The Venetian Contract

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.