The Gondola Maker

About this book

Award-winning historical fiction set in 16th-century Venice Benjamin Franklin Digital Award IPPY Award for Best Adult Fiction E-book National Indie Excellence Award Finalist Eric Hoffer Award Finalist Shortlisted for the da Vinci Eye Prize From the author of Made in Italy comes a tale of artisanal tradition and family bonds set in one of the worlds most magnificent settings: Renaissance Venice.Venetian gondola-maker Luca Vianello considers his whole life arranged. His father charted a course for his eldest son from the day he was born and Luca is positioned to inherit one of the citys most esteemed boatyards. Soon he will marry the daughter of an artisan prow-maker securing a key business alliance for the family. But when Luca experiences an unexpected tragedy in the boatyard he believes that his destiny lies elsewhere. Soon he finds himself drawn to restore an antique gondola with the dream of taking a girl for a ride. The Gondola Maker brings the centuries-old art of gondola-making to life in the tale of a young mans complicated relationship with his master-craftsman fatherLovers of historical fiction will appreciate the authentic details of gondola craftsmanship along with an intimate first-person narrative set against the richly textured backdrop of 16th-century Venice. "Im a big fan of Venice so I appreciate Laura Morellis special knowledge of the city the period and the process of gondola-making. An especially compelling story." --Frances Mayes author of Under the Tuscan Sun"Laura Morelli has done her research or perhaps she was an Italian carpenter in another life. One can literally smell and feel the grain of finely turned wood in her hands." --Pamela Sheldon Johns author of Italian Food Artisans "Romance intrigue family loyalty pride and redemption set against the backdrop of Renaissance Italy." --Library of Clean Reads "Beautiful powerful evocation of the characters the place and the time. An elegant and thoroughly engaging narrative voice." --Mark Spencer author of Fiction Club: A Concise Guide to Writing Good Fiction Scroll up and get your copy today!