THE VENETIAN MASK

Author: Rosalind Laker ISBN: 9780307352569 2/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: THREE RIVERS PRESS
Time Period: Venice 1700s

Enduring friendships and long-held vendettas come alive against the splendor and decadence of eighteenth century Venice. At the Ospedale della Pietà, a music school for orphaned girls in Venice, Marietta Fontana and Elena Baccini meet and become like sisters to each other. As they leave their impoverished childhoods behind, their bond grows more complicated—Elena marries a scion of the powerful Celano family, while Marietta weds a wealthy widower who is the sworn enemy of the Celanos. When Elena secretly bears a child, then quickly gives it up to be raised by Marietta, a chain of events is set off that will test the true strength of their friendship and threaten every bit of security each woman has worked so hard to gain.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE VENETIAN MASK by Rosalind Laker is one of the best written books I have read in a long, long time. The mechanics of the book are nearly flawless and the characters, plot and tone of the story are just as good. This pulls the reader in right from the very first page, with none of the usual little things to distract or detract from the actual story. No, this is one that can be read with utter abandon and pleasure. I honestly felt as if I spent an evening in Venice, and I loved every minute of it.

It is a story that begins with sorrow, pushing me to clutch tissues to my cheeks as I read, but ends... well, the only way it could have ended. This is not a traditional romance, but the sweeping plot has heartwrenching romantic elements, as well as murder, intrigue and deception. It is a story that highlights the fact that even in public, most people wear masks of one kind or another.

Two young girls, one heartbreakingly orphaned right before our eyes, and the other with a guardian, live at one of Venice's famed schools for musicians. Their voices are spectacular, and they are some of the chosen few who perform for the highest echelons of society. Love finds each, in its own way and time, and in both cases their first loves are denied them. What happens next pulls each young woman not only into love matches they are unable to avoid, but into a bloodthirsty, centuries-old feud and vendetta between two prominent families. This situation forces the women, who are closer than sisters, to do things they may never have conceived of had they not been thrust into the quagmire of Venetian familial battle.

There is more than one love story in this novel, as well as a gripping, thrilling tale of hatred and obsession that is almost too realistic. Ms. Laker's flair with words made me feel as if I was part of this, and as such I felt the whole range of emotions and situations portrayed here. I could go on for pages about the richness of the details, the strength of emotions elicited by these loveable—and hateable—characters or the surprises woven into the intricate storyline of THE VENETIAN MASK. Instead I'll suggest that if you love historical fiction, and aren't looking for a conventional romance, this is one novel you should read for yourself. I promise you'll feel transported back in time to Venice. You won't feel as if you've been shown the time and place, and the people in it, but as if you've actually been there.

Kay James