Handcrafted Gondolas by Venetian Artisans

Kathleen: What a story teller! Ms MOrelli tells a story with such lovely detail that the reader loses themselves in the 16th century life. Her description of the life as an a young man brings his every incident to life. A wonderful story.

United States on Jan 18, 2023

EvilAntieJan: This is like a coming I've novel set in 16th Century Venice. It went into a great deal of detail about gondola making. I found the story of father and son thought provoking. The first book was so strong and I simply preferred it to this one.

United States on Aug 07, 2022

Charles Scott: Laura Morelli's compelling novel, The Gondola Maker, published in 2014, commences in the year 1581 and takes place in the popular vacation destination of Venice, Italy. The narrator, "Luca Vianello," relates the incredible story of his life, family, and adventures during the waning years of the Renaissance period when Italian art, culture, and society were all the rage. His long-established and reputable family has been constructing and selling the sleek, swift, maneuverable wooden vessels that circumnavigate the Republic's canals, rapidly propelling the local population throughout the city, for generations upon generations. He proves his capabilities as a tried, trued, and tested master craftsman and "river-yacht" tradesman. His family touts their own particular brand and trademark of dealership vessels, as it were. It is not surprising that their boats are highly regarded as being among the finest manufactures anywhere in the then-known world.
One day, Luca decides to branch-out into the water-taxi business, and so begins the real adventure of a lifetime. He meets a certain "Guiliana Zanchi," and she zings him good, with one of Cupid's arrows. Their brief, fleeting,...

United States on Feb 19, 2019

David E Hatch: Dr. Laura Morelli is the consummate storyteller. In her first two historical novels she creates characters woven in the tapestry of 16th century Venice. Her descriptions and attention to details make for readable and enjoyable historical novels that are also informative. All of that is made possible because of her educational background in art history and her extensive travels in further developing that expertise.
Her first historical novel was the The Gondola Maker. Interesting and challenging family dynamics cause the heir to The Gondola Maker dynasty to do the unthinkable. The heir, on the run through Venetian cultures of the rich and famous and the not so rich and famous, grips the reader’s attention. You the reader are there on the scene shadowing the characters.
After reading this novel I thought I might luggage up and head to Venice a second time. GPS and novel in hand I might try following the apple seeds dropped by Dr. Morelli’s characters.
I am in the middle of her second novel The Painter’s Apprentice. Again it is her character development and story line that make for enjoyable and informative reading.

United States on Jan 28, 2018

Written Path: Wonderfully evocative of 16th century Venice. I liked it so much that I'm reading her other book 'The Painter's Apprentice' right now. These books are great reading for people who want to know more about the arts and crafts that made Venice so renowned in that period. And ofcourse, even if Renaissance artists' descendants may not be as gifted as their ancestors were, to continue to turn out masterpieces; certain other crafts - like gondola making - still survive and are being made by the same families even today. It was good to know this, because I do want to enjoy a gondola ride, whenever I make it to Venice :) So keep making those beautiful boats!

India on Nov 30, 2017

Ms. A. Traczykowski: The son of a gondola maker, our hero loves working with wood, but his Father is a brutal man. After a heated argument with his Father a lamp is knocked over and the workshop erupts into a blazing inferno. The son , afraid of his Father`s wrath runs away. And so begins a future that involves near starvation until he gets a job on the gondolas.
This is really good book that pays great attention to gondola making and the general day to day life of the citizens of Venice, both rich and poor.

United Kingdom on Nov 10, 2017

Lynda: I so enjoyed this novel. Whether you have been to Venice or not you will feel as if you know it by the time you have finished reading the book. Learning about the network that revolves around the profession of crafting gondoliers was enthralling as well as the variety of people involved.The class system of the time was explored as well as the corruption within it. There were hints of homosexuality and the trading of young patrician daughters in exchange for money. My favourite sections were the ones with the painter and the descriptions of his paintings and the intricate, all absorbing work involved. An open ending for the future of the young gondolier was refreshing. A great read.

United Kingdom on Nov 05, 2017

Jeanne: Fact and fiction combined to make this romantic, historical account of by gone days of Venetian life into a remarkable story. The accurate description of the gondola and lifestyle of Venetian culture through the generations is the heart beat that preserves Venice for the 21st century. Laura Morelli has give life to the people, places,sights and smells as well as colours and emotions that made Venice so unique and unforgettable.

United Kingdom on Oct 22, 2017

Stephanie Jane (Literary Flits): I was invited to join an Italy Book Tours spotlight tour for Laura Morelli's new novel, The Painter's Apprentice, next month. That story takes place in the same historical Venice setting as The Gondola Maker and, on the strength of this first book, I am certainly looking forward to the next in the series!

The eponymous Gondola Maker, Luca, is the son of a boat-building family whose expertise, passed down through the generations, means his life expectations are limited to continuing the family business in which he has grown up. Unexpected - and very plausible - circumstances however see him cast out on his own and I loved how Morelli explores the concept of someone whose fate appeared predetermined now having an opportunity to choose their own path.

Luca is a sympathetic character, somewhat introverted which is unusual for a male lead. He has a keen eye so throughout the book we are treated to gloriously vivid descriptions of sixteenth-century Venice. I loved this aspect of the novel! I have visited Venice myself so particularly enjoyed imagining the colours, energy and aromas depicted! Morelli obviously has a great love for the city herself and this comes through,...

United Kingdom on Oct 17, 2017

R Warner: It takes the educated eye of an artist to see and communicate the beauty of handmade physical objects, such as the gondolas, buildings, paintings and costumes in this story. The author is more than equal to this task. The hero is such a skilled artisan that in his hands, craft becomes art. The author breathes life into this fascinating period and speaks of ordinary daily activities with the assurance that comes from immersion in the history. Beyond that, the characters and their feelings stand out clearly against the beautiful background. As the story built to a climax, I desperately hoped that all would experience happy outcomes.

My grandfather and father were artists in woodworking. Her descriptions of the gondola maker’s work brought back vivid memories of sawdust and varnish and objects taking shape under skilled hands.

The writing is literary in quality, but also very readable. I highly recommend this novel to people who enjoy any of the following: Historical fiction in general, Renaissance Venice, art, craft, a fictional memoir in a voice that is hauntingly real, and/or a tender love story.

United States on Jun 13, 2017