The Gondola Maker...Review

About the book: 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.

I love Venice.  It is one of my favorite cities to get lost in.  It's a perfect city to ramble around and wander and explore.  Books set in Venice and especially Renaissance Venice always find their way into my TBR stack. The historical aspect of this book was amazing.  It was well researched and vivid in its descriptions. The story provides a rich perspective of boat building and the gondola.  It provides its fair share of family relationships and drama.

Unfortunately, the character of Luca wasn't one who resonated with me and consequently the story.  I just never understood him or cared about him. The story wasn't one I particularly enjoyed, perhaps it was the first person narrative, I don't know.  I loved the setting and I loved the rich descriptions. Ultimately though, I didn't love the book.  My opinion is the minority though and you can find other, more positive reviews at Peeking Between the Pages, Library of Clean Reads, In This World of Books, and Black and Gold Girl's Books Spot.

Thanks to iRead Book Tours for the opportunity to review this book.  You can learn more about Laura Morelli here.  You can see other reviews here. You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 6/14

* *
2/5 Stars

Comments

  1. Hi Holly, too bad this one did not resonate with you. But glad you liked the historical aspect. And thanks for being a part of this tour!

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