Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: The Quick Author: Lauren Owen ISBN: 978-0-8129-9327-1 Publisher: Random House Type of book: Vampires, permission, Victorian England, 1890s, journal entries, mysteries, homosexuality, the cure, fiction Year it was published: 2014 Summary: An astonishing debut, a novel of epic scope and suspense that conjures up all the magic and menace of Victorian London London, 1892: James Norbury, a shy would-be poet newly down from Oxford, finds lodging with a charming young aristocrat. Through this new friendship, he is introduced to the drawing-rooms of high society, and finds love in an unexpected quarter. Then, suddenly, he vanishes without a trace. Unnerved, his sister, Charlotte, sets out from their crumbling country estate determined to find him. In the sinister, labyrinthine city that greets her, she uncovers a secret world at the margins populated by unforgettable characters: a female rope walker turned vigilante, a street urchin with a deadly secret, and ...

Name of Book: The Gondola Maker Author: Laura Morelli ISBN: 978-0-9893671-0-3 Publisher: Self published Type of book: 1581-1582, art, gondola, Italy, tradition, Venice, romance, day-to-day life, gondolier, gondola-crafting, debt Year it was published: 2014 Summary: In 16th-century Venice, the heir to a family boatyard rejects his destiny but is drawn to restore an old gondola with the dream of taking a girl for a ride. Venice, 1581 Luca Vianello is the heir to the city’s most esteemed gondola-making family. But when an accidental tragedy strikes the boatyard, Luca believes his true calling lies elsewhere. Readers will appreciate the authentic details of gondola craftsmanship along with a captivating tale of artisanal tradition and family bonds set in one of the world’s most magnificent settings: Renaissance Venice. Morelli creates poignantly convincing characters in this handsome coming-of-age novel about adoration, pain, and destiny. --Publisher’s Weekly starr...

In 16th-century Venice, the heir to a family boatyard rejects his destiny but is drawn to restore an old gondola with the dream of taking a girl for a ride. Venice, 1581 Luca Vianello is the heir to the city’s most esteemed gondola-making family. But when an accidental tragedy strikes the boatyard, Luca believes his true calling lies elsewhere. Readers will appreciate the authentic details of gondola craftsmanship along with a captivating tale of artisanal tradition and family bonds set in one of the world’s most magnificent settings: Renaissance Venice. Morelli creates poignantly convincing characters in this handsome coming-of-age novel about adoration, pain, and destiny. --Publisher’s Weekly starred review Historical fiction at its best. --Midwest Book Review Laura Morelli holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University and is the author of Made in Italy.  Author's Bio: Laura Morelli earned a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University, where she was a Bass Writing F...