Books set in Venice
Whether it was seeing my Dad abuzz with excitement in Los Angeles, at the sight of Sunset Boulevard or any thoroughfare mentioned in Michael Connelly’s books, or whether it was following my friend Murali around London’s Hampstead Heath, the setting of several crime novels he’d read, I’ve often witnessed the joy sparked at the intersection of fiction and the urban grid.
That’s what inspired me to create the Reading Venice map and this website dedicated to a city and its books — after all, it’s a book, Joseph Brodsky’s Watermark, that first drew me to Venice.
Enjoy the the journey.
Wondering where you might rub shoulders with characters created by Patricia Highsmith, Henry James or Donna Leon? Looking for the ghost of Joseph Brodsky?
Check out the Reading Venice map. It even includes the exact itinerary of Laura and John’s walk on their fateful first evening in Venice, and much more.
VENICE-O-METER 3 Historical novel based on true events, mostly set in 18th century Venice and 1920’s Turin. How did some of Vivaldi’s scores vanish for centuries, and how were they rediscovered? These are the two questions this novel answers. In a series of often humorous vignettes, the author, a musician and acclaimed Vivaldi specialist, tells…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 4 Historical novel (Napoleonic era) partly set in Venice. This is the city of mazes. You may set off from the same place to the same place every day and never go by the same route. If you do so, it will be by mistake. Your bloodhound nose will not serve you here. Your…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 5 Novel partly set in at the Venice Biennale What fun it was, going everywhere by boat – even though the boat turned out to be as crowded as a rush-hour Tube in London. The difference was that this Tube was chugging down the Grand Canal, through the miracle of Venice at dusk! Venice…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 3 Novel mostly set in Venice. ‘I’d give something to meet that lady.’ Gwinnett did not sound hopeful. Dr Brightman and I assured him there should be no difficulty in arranging that. ‘You’ve just got to sit in the Piazza [San Marco] long enough. You see everyone in the world, if you do that.’…
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VENICE-O-METER 9 Thriller set in Venice. Earlier that day, trailed by Zordyi, Coleman had given him the slip in Merceria. Well, if you couldn’t give someone the slip in Venice, where could you. With its shifting point of view and its now-I’m-dead-now-I’m-not characters, this thriller is as disorienting as Venice — a city whose labyrinthine…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 9 Crime novel set in Venice. After The Medici Murders, this is mild-mannered archivist Arnold Clover’s second investigation in Venice. It hinges on a series of riddles that will have Clover running all over the city, and I had great fun finding the landmarks in real life — once the characters had solved the…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 7Bloated historical novel set in 14th century Venice, marketed as “un’indagine di Dante Alighieri” (that’s right, Dante Alighieri investigates), though plot doesn’t really involve an actual crime-related investigation. Ironically, the character of Dante Alighieri is devoid of any psychology or thoughts that would bring him to life on the page. All the featured females…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 8Preposterous crime novel whose plot is rooted in a puzzling faith in both the local police and, even more laughably, the local press. The only female character is never mentioned without a nod to her bosom (ample), her clothing (low-cut) and her legs (long).If you want to read a brilliant crime novel set in…
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VENICE-O-METER 10 History of public transportation in Venice from the early 1800’s to the 1930’s, featuring plenty of fascinating archive documents and images. This book reads like an (overly?) abundant collection of anecdotes and data but, maybe because I’m not Italian, I thought it was sorely lacking in terms of contextualization. It tells you a…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 10 Must-read history of Venice focusing on women. Includes brief portraits of some of the most epoch-making women in Venetian history as well as a remarkable map and a rich bibliography. This brilliant, engaging history explores the role of women in the development of the Venetian republic and beyond. The book also highlights specific women…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 10 Masterpiece. I wouldn’t call this a travel book, or even a book about Venice. Rather, it’s an book about the writer’s experience of Venice — the city where he spent his winter break every year for almost two decades, and where he is now buried. The only way I could possibly do this book…
Keep readingVENICE-O-METER 7 Graphic novel based on a true, if unlikely 15th century story of survival, gastronomy and Venetian business acumen. It’s a story straight out of a Hollywood survival movie. In 1431, the ship captained by Venetian aristocrat Pietro Querini, is caught in a merciless storm on its way to Flanders. The 11 surviving men…
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