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A review by klwalker91
The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker
2.0
The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker is a dramatic and romantic novel about two orphaned girls, who reside in the famous Ospedale Della Pieta. The Pieta is renowned for its beautiful and innocent girls, who are presented to society through their music and artistic talents. Marietta and Elena, as they reach adulthood, each engage in personal and often devastating pursuits for love, all the while maintaining that cherished and long-lasting friendship that they have created.
Like many other romance novels, I am left feeling utterly confused by this book. I both love and hate it. I love the sweeping romances, the implausible plot-lines and the daring schemes which occur. However, I did not enjoy the writing, nor did I find the characters particularly believable.
Rosalind tends to narrate the book in the viewpoint of whomever is most important to the plot. However, as these perspectives are not segmented into chapters, there is often a quick and random switch to other characters, which can not only get incredibly confusing but also annoying. By knowing other characters thoughts, an element of mystery is also lost, as key moments are divulged to the reader without a focus on suspense.
The characters also could have been written with more flaws. Although that may sound bitter, especially as all females are explained as being impossibly beautiful, there is something to be said about being normal. However, all four of the main characters are popular for their beauty or their hair or some other characteristic which has men dying over them. With the knowledge that they are beautiful, it's difficult to see any real personal development occur about their bodies, as everything is always connected to a lover's opinion on beauty or a tragedy of sickness. As these are young girls, it was strikingly odd to read about characters who felt absolutely convinced that they were beautiful.
I also thought that her portrayal of them was really strange. Rosalind definitely tries to make them seem quite individual, feminist and strong willed. However, a lot of what happens and the way that they interact with others around them does not seem to encourage this view point. The women's dependency on male attention is incredibly evident, especially as their inability to refuse attention from higher classed men often leads them into horrifying situations. While I understand that they are repressed and such, being women in that time period, their endless pursuit for love and attention by men makes them seem almost needy and desperate.
The plot-lines were also very familiar territory and I did not really feel that the authoress took a chance with her story. It was very much the unhappy wife, the barren woman, the disappointed lover or the pinning young gentlemen. While she pulled these stories off quite well, it would have been interesting to have included the rawer side of Venice, as in the prostitutes, smugglers and thieves. By focusing so intently on the nobility, it was almost a disconnect from the fact that there were other sides to the floating city. While she made it very clear that the nobility were heavily flawed, she did not venture past that class and into the poorer regions, which would have been really interesting.
However, as a lover of Venice who had just returned from the city, I was really drawn into the book by the authoress's ability to create atmosphere or really enrich the scene with her explanations of scenery. She quite romantically builds a scene of the city.
Although I really enjoyed her explanations of the city and the plot-lines that, although predictable, were entertaining, I don't think I can give this book any higher then a two star rating. As the rating states, 'it was okay,' but I can definitely see the flaws in it.
Like many other romance novels, I am left feeling utterly confused by this book. I both love and hate it. I love the sweeping romances, the implausible plot-lines and the daring schemes which occur. However, I did not enjoy the writing, nor did I find the characters particularly believable.
Rosalind tends to narrate the book in the viewpoint of whomever is most important to the plot. However, as these perspectives are not segmented into chapters, there is often a quick and random switch to other characters, which can not only get incredibly confusing but also annoying. By knowing other characters thoughts, an element of mystery is also lost, as key moments are divulged to the reader without a focus on suspense.
The characters also could have been written with more flaws. Although that may sound bitter, especially as all females are explained as being impossibly beautiful, there is something to be said about being normal. However, all four of the main characters are popular for their beauty or their hair or some other characteristic which has men dying over them. With the knowledge that they are beautiful, it's difficult to see any real personal development occur about their bodies, as everything is always connected to a lover's opinion on beauty or a tragedy of sickness. As these are young girls, it was strikingly odd to read about characters who felt absolutely convinced that they were beautiful.
I also thought that her portrayal of them was really strange. Rosalind definitely tries to make them seem quite individual, feminist and strong willed. However, a lot of what happens and the way that they interact with others around them does not seem to encourage this view point. The women's dependency on male attention is incredibly evident, especially as their inability to refuse attention from higher classed men often leads them into horrifying situations. While I understand that they are repressed and such, being women in that time period, their endless pursuit for love and attention by men makes them seem almost needy and desperate.
The plot-lines were also very familiar territory and I did not really feel that the authoress took a chance with her story. It was very much the unhappy wife, the barren woman, the disappointed lover or the pinning young gentlemen. While she pulled these stories off quite well, it would have been interesting to have included the rawer side of Venice, as in the prostitutes, smugglers and thieves. By focusing so intently on the nobility, it was almost a disconnect from the fact that there were other sides to the floating city. While she made it very clear that the nobility were heavily flawed, she did not venture past that class and into the poorer regions, which would have been really interesting.
However, as a lover of Venice who had just returned from the city, I was really drawn into the book by the authoress's ability to create atmosphere or really enrich the scene with her explanations of scenery. She quite romantically builds a scene of the city.
Although I really enjoyed her explanations of the city and the plot-lines that, although predictable, were entertaining, I don't think I can give this book any higher then a two star rating. As the rating states, 'it was okay,' but I can definitely see the flaws in it.