The Venetian Contract [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2012] Marina Fiorato

By the author of The Glass Blower of Venice. Many of us like historical fiction in general, and if it's set in Middle-Ages Venice, so much the better. Here we get not only Venice, but a touch of Constantinople, as Feyra Adalet bint Timurhan Murad stows away on her father's ship to escape marriage to the Sultan (Murad III). Alas, Feyra is unaware of the ship's deadly mission, and ends up on a Venetian island while the city is stricken with the Plague. Woven into the story is the real life architect Andrea Palladio (born Andrea di Pietro della Gondola), commissioned to build a church so magnificent that it will cause God to lift the Plague from the city. For love interest, we have newly graduated doctor Annibale Cason who separates himself from the local quacks and sets up a clinic on one of the abandoned islands. Feyra was the doctor for the Valide Sultan (Sultan's mother) back in Constantinople--so you can see where this is going, though the ending might surprise you.

Took a gamble with this author as never read her before, but the subject intrigued me as I had read Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks about the Plague, which remains in my top 10 books of all time. The Venetian Contract was a fascinating, well researched, detailed adventure in the 1500's about the Plague, and a young woman's plight as she was unwittingly placed in the middle of it. There is a bit of historical language and personal titles and hierarchy to get used to, only because of the author's detailing, but she does a fine job in guiding you through, and you soon get engrossed in the fascinating story. So many exciting and intriguing events along the way, which prompted me to get on the internet and research some of these things for myself. This is a great story and adventure - didnt want it to finish!

I chose to read "The Venetian Contract" after thoroughly enjoying reading "The Glass Blower of Murano". I particularly enjoyed the historical setting of the story and learning about the the early medical practices of the times. I could easily picture St Marks Square and the Doges Palace, and the journeys through the many canals to the islands of Venice. The differences between cultures, the mystery and the romance made it an entertaining and informative read.

I found this novel to be well written with an exciting plot.The story was compelling and the melding of the two different cultures at that time in history was well thought out. The story flowed well and was a page turner with exciting plots and characters . I would have liked a happier ending but really it did round out the plot. I enjoyed the technical bits re medicine practice between the different cultures and the architectural and engineering concepts surrounding the building of the Cathedral which again high lighted the differences between the two cultures.My husband read the book after me and also enjoyed it.Aussie Fay

Set in 1576 this story centers around the conflict between the Turks and the Venetians. During the battle of Lepanto, the Turks take a Venetian ship and, five years later, sail this ship unnoticed into Venice with a plague victim on board. They leave this infectious man on Piazza San Marco in the hopes that he will cause the bubonic plague to spread to the inhabitants of Venice.The Doge summons the architect Andrea Palladio and asks him to build the greatest church as an offering to God in the hopes that Venice can be saved.

It was a good read. Not one of her better ones but I still enjoyed it. She is a great storyteller and her research is really wonderful. I love Italy and this is a way to learn some history and imagine myself in one of the most beautiful cities of the world.

This novel has become one of my favourites. The characters seem real and you cannot help but feel their trials, triumphs and adventures as if they are your own. The historical details are fascinating, the scenes vibrantly described, and the plot kept me turning pages even when I should have been...ahem, working. If you are a fan of historical romance filled with intrigue, adventure and compelling story-telling, I highly recommend this book.

I love to read historical fiction, and although this novel definitely leaned more to the fiction side than the historical, I did enjoy the story - particularly because it was centered in Venice!

This is historical fiction at it's best, diligently researched, full of facts woven into a story that brings alive Venice in the time of plague and follows the building of Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore by Palladio. Having recently visited Venice I could both visualise the settings of the book and marvel that they were so similar in 2019 to in 1576. Living currently with the Coronavirus pandemic is was easy to imagine the plague sweeping through the city and the desperation of the people. And, all of that said, The Venetian Contract is a glorious story of human actions and emotions. I can't wait to return to Venice and visit Rendentore and, if I can, Lazzaretto Nova, the isolation hospital.

I had been very disappointed by Marina Fiorato's last book, The Daughter of Siena, which was a rather dull affair in comparison to her other books - The Glassblower of Murano, The Madonna of the Almonds and, especially, The Botticelli Secret. I was worried that she had run of steam. She hasn't. The Venetian Contract is a splendid book - an exciting thriller full of credible historical detail set in Venice and Constantinople redolent with the atmosphere of the East.Feyra Adalet bint Timurhan Murad is doctor cum taster to the dowager Sultana, Nur Banu Sultan. She arrives at the palace late to find that Nur has already broken her fast and has become very ill. After investigation, Feyra works out that she has been poisoned and the whole household, especially herself, will be in grave danger because of it. Nur rallies slightly before she dies and reveals a secret to Feyra which increases her danger, and means that she and her father, a ship's captain, must leave the city immediately. Unfortunately, Nur's son, the Sultan, knows the secret and has other plans for Feyra and her father. Feyra is shut away in her house and on the next day, her father is forced to set sail for Venice with a deadly cargo. Feyra manages to escape and stow away on what she hopes is her father's ship. Unbelievable? Unlikely? Fiorato makes it work so that you do not have to suspend too much of your disbelief.It turns out that the Sultan wishes to take revenge on the city of Venice for the routing of the Ottoman fleet at Lepanto and has unleashed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse on the city. What will Feyra do? She is a Turk in a plague ridden city of her country's deadliest foe. She is a woman in a city where women have no standing and she is a Muslim which restricts her behaviour and makes her even more hated by the Christian Venetians.The resolution of all these problems makes a very satisfactory story. It is very pleasing that Feyra stays true to character and does not become a 21st century super woman and the rest of the characters also remain firmly rooted in their time and place.I really enjoyed this book and, much as I hoped I could, it was not possible to foretell how it ended accurately.

I would have given it 3.5 as I basically did enjoy it. I just wish the ending hadn't felt so rushed. The main character spent most of the book needing to meet her great uncle and the build up was fine. Then all of a sudden Whammo, she meets up and it was such an anti-climax. The story I found interesting and I did become invested into what would happen to the main characters but after all the build-up I felt a bit cheated by the "And they lived happily ever after" type of conclusion. It was an easy read and I liked the style of it. It's just that feeling of, when I had finished it, of "Oh, that's it then". I'll probably check out some of her other books though so please don't be put off by my review - maybe I would give it a 3.75 ?

This book is an excellent read indeed. All you wanted to know about Venice in the 1600s. Thank you so much for writing it. You mentioned you spoke to a film producer? This would make an exceptional film. I hope it comes to pass. .

I can always rely on this author to provide an excellent written plot, characters you can visualise and a setting you can virtually walk around in your head. She manages to write page turners you can’t put down. Because they are set in places and times you can research you feel you know the area and events so well. They also make you want to visit the places she mentions. First stop this year the Redentore.