A Stopover in Venice: A Novel

by Kathryn Walker

A debut novel that begins as a tale of loneliness and heartbreak yet opens into a dazzling, enchanting  story of secrets and self-discovery in a magical city. “A romance with heft and heart. Walker writes … with amazing candor and insight.” —The Boston Globe Nel Everett, a young American woman, is touring Italy with her famous musician husband when, in a moment of fury, she pulls down her luggage and gets off the train. As her life speeds away down the tracks, Nel is marooned and on her own for the first time in eight years.Bewildered, Nel returns to Venice where she encounters a tiny dog who leads her to a enigmatic stranger, a contessa, and a decaying Gothic palazzo. She is soon drawn into a world of charismatic characters, centuries of Venetian history, and the mystery of a lost masterpiece.

Genres: Fiction, Italy, Historical Fiction, Art, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

316 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant way to spend some vicarious time in Venice. On a European tour with her famous musician husband (a thinly-veiled James Taylor, the author's own ex), Nell is suddenly seized by an impulse to get off the train carrying their entourage from Venice to Verona. As she makes her way back to a Venice hotel, she turns over in her mind the disintegration of her marriage. Their early days together were "exotic and blissful; we floated above the banality of ordinary life; nothing could touch us." "Except time. Time could touch us and did, with the usual icy finger. Ecstasy fades, but one hopes that companionship, that word again, replaces it. ... Loneliness and the humiliating sense that my life was being wasted began to gnaw on me. ... My attempts to talk about our situation, to save this marriage, as they used to say, left me feeling like a beggar. Or a fan. No one of importance." Pretty juicy when you realize she's probably writing about herself and Taylor, but also heartfelt and touching as prose.

As her first day of wandering about Venice on her own winds to end (literally, as Nell winds her way through the mazes of Venice sidewalks and alleys -- Walker captures this feeling well), Nell performs an act of kindness toward a small animal, a dog being tormented by a group of boys. This act leads to a human encounter that propels the rest of the story. Without going into spoilerland, I'll say that Nell finds acceptance and true connection with some diverse, but ultimately like-minded individuals, and with them, throws herself into a pursuit that brings purpose, meaning, and self-assurnce back to her life. Aspects of this part of the story have a fairy-tale like quality and wrap up a little too neatly, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and learned quite a bit about an artist I had overlooked in the past. "A Stopover in Venice" was solid 3-star (liked it) read for me, which I would recommend as a thoughtful way to spend a summer weekend, particularly if you love Venice.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

De obicei sunt destul de sceptică atunci când vine vorba de cărți nou apărute, deoarece nu poți fi niciodată sigur dacă romanul pe care l-ai cumpărat a meritat sau nu banii și timpul tău. Totuși, în multitudinea de cărți de duzină, poți găsi, întâmplător sau nu, și cărți bune. Nu neapărat valoroase, dar plăcute ochilor și minții.

În această categorie se încadrează romanul de debut al scriitoarei și actriței americane de Broadway Kathryn Walker, Mistere venețiene (A Stopover in Venice), apărut în 2009 la Editura Tritonic, care ne îmbarcă într-o călătorie plină de mister, artă, reflecții îndreptate spre trecut - fie că este vorba despre trecutul protagonistei sau cel istoric - dragoste și, nu în ultimul rând, măreția și splendoarea Veneției.

Cornelia Everett este o tânără actriță de origine americană, care și-a dedicat viața în totalitate soțului ei Anthony, un muzician egoist, irascibil, încăpățânat și ironic. În ciuda sacrificiului ei, Anthony este mai interesat de cariera lui, Cornelia fiind o prezență neglijabilă. Dându-și seama că viața lângă Anthony nu îi mai aduce nicio satisfacție, Nel își ia bagajul și hotărăște să coboare undeva lângă Veneția, pentru a petrece un timp singură cu gândurile ei, a se plimba și, în cele din urmă, a se bucura de viață. Amintirile protagonistei legate de primul soț, care a decedat, la căsnicia eșuată cu Anthony sau la cariera actoricească au caracter autobiografic. Autoarea a fost căsătorită de două ori: prima dată cu scriitorul și actorul Douglas Kenney, iar a doua oară cu cântărețul James Taylor - o căsnicie nefericită, precum în cazul Corneliei.

