A review by amyvl93
The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith

3.0

I got this book for Christmas, and it's one that I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise. Set in the dying days of the Second World War, it follows a young fisherman named Cenzo, who discovers the body of a young woman in the lagoon in Venice. She turns out to be alive, and named Giulia, the daughter of a wealthy Jewish family, and apparently still top of the Nazi search-list. Cenzo makes the decision to try and save her, and thus gets himself tangled in the dramas of the final days of Mussolini and the Third Reich. It was really interesting to read about Italy during this time period, aside from knowing bits about political treaties involving Mussolini the experience of Italians during the war was not one I knew much about. The constant double-crossing which people do during the last days of war to ensure that they are on the 'right' side was also really interestingly described. I did find that the characters tended to be a little flat and the plot felt fairly convenient. However, if you're visiting Venice and want a fun holiday read; this would be great.