Award-winning historical fiction set in 16th-century Venice
Benjamin Franklin Digital Award
IPPY Award for Best Adult Fiction E-book
National Indie Excellence Award Finalist
Eric Hoffer Award Finalist
Shortlisted for the da Vinci Eye Prize
From the author of Made in Italy comes a tale of artisanal tradition and family bonds set in one of the world’s most magnificent settings: Renaissance … artisanal tradition and family bonds set in one of the world’s most magnificent settings: Renaissance Venice.
Venetian gondola-maker Luca Vianello considers his whole life arranged. His father charted a course for his eldest son from the day he was born, and Luca is positioned to inherit one of the city’s most esteemed boatyards. But when Luca experiences an unexpected tragedy in the boatyard, he believes that his destiny lies elsewhere. Soon he finds himself drawn to restore an antique gondola with the dream of taking a girl for a ride.
The Gondola Maker brings the centuries-old art of gondola-making to life in the tale of a young man’s complicated relationship with his master-craftsman father. Lovers of historical fiction will appreciate the authentic details of gondola craftsmanship, along with an intimate first-person narrative set against the richly textured backdrop of 16th-century Venice.
A Venetian page-turner
“I’m a big fan of Venice, so I appreciate Laura Morelli’s special knowledge of the city, the period, and the process of gondola-making. An especially compelling story.” –Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun
“Laura Morelli has done her research, or perhaps she was an Italian carpenter in another life. One can literally smell and feel the grain of finely turned wood in her hands.” –Pamela Sheldon Johns, author of Italian Food Artisans
“Romance, intrigue, family loyalty, pride, and redemption set against the backdrop of Renaissance Italy.” –Library of Clean Reads
“Beautiful, powerful evocation of the characters, the place, and the time. An elegant and thoroughly engaging narrative voice.” –Mark Spencer, author of Fiction Club: A Concise Guide to Writing Good Fiction
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Everything you ever wanted to know about building a gondola, but in a very engaging way.
This was a very interesting book that transported you back to old Venice.
I enjoyed the book but found the end disappointing .
Well written. Good historical background. Held my interest.
Very interesting subject. Well put together
Unique subject; a nice glimse into an historical era and a lpst craft.
Fun introduction to history of Venice.
Believable relationships in an intriguing story.
Beautifully written story. Makes the reader feel as if present in that time and place. Way too much description, and not enough real action. More narrative than meaningful dialogue.
I enjoyed the story and characters and the reminders of places in Venice. I also appreciated learning about the complexity of boatmaking.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book….the characters and story line was a delight to follow.
Loved this behind-the-scenes kind of look at Venice, especially after reading many of another author’s Detective Guido Brunetti mysteries.
Great historic information. Colorful descriptions to the point I felt as if I was there. At times a bit slow but so worththe reading.
Learned a lot about the Italian culture back in the olden days. Very interesting to learn how the gondolas were made. However, the story weaves around the characters and you find yourself turning the pages to see what happens next.
One gets to know the characters intimately with their problems. Learning about the life of gondola makers and the art of making gondolas was enlightening.
To see a young person value quality craftsmanship, even in a fictional setting, is truly a blessing. The main character of this book overcame some life issues without compromising his workmanship and morality. The setting of Venice brought back memories of my brief travels in that city, albeit a couple of centuries after the setting in the book. Read it and enjoy!
Pedestrian and synthetic feeling. It failed to hold my interest and I stopped reading about a quarter of the way through.
Good historical fiction along with a good story
Loved this! Thank you Sir
Good historical fiction that made me want to learn more about gondola in general and a view into the world of Venice canals.