THE AQUATIC LABYRINTH: a Venetian Mystery (a Novel)

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Photos of Venice at night, in the winter, blurred in the fog or simply at dawn or from unusual aerial points of view. Photos where the human presence if not totally absent is just part of the overall context. People lost and overwhelmed, camouflaged in the city, part of Venice. Sometimes ridiculously sized down by the powerful and massive presence of architecture and nature.

She has assembled a book of Venice that expresses reverence for a beauty that many of its authors fail, in very fundamental ways, to understand. It is hard to say whether photographer Riccardo De Cal understands, but to the extent that his camera cannot lie, his lens certainly understands. Massage oil heating up to caress your favorite kumquat? Her answer is an invitation to meander among its piazzas and secluded squares, passageways and bridges, accompanied by award-winning architects and designers. In opening her review of the Dream of Venice series, the Signorina in Milan offers a stern caveat: I can hear the canals lapping against the quay, the echoing of footsteps in the tiny calli and the occasional splash of the acqua alta on the pavement.

He recounts how the earliest Venetians took refuge from the chaotic mainland in the 5th century creating their homes and buildings on the islands by driving millions of wooden piles into the clay and then building the equivalent of horizontal rafts on top, from which the city we see today sprung.

Imagine that — some parts of the city nowadays are still held together by wooden piles that are over years old and by some accounts magically still in perfect shape. After his beautiful lead expressing how difficult it can be to follow your own success, Joseph Freenor writes of Dream of Venice Architecture: You still have to actually do it, a feat made all the more difficult for JoAnn by her own first act.

What she did the first time around was little short of a miracle, an absolutely flawlessly realized concept. It had form and meaning and surprises and insights and reminisces and through it all a love for the city that was absolutely palpable. When I finished reading her book, my first thought was on the completeness of the project itself, but right there at the end of the book was that little blurb on JoAnn. She was both editor and publisher, and she was dedicated to publishing books on Venice. There would be more. Its streets, alleys and canals form a maze to be explored and history literally drips from the walls.

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Add in the unique architecture drawing influences from the East, classical Rome and the Baroque and you have a real treat for all the senses…De Cal graduated in architecture at the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia before going on to develop a career as an award winning documentary maker and photographer.

Martin, writing for New York Spaces magazine, asks. I found a bridge right behind the opera house and fell in love with it and remembered it. The fact is, there is nothing commonplace about this city as seen through his lens. People are going to dream. Let them dream of Venice! Early in their review of Dream of Venice , editors of Italian Notes offered this caveat: Or the Bridge of Sighs. There are shadows glimpsed in passing, deserted alleyways, decaying beauty, reflections of darkness and light and mysterious shapes emerging through the fog.

You can see the silence of the car-free city, breathe the characteristic mixture of wet building blocks and salty air, and feel the tiny pinpricks of moisture on your skin, just by looking at the pictures. Sophia Kahn Fine Art. It begins in when the real and then told story was discovered. The discovered story is based in Venice of the 18th Century. The book is written from different point of views but shows mainly the views by following people: The story is about what happened and what is still happening to him and the people around him.

Both helped Jacopo a lot. Leone is also a friend of Sara. Sara was later told by Leone to look for a labyrinth. As mentioned above, the book follows the story of Jacopo who discovers with and because of his brother-in- law a killed man and becomes the victim of a political and religious plan of aristocrats. Together with his brother-in-law Piero Fasiol, he was accused of being the murder of not only one man. While Piero was arrested Jacopo run away and tried to hide and then tried to prove his and Pieros innocence. He tells her which part is hers and that she has to find a labyrinth.

So her research starts and brings her to the knowledge of all the different types of labyrinths existing. At one point Jacopo meets Veronica. She is the one who has the connections to aristocrats and helps to figure things out and also helps Jacopo to hide. At the End Jacopo had to find out that nothing was as it seemed and that he was betrayed and trapped. He was the victim all the time.

He had to fear for his life the whole time. Will Jacopo die or is he capable of proving the innocence of his and Piero? What is going on between Jacopo and Veronica?

Will Sara find the labyrinth she has to look for and what is it about that labyrinth? Guess I would prefer to have that book as a paperback so it would be much easier to check the words. It is the same with the map. It would have been easier to look at it when needed without leaving the page I was reading. What I loved were the little drawings on each chapter. So by and large I would recommend it.

Sep 16, Carrie Lahain rated it it was amazing Shelves: Author Alastair Fontana populates his fictional world with historical figures from a range of time periods, which might annoy certain purists, but for me made the reality he creates waver like the sun on the Mediterranean. This liquidit Fair warning: This liquidity fits nicely with the shifting alliances and tangled motives at the bottom of the murders of two public figures with diametrically opposed political affiliations. Our hero is Jacopo, an outsider from his very conception.

His mother was Italian, but his father was an English sailor and therefore not allowed to live in Venice. Though very much in love, the couple spent their lives mostly apart. Jacopo is now a sailor himself. He comes back to Venice to see his sister and meet his future brother-in-law. Matters go awry when the brother-in-law discovers a ceremonial dagger in the street. Only later, as he and Jacopo go to return it, do they notice the dead body of the man they will be accused of murdering. Though Jacopo initially escapes, he refuses to flee the city until he can clear the name of his brother-in-law, now imprisoned and facing torture and execution.