După ce salvează un câine din mâinile unor copii răutăcioși, Nel intră în casa Contesei Lucrezia da Isola, adevărata stăpână a micuțului Leo, unde o echipă de restauratori, în frunte cu Matteo Clemente, încearcă să deslușească misterul unei fresce renascentiste descoperite în podul vechii case. Cornelia se împrietenește cu Signora Lucrezia, o bătrânică simpatică și stilată; se apropie de Matteo și se oferă să participe la dezlegarea misterului.

Treptat, apar tot felul de specialiști în istorie și artă, care găsesc câte o piesă a puzzle-ului prin intermediul documentelor vremii sau al altor indicii, aflate în anumite locuri din Veneția. De exemplu, prin intermediul unei traducătoare, iese la suprafață jurnalul înduioșător al unei tinere de 16 ani, care își relatează viața - alături de mama vitregă, tatăl și de frații ei - dar și povestea de dragoste dintre ea și pictorul Giorgione (Zorzi), care ticluia și versuri și cânta la lăută ca un adevărat Orfeu. Clara, acesta fiind numele fetei, este și ea talentată la pictură, astfel fratele ei Vicenzo o duce la atelierul lui Giorgione, care o apreciază de prima dată când o vede. Ne este povestit cu multă încântare episodul în care faimosul pictor o imortalizează pe tânără într-un portret, eveniment urmat de apogeul iubirii lor. Totuși, uneori lucrurile nu merg bine până la capăt; astfel, la Veneția izbucnește o epidemie de ciumă, iar Clara trebuie să rămână la o mănăstire de măicuțe, alături de alte tinere ce proveneau din pătura nobilimii. Din păcate, Giorgione este obligat să își continue proiectele artistice (dar și idila cu o prostituată pe nume Cecilia); pictorul moare cu câteva luni înainte de nașterea fiului său.

Dar acum să ne întoarcem la Nel, care începe puțin câte puțin să se descopere, să reflecteze la trecut, prezent și viitor, să își regăsească identitatea, să se îndrăgostească de Matteo și să își dea seama ce își dorește cu adevărat. Chiar dacă romanul are un final deschis, este lesne de înțeles din desfășurarea acțiunii, că protagonista își va urma inima și va alege să fie fericită.

Voi încheia prezentarea acestei cărți, recomandând-o celor îndrăgostiți de Veneția, fie că ați fost acolo sau nu, dar și celor care vor să o descopere. Kathryn Walker crează o atmosferă misterioasă și impresionantă, demnă de La Serenissima. Sunt inserate informații despre artă, istorie, tarot, care însă nu sunt atât de numeroase încât să plictisească cititorul. Romanul este echilibrat, nimic nu e prea mult sau prea puțin, personajele sunt plăcute, iar misterul frescei nu îți dă voie să lași cartea din mână. Personal, am avut senzația că mă plimb pe toate străduțele înguste, pe podețele de deasupra canalelor sau prin Piața San Marco alături de Nel și de adorabilul Leo.

http://elitere.ro/mistere-venetiene/

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kathryn Walker appears to have something against quotation marks. The dialogue is not differentiated from the rest of the text in any way. Maybe this was supposed to be artistic. Perhaps it was a technique intended to slow down the reader (if so it sure worked; it took me half again as long to read this as it should have). Either way it annoyed me because I had to keep rereading paragraphs because I wasn't sure if we were hearing a conversation or the protagonist's thoughts. This was especially irksome as I didn't enjoy Cornelia or her story all that much and would have preferred to breeze though it. I should really stop picking up novels because they claim to be about art, I am almost always disappointed.

