The Girl from Venice

What a disappointment, from an author some of whose earlier works hit the mark so well. The characters in this book are flat and one-dimensional; there is little true feel for place or period, and, to top it all off, the details relating to flight are childishly naive. Overall: slow, plodding, predictable; hardly worth slogging through.

What a great read! For pure pleasure, the best novel that I have read in awhile, I finished this at 3:30 this morning so that I could share with visiting granddaughter, and because it had been that famously 'impossible to put down.' I put this with his ROSE as a superbly crafted and entertaining non-series mystery/suspense novel from several years ago. He is virtually one of a kind with his fine fiction tales these days. Go for this expecting the best!

Did not meet expectations set by reviews. Shallow character development. Odd. Jumps around too much. Great opening chapter and initial premise for the story. But, it was difficult to follow after that. Could've been so much more...

There simply is no greater word smith in the modern era than Martin Cruz Smith. Even though he is suffering a debilitating disease he, once again, comes through with a magnificent story, excellently told. He serves as the pinnacle that all writers should, but few do, strive for. The reason his books are published so infrequently is because when he writes about a place, or a job, or a custom - it is because he has been there and takes pictures and draws sketches and interviews people and gets all the little details just right. I've read everything he has written - twice.
I would read the telephone book, if Martin Cruz Smith would rewrite it. He is the best..

This book is a lovely story of survival, good versus evil. It is set in the complexities of Venice in World War II, as well as in the complexities of family and social class. The hero and heroine are immensely appealing and you will be hoping against hope that their love will endure from the very first pages of the book. Amidst the details of Italy at war, this is a very very sweet and rewarding love story, tremendously hopeful to read.