me to finish this.

thank you so much to netgalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

It was a nice read. I got to travel places while reading. The plot was good but there's something lacking.