Helping Jacopo are a collection of characters taken from every level of Venice's complicated and highly stratified society. Fontana does a wonderful job building complex, believable characters. Both his male and female creations are set firmly in their particular social strata and yet given such rich inner lives that they stand out as individuals. It is this attention to human detail that made me stick with the story when things went off on more theoretical and philosophical tangents.

The author offers a huge amount of historical detail in the course of his narrative. At the beginning of the book, when I was still feeling my way around and trying to get situated in Fontana's world, I found the period descriptions and explanations a little heavy-handed. As the plot unfolded, however, detail and context melded together almost seamlessly. The novel's roving point of view also took some time to become used to.

On top of repeated shifts from first to third person, there's an omniscient voice that seems to be constantly present, watching and commenting. Yet, once I was used to it, I could see how well the multiple voices reflected the complexity of the setting and the characters. The Venice of this novel is one city and many cities. It is both a place AND an idea.

It is well worth having to look up a definition or literary allusion here and there to enjoy such an engrossing experience. Review from my blog: I'm back with another review! This week's book, as you can tell from the post title, is "The Aquatic Labyrinth" by Alastair Fontana which I downloaded at the end of January when if was available for free download on Amazon. However, there is also a giveaway currently being held on Goodreads for a paperback copy if you missed the chance to download it.

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I rather enjoyed the storyline, however, there are a few small things to be aware of. The writing takes a little while to get u Review from my blog: The writing takes a little while to get used to if you read it in ebook format. Some chapters are told from a first person perspective, while others are told from various third person points of view- the switch between them can take some time to get used to.

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Everything is eventually explained, but until then, it will seem as if the story is incomplete. I also noticed that the story would slip into flashbacks without much warning and the dialogue narration tended to be formed of long passages without breaks that would bring more realism to the characters' story telling and would help keep readers from potentially forgetting a flashback was taking place.

Other than that, there were some small inconsistencies that were most likely editing slips: Also, there is italian in this book. Poems that are written in old italian that resembles more latin than the modern language which fits the time period, but can be confusing to readers who don't know the language and sparse words that personally kept some of the story from flowing smoothly- though that is mostly just a personal preference of mine.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the storyline and the different points of view let you see more of Venice- even if the different storylines seem a little confusing. It's a quick read and I would recommend it- primarily if you love stories about or inspired by the Venetian history and culture. Keep in mind that the story at times reads like a draft, and while there are some stumbling blocks there aren't so many that they distract greatly from the storyline.

Jan 14, Allison Ruvidich rated it liked it. I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. That has not influenced my opinion at all. This book puzzled me vastly. This is the story of Jacopo, a young Venetian sailor who finds himself irreparably entangled in a web of intrigue surrounding a strange dagger. As the danger grows, it becomes increasingly likely that he and his family will be casualties in a massive conflict. He is aided in solving the mystery by Sara, a Jewish poetess, and Veronica, a Venetian courtes I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

He is aided in solving the mystery by Sara, a Jewish poetess, and Veronica, a Venetian courtesan. I will be frank. As a book, this was not good at all. Bad writing, poor grammar, and questionable character choices proliferated. I never found my place in the story—that is, none of the puzzle pieces ever fit together in a way that convinced me I was actually reading a story, not just a collection of scenes.

The driving element of the plot is a mysterious murder, and when the murderer is finally revealed, it is a character the reader has never been introduced to. A romance between two characters is so improbable as to be ludicrous. Every other word was sensual or intricate. And yet… I understand that in this book, the plot largely takes the back seat. The most likable character in this book, the poetess Sara, explores the theory that every time we are faced with a choice, we create a new world. And that was handled masterfully. In fact, the entire character of Sara was magnificent. Whenever she came around, the writing improved.

Even when it was suddenly revealed she wrote love letters to a man she had never met, I bought it. I ate it up.

Even now, there are glimmers of brilliance that I vastly enjoyed and wished were bigger. One star for the book, five stars for the character of Sara. Feb 23, Esther rated it liked it Shelves: Thanks to an invitation from the author, I got a free kindle download of this book — in exchange for rating and reviewing it, which I gladly accepted.

Despite the fact that mystery and thriller are not my favorite genre and due to this I would have probably not bought this book to start with , I got quickly fascinated by the story. The setting in late medieval Venice somewhere between 14th and 15th century is intriguing; being in love with this fairytale place even made me look up s Thanks to an invitation from the author, I got a free kindle download of this book — in exchange for rating and reviewing it, which I gladly accepted.

The setting in late medieval Venice somewhere between 14th and 15th century is intriguing; being in love with this fairytale place even made me look up some of the places Alastair Fontana mentions. Meaning every character is based on someone who actually lived a similar story but they did not always necessarily live in the same time period, so some of them could have never met. What starts out as a crime investigation eventually turns out to be much more and includes not only political background information but mystical and philosophical elements needed for solving the case.

