During World War II, Stella makes an unbreakable connection with a boy sheltering in her family's Tuscan villa, while the treasures of the Uffizi Galleries are hidden inside. A beautiful and important story about coming of age in wartime and the power of art to bring hope in times of darkness.
Tuscany, 1943. Twelve-year-old Stella is coming of age in a world at war. As bombs rain down on her native city of Torino, her mother sends her to distant relatives at a villa in Tuscany, where her family is tasked with a great responsibility: hiding over 300 priceless masterpieces from the Uffizi Galleries.
With the arrival of German troops imminent, Stella finds herself a stranger in her aunt and uncle's villa; and she struggles to understand why her aunt doesn't like her. She knows it has something to do with her parents--and the fact that her father, currently fighting at the front, has been largely absent from her life. Stella must navigate the dangers of wartime Italy, both external and within her own family, to keep the art safe and find her place in the world. She knows art has power, but she herself remains powerless as the adults around her dictate her fate.
When refugees come looking for shelter in the villa, Stella befriends Sandro, an orphaned boy with a remarkable artistic talent. Sandro becomes an important ally and muse. For Stella and Sandro, the art hidden in the villa becomes a comfort, a refuge from the threats and uncertainties outside the villa. The hours they spend inside the art hiding place bring meaning to their increasingly stifling world.
When German troops requisition the villa, Stella and Sandro must make a decision that puts the fate of the Uffizi's treasures--and their own lives--in the crosshairs.
Inspired by the true story of the heroic efforts to safeguard Italy's cultural treasures during World War II, THE KEEPER OF LOST ART is a sweeping and emotionally powerful tale of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Night Portrait and The Last Masterpiece comes a gorgeously crafted, immersive coming-of-age-in-wartime story.
