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Angels of Mud
A novel of secrets and misunderstandings, a story of mothers and daughters - and what happens when, unwittingly, you follow in a mother's footsteps.
319 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 8, 2021
Angels of Mud takes place in 1940s London and 1960s Florence. Vanessa Nicolson tells the love stories of Mary, who is in what for her is a loveless marriage and then her daughter Cara who takes up a position in Florence to escape what she sees as a failed romance. Mary has rather rushed into marriage and the phrase ‘marry in haste, repent at leisure’ seems very appropriate for her situation. Her husband is rather dull and she really doesn’t love him. Where she lives in post-war Clerkenwell there is a large Italian community and one of those Italians provides a spark of joy in her humdrum life. When Cara goes to work in Florence, she too has a chance of romance with a local man but the devastating flood of 1966 has serious consequences for both of them. Playing a lesser role in the story is Cara’s daughter Laura who documents her family’s experiences.
The author is familiar with both London and Florence, which you can tell from her wonderful descriptions of both cities. Post-war London is still recovering from the devastation of the Second World War with money tight and families still coping with food and clothes rationing. The strong sense of community particularly among the close-knit Italian community comes across very well. I hadn’t heard about the flood of 1966 in Florence but the author includes plenty of historical detail to explain what happened and its aftermath. Again, the sense of community is strong as the residents of Florence come together to help each other. The ‘Angels of Mud’ were volunteers, often from other countries, who worked to salvage and restore numerous artworks and books which had been so badly damaged by the flood. When I was looked up more information about the flood, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Edinburgh, where I live and which is twinned with Florence, sent double decker buses to the city to temporarily replace the city buses which had been lost in the flood. When they returned to Edinburgh, they all had a little plaque on them stating the gratitude of the Florentine people.
With apologies to the designer, I have to say that I don’t think the cover reflects the story very well. As you can see, it shows what I assume is a mother and daughter in the aftermath of some devastation whether that’s in London or Florence. I think it paints quite a bleak portrait and that a different cover would appeal to and attract more readers to the book. Even though the book does of course reference the flood and its aftermath, to me the emphasis is much more on the love stories of both women.
Putting that aside, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or romantic fiction as both elements are written about so well in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the lives of mother and daughter in different times and in different cities but whose lives followed quite similar patterns. I thought Angels of Mud was a beautifully written book with the two love stories told in a moving and compelling way.
The author is familiar with both London and Florence, which you can tell from her wonderful descriptions of both cities. Post-war London is still recovering from the devastation of the Second World War with money tight and families still coping with food and clothes rationing. The strong sense of community particularly among the close-knit Italian community comes across very well. I hadn’t heard about the flood of 1966 in Florence but the author includes plenty of historical detail to explain what happened and its aftermath. Again, the sense of community is strong as the residents of Florence come together to help each other. The ‘Angels of Mud’ were volunteers, often from other countries, who worked to salvage and restore numerous artworks and books which had been so badly damaged by the flood. When I was looked up more information about the flood, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Edinburgh, where I live and which is twinned with Florence, sent double decker buses to the city to temporarily replace the city buses which had been lost in the flood. When they returned to Edinburgh, they all had a little plaque on them stating the gratitude of the Florentine people.
With apologies to the designer, I have to say that I don’t think the cover reflects the story very well. As you can see, it shows what I assume is a mother and daughter in the aftermath of some devastation whether that’s in London or Florence. I think it paints quite a bleak portrait and that a different cover would appeal to and attract more readers to the book. Even though the book does of course reference the flood and its aftermath, to me the emphasis is much more on the love stories of both women.
Putting that aside, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or romantic fiction as both elements are written about so well in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the lives of mother and daughter in different times and in different cities but whose lives followed quite similar patterns. I thought Angels of Mud was a beautifully written book with the two love stories told in a moving and compelling way.
September 9, 2021
What a fabulous book this is. It’s actually made up of two separate stories – the one about 18-year-old Cara who has gone to live and work in Florence in 1966 after a failed romance has left her heart-broken. The other story follows her mother Mary, married to sad, boring, old-fashioned Geoffrey (I apologise if that sounds a bit mean), but in love with another man.
In Florence, Cara meets a handsome, young Italian man called Gianni and slowly her heart starts to heal. But then one terrible night she witnesses the catastrophic Arno flood, which kills over 100 people and destroys millions of artworks and rare books. Cara is trapped in her apartment with no heating, light or telephone. With Post Offices closed she cannot even let her mother know she is safe. But this devastating event changes Cara’s life and she becomes one of the volunteers, known as the ‘Angels of Mud’, who helped to recover the damaged artefacts and restore them.
It’s a well written novel with beautiful prose and descriptions of post-war London and 1960s Florence, which are written from the author’s experience and knowledge of both cities. I learned a great deal about Clerkenwell in London, known at the time as Little Italy. Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, a place full of rare artworks, books, cultural history and fabulous food.
Both Cara and especially Mary are well-drawn, rounded characters with whom we can empathise. I felt really sorry for Mary; her life was so unfulfilling at a time when women had little opportunity to be more than housewives. By 1966 Cara had choices which her mother never had.
Many thanks to Grace Pilkington Publicity for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.
In Florence, Cara meets a handsome, young Italian man called Gianni and slowly her heart starts to heal. But then one terrible night she witnesses the catastrophic Arno flood, which kills over 100 people and destroys millions of artworks and rare books. Cara is trapped in her apartment with no heating, light or telephone. With Post Offices closed she cannot even let her mother know she is safe. But this devastating event changes Cara’s life and she becomes one of the volunteers, known as the ‘Angels of Mud’, who helped to recover the damaged artefacts and restore them.
It’s a well written novel with beautiful prose and descriptions of post-war London and 1960s Florence, which are written from the author’s experience and knowledge of both cities. I learned a great deal about Clerkenwell in London, known at the time as Little Italy. Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, a place full of rare artworks, books, cultural history and fabulous food.
Both Cara and especially Mary are well-drawn, rounded characters with whom we can empathise. I felt really sorry for Mary; her life was so unfulfilling at a time when women had little opportunity to be more than housewives. By 1966 Cara had choices which her mother never had.
Many thanks to Grace Pilkington Publicity for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.
May 14, 2026
Oh I loved this book SO much, story of 2 women , mother and daughter and their connection to Italy…..
The story of the terrible flood in Florence in 1966, the year I was born, holds feelings for me as I have a wonderful connection to Florence and never knew about the flood until my Italian friend told me. My lovely Italian friend who is like a sister to me…..
If you love historical fiction and you are interested in Italy you will adore this book.
I felt the ending was a little rushed or it would have been 5 stars xx
The story of the terrible flood in Florence in 1966, the year I was born, holds feelings for me as I have a wonderful connection to Florence and never knew about the flood until my Italian friend told me. My lovely Italian friend who is like a sister to me…..
If you love historical fiction and you are interested in Italy you will adore this book.
I felt the ending was a little rushed or it would have been 5 stars xx
December 11, 2025
A beautifully written book —historical romantic fiction. The 2 main characters, mother and daughter, have similar experiences over their lives. I enjoyed Learning of the floods of Italy in the 60’s and how the young volunteers helped their country
April 16, 2026
Not what I expected, and I didn’t particularly like the ending.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews