What do readers think of The Venetian Bargain by Marina Fiorato? Write your own review.

Wonderful, vivid descriptions! At some points I wanted to cringe from the smell and turn my eyes from the horrors portrayed. The reader feels right in the heart of Venice and Constantinople during the mid 1500's. Fascinating events of the plague, bitter feuds, poisoning, even dress and food make for a fast paced enlightening read.

The clash of cultures – East versus West; the clash of religions – Christianity and early Islam; the clash of nascent philosophy of modern scientific rationalist Western medicine and traditional holistic Eastern medicine; all of this wrapped into an agonist-antagonist romance between the lead character, Feyra, and her counterpart, Dr. Annibale Cason, makes this novel a sweeping and interesting entry into Venice of the mid 1400s. I found the deus-ex-machina ending not terribly credible, but, overall, enjoyed the story.

Let's hear it for a woman as the heroine! This story centered around a very talented, intuitive and young woman named Feyra from Constantinople. Her journey is nothing short of remarkable, at times more fantastic than possible but nevertheless the story keeps you interested in the next challenge.

I especially enjoyed the historical references to the schemes utilized by the Venetian doctors who treated so many in need during the plague. Whether the character wears a mask or a veil, there is something to hide as well as something to reveal. Follow Feyra in her struggle to keep her faith while also trying to stay one step ahead of those who knew the Turks only as evil. She has so much to prove and the outcome may not be what you expect of a historical romance story.

The Venetian Bargain combines well-researched historical facts, descriptions that awake your senses and setting that all transport the reader to 1570's Venice. Fioratto's well-developed characters draw the reader into the plot that begins with a slow pace, accelerating to some high drama and romantic moments. I enjoyed this read.

Books like The Venetian Bargain are making historical fiction one of my favorite genres. This was the first book of Marina Fiorato's that I've read, and after finishing it I bought two of her other books and added one to our book club reading list. Her period detail is authentic, and the story itself is compelling if not spellbinding. There were some technical glitches which hopefully will be corrected in the final editing process, but even if not, I didn't find them deal-breakers. Overall, this was a very good read.

Quite an interesting read. It is well written though it uses language that is different. Twists and turns that are unexpected hold the readers interest. A good read overall.

I will start this review with the conclusion - which is: I cannot say I loved it, but I did like the book.

I am a historical fiction fan but my preference is to read novels about American history. I occasionally venture into English history, but usually with a few misgivings because I just don't enjoy that history as much as my normal fare. I have read and enjoyed books that tell the background of some American immigrants who had roots in Italy; but I think was one of my first books purely about Italian history. As a result, it took me a little while to get into this book. I am not going to blame that on the author – I think it was just my lack of previous knowledge

I must say, however, I found the frequent inclusion of words that had no meaning to me and words that an online search did not provide a meaning somewhat frustrating. For instance on page 8, the word "portonera" is used. From its context, I presumed it meant something similar to a Mother Superior but I remain uncertain. Then on Page 9, the city of Venice is called a "polly-pole". From that context I could tell it was derogatory term but I could not find it in web search either. Then when the narrative switches to Constantinople, words like yashmak and ormisi were liberally thrown in. Now, I was able to search for these words and usually was able to find them. As I said, the author's tendency to impress us with words such as these proved her acquaintance with the language but did not improve my reading pleasure.

As I gained better footing in the novel, I enjoyed the character development and developed empathy for the main character, a young Muslim girl trained in medicine who flees her homeland to avoid an act of revenge by the Sultan. She ends up on a voyage to Venice on the same ship where a man suffering from bubonic fever is the main cargo – a dreadful scheme of the Sultan to smuggle this man into Venice and thereby gift Venice with the Plague.

Her adventures as a Muslim in Christian Venice during the 16th Century while the Plague is raging present an interesting setting. I enjoy learning and the book presented me with new information about treating the Plague and the Venetian culture in that era.

Until I almost finished the book, I could not understand why they chosen the image on the cover of the book – which gives the impression of wealth woman in a stylish dress – since our heroine dresses very modestly true to her Muslim culture. I wondered if the cover was aimed at indicating a possibly torrid romantic tone to the book. In the end, I understood what it portrayed and apologize for jumping to conclusions.

I am not going to search for another book by this author, but if you like this era and this culture I predict you will enjoy this book very much.

An interesting book; although not my favorite, still very rich in details on Venice and the black plague. The author definitively did her homework.