The Aquatic Labyrinth

At the end of the book, the reader finds a glossary with translations of the Italian poems, with a description of the Italian words used frequently in the story and a list of the characters with their historical background. Despite this, when the background of the murder is revealed, it does feel possible and based on likely events.

Sep 29, Shomeret added it Shelves: Eco's book isn't similar to Fontana's in content, but they are alike in being mysteries that are also novels of ideas. The character that I found most notable is Sara Copio Sullam, an actual historical personage, who was a poet and a thinker who was accused of heresy. I admit that I didn't always agree with Fontana's version of Sara. He has her thinking that allegories are a strategy to make men feel more learned than they are. I think that allegories are codes used by people who know a great deal, but are afraid of the consequences of expressing what they know publicly.

When the consequences include being denounced to the Inquisition, disguising what you know in elaborate ciphers would definitely seem wiser. There was a great deal of value in The Aquatic Labyrinth. I found the story very compelling toward the end, and I identified with the character of Sara. Yet I do have criticisms. As much as I liked the thematic, historical and cultural content, I did think that characterization was a weak point of this book.

It seemed to me that the only well-drawn complex character was Sara. Another problem is that some significant events weren't shown. Fontana chose to tell us about them indirectly. There was also a great deal of overt didacticism.

In fiction, I prefer a plot that demonstrates the ideas that the author wants to communicate through its events, rather than being told about these ideas in the manner of non-fiction. I recommend this book to people who are interested in labyrinths, the history and culture of Venice and novels of ideas. For my complete review see http: Oct 23, Lynn rated it really liked it. A good book, very well written and documented. I enjoyed reading it. It took me two starts to read the book, the first time I put it down early in the book, the second time I picked it up I read through over half the book in one sitting.

I love the setting and the author seems very knowledgeable of the city. Maybe a too knowledgeable, I often couldn't keep up with the descriptions or felt like I should go do some research to better understand all the names and histories of the places being mentio A good book, very well written and documented. Maybe a too knowledgeable, I often couldn't keep up with the descriptions or felt like I should go do some research to better understand all the names and histories of the places being mentioned.

In fact a lot of the time I was reading the book I felt like an outsider listening to a tale being told amongst people who had better understanding because they had inside knowledge I didn't have. It still was easy to read especially if I just glossed over any foreign words I didn't know--unfortunately the ebook I was reading didn't list the glossary in the "go-to" area so I didn't get the benefit of those definitions until I reached the end. The story line was interesting, and the pace of the book kept everything moving. The characters were interesting and related to each other well.

I really liked Sara's insights and thoughts and if she had her own book expanding and discussing all the different views she had during this story it would be interesting, though probably more work than I want in my normal recreational reading. Sara's story was necessary for the end, but always seemed apart and unnecessary for most of the book. I didn't spend enough time digesting all the different angles to her theories but moved back into the plot following the main character.

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All in all this book is a good book to experience the location, the time period, philosophy and maybe even a little culture. The author appears to have great knowledge and has inspired me to do some research and learn more of this area and it's history. Sep 17, Florry rated it it was amazing.

This is an amazing historical mystery that let me understand better how interesting the life in Venice was almost five hundred years ago. This is a lovely book about power, money, conspiracies, danger on the streets, murders and love stories in that century, Cavalieri di Malta, Kabbalah, Jewish people, noble people, Universe, time, revelations and many secrets of actual interest.

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I liked the action and drama in this story, also the whole mystery intrigued me. I guess I liked it most because Wow! I guess I liked it most because of the real characters that once lived in Venice, and their mysterious lives. I appreciate the references and the whole information at the end of the book. That was helpful for me. Thank you for the great book! I would be happy to read another book by Alastair Fontana, because they are well written and page turners!

There are many quotes I found interesting. Here are just some that I want to share: Changes are only superficial, never deep. Alastair Fontana has crafted a wonderful tale of historical fiction, set in Venice in or around the sixteenth century. The story is set around real historical characters and real historical events.

The only character that wasn't a real historical person was the main character, Jacopo. Told in alternating chapters of first person and third person, this story is captivating. It includes action, murder, betrayal, scandalous liaisons, and tragedy. It is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying Alastair Fontana has crafted a wonderful tale of historical fiction, set in Venice in or around the sixteenth century. It is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying. The story begins with our Jacopo being chased down for a murder that he claims he did not commit. As the story unfolds, we learn that the murder had been discovered as he and his soon-to-be brother-in-law, were returning an ornate dagger that he and his sister's fiance, Piero Fasiol, were allegedly returning to the spot where Piero had allegedly found it.

When they got there, there was a dead body in the spot. A couple who knew Piero saw him holding the dagger, and urged him to run, but he was captured. Jacopo eventually got away and ran for help, to a place known as The Ghetto, a refuge for Jews in sixteenth century Venice. There are many twists and turns as we follow this story through the aptly named "Aquatic Labyrinth" which is Venice. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Please Vent Here Cancel reply Enter your comment here Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: Email required Address never made public.

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