The Gondola Maker

The Gondola Maker
Author: Laura Morelli
Publisher: Laura Morelli
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2014-03-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 098936710X

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 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. Soon he will marry the daughter of an artisan prow-maker, securing a key business alliance for the family. 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. "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

The Secret of the Gondola

The Secret of the Gondola
Author: David Alan Brown
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014
Genre: Camera obscuras
ISBN: 9788857215938

A masterpiece by Canaletto leads a young art historian on the trail of an unsolved mystery. In this debut work of fiction, an art-historical investigation quickly becomes detective work. On a pilgrimage to study a masterpiece by Canaletto, a young American graduate student uses his camera phone to solve a centuries-old mystery, thanks to clues left by the painter employing a mobile device of his time--the camera obscura. With the action taking place over a single day, art and technology, as well as ambition, romance, and a brutal crime intersect in a series of step-by-step revelations culminating in a startling deus ex machina at the end. "Surveying the scene from the Dogana, Canaletto seems to have stumbled upon a murder taking place before him and put it in his painting. To decipher the episode depicted in the Bacino, Jeremy exploited several functions of his smartphone. The informational apps provided the context for the murder, while the camera captured its image in the painting. Jeremy wondered whether Canaletto had not also viewed the event through the portable camera of his day--the camera obscura, used as an aid to drawing outdoors. ... Jeremy could just imagine how Canaletto, breathless with excitement, had quickly sketched the momentary image projected on the screen."

The Secret of the Glass

The Secret of the Glass
Author: Donna Russo Morin
Publisher: Kensington Books
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2010
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0758226926

From the author of "The Courtier's Secret" comes a dazzling historical novel that takes readers into the secret and fascinating world of the legendary Murano glassmakers in 17th-century Venice.

The Secret Life of the Savoy

The Secret Life of the Savoy
Author: Olivia Williams
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2021-06-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1643137395

The captivating story of the famed Savoy Hotel’s founders, told through three generations—and one hundred years—of glamour and high society. For the gondoliers-themed birthday dinner, the hotel obligingly flooded the courtyard to conjure the Grand Canal of Venice. Dinner was served on a silk-lined floating gondola, real swans were swimming in the water, and as a final flourish, a baby elephant borrowed from London Zoo pulled a five-foot high birthday cake. In three generations, the D'Oyly Carte family and London's Savoy Hotel pioneered the idea of the luxury hotel and the modern theater, propelled Gilbert and Sullivan to lasting stardom, made Oscar Wilde a transatlantic celebrity, inspired a P. G. Wodehouse series, and popularized early jazz, electric lights, and Art Deco. Following the history of the iconic Savoy Hotel through three generations of the D'Oyly Carte family, The Secret Life of the Savoy brings to life the extraordinary cultural legacy of the most famous hotel in the world.

The Secret of the Glass

The Secret of the Glass
Author: Donna Russo Morin
Publisher: Kensington
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2010-03-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0758261640

The Murano glassmakers of Venice are celebrated and revered. But now three are dead, killed for attempting to leave the city that both prized their work and kept them prisoner. For in this, the 17th century, the secret of their craft must, by law, never leave Venetian shores. Yet there is someone who keeps the secret while defying tradition. She is Sophia Fiolario, and she, too, is a glassmaker. Her crime is being a woman. . . Sophia is well aware that her family would be crushed by scandal if the truth of her knowledge and skill with glass were revealed. But there has never been any threat. . .until now. A wealthy nobleman with strong connections to the powerful Doge has requested her hand in marriage, and her refusal could draw dangerous attention. Yet having to accept and cease her art would devastate her. If there is an escape, Sophia intends to find it. Now, between creating precious glass parts for one of Professor Galileo Galilei's astonishing inventions and attending lavish parties at the Doge's Palace, Sophia is crossing paths with very influential people--including one who could change her life forever. But in Venice, every secret has its price. And Sophia must decide how much she is willing to pay. Praise for Donna Russo Morin's The Courtier's Secret "As opulent and sparkling as Louis XIV's court and as filled with intrigue, passion and excitement as a novel by Dumas. . .a feast for the senses." --Romantic Times (4 stars) "Vivid, delightful, spirited. . .a page-turner as smooth as fine cognac." –Steven Manchester, author of The Unexpected Storm "A wonderfully spun gem of a story." --Armchair Reviews Reading Group Guide Inside

Secret New York

Secret New York
Author: Robert Sietsema
Publisher: ECW Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 1999
Genre: New York (N.Y.)
ISBN: 1550223747

There are dozens of published guides to New York City, nearly all of them covering the same well-trodden territory of pricey restaurants, major hotels, and shopping. Here, New York insider and "Village Voice" columnist Robert Sietsema has assembled a topic-focused book to get the most bang for your buck, from cheap eats or hidden sites to Metrocards.