If you read the plot synopsis and think it sounds interesting, I recommend you watch the film "Pan i Tulipani" instead.

[Rachael · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even know where to start. This book was DREADFUL.

So our heroine (ha!) Cornelia (really, Cornelia?!) aka Nel, is withering away in a passionless marriage with her famous musician husband.

Nel (woe is me!) travels all over the world with her husband. But heaven forbid that she ever be alone, so while he is busy working, Nel chooses to sit and mope. When he is finished working (as in the entire reason they are abroad in the first place) all she does is moan that she didn't get to see anything. Can anyone imagine a more terrible life?! Nel can't.

So finally she gets super fed up at her husband for not holding her hand enough and gets off the train in Venice all by herself. Our damsel in distress gets a hotel room and then orders room service, cos, ya know, why eat out in FREAKING ITALY.

So the next afternoon, Nel finally decides that it's time to actually leave her room. She happens upon a dog being abused, which she saves and then smuggles back to her hotel room for more room service.

A day or two later, a man recognizes the dog and whisks both of them back to the dog's home.

Our damsel in distress faints, because what else do damsels do? When she comes to, the dog's owner insists that she spend the night. Nel is hesitant - staying the night means no room service after all - but agrees.

The next day Nel and the woman Lucy get to talking and Nel regales her with her oh-so-terrible life. Lucy is busy at home, meanwhile, working to uncover a fresco that is in the process of being discovered in one of the house's - formerly a medieval convent - rooms.

Here begins an utterly boring and predictable "mystery" about who painted the fresco.

At times I wondered if the author had ever actually engaged in a conversation with anyone. (Also, the lack of any quotation marks was distracting and annoying!)

Everyone played their roles as expected, events unfolded as you knew they would, and everyone learned their mundane life lessons.

I was hoping for a fun art-themed historical fiction, but what I got was dreck.

Skip this one.

[Anderse · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother, who has been to Venice a few times, always said that this ancient city would be the perfect place to disappear in one needed (or wanted) to. My dad then found this book and the whole family has taken turns reading it.

Anyone who likes art history and the mysteries of the people behind the art will like this book. Anyone who knows Venice and likes art history will love this book. I know the places she describes on her walks and I can picture myself following her steps.
It is a plainly written book but has very engaging stories in both modern times and in the the 1500s. The inclusion of letters and diary entries from the past really makes the story come alive.

When can I move to Venice? I'm packing now..............

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book tried to do way too much in a few hundred pages. The biggest problem is that the author is way too proud of the fact that she is Harvard educated. I am sure that Yale graduates don't have that problem. Not a bad read, but a bit tedious at points. Being a genealogist and interested in art history, parts of this I jut can't swallow.

However, the overall message, that sometimes, change is good and that you need to take control of your own happiness are valid. It really helped to have a likeable dog character in the book - I picked it up in "dog days of summer" section at the library and was intrigued by the venue (Venice) and the art history facet.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I happened upon at the libary last week. I read 15 pages before I checked out and completed the book in less than a week. I couldn't put it down. It was a bit like a fairytale, but better, because this sort of thing could actually happen. A woman who has felt that she has become somewhat invisible to her husband, suddenly gets off a train in Venice Italy, and her life completely changes from that day forward. This book shows you that no matter how stuck you feel in your current situation, you can change your life at any point. It just takes a bold effort.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect timing.

I believe books are magical. I started reading this book years ago, probably early in high school and never had the opportunity to finish it. I picked it up a month ago and read here and there until I realized I could relate to Nel in many ways. It’s strange how this story carried me and related me to Nel just like Nel related herself to Clara. Magic finds you when you need it most and I believe I read this book at the correct time in my life.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The first part was hard to follow. This is the second book this month that I've read that didn't use quote Mark's for conversations. That made it a bit confusing, at times. I loved the mystery part of the story, the most.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could tell from the first chapter that I would not care for this book. The idea is great--a woman gets angry at her famous husband on a train bound for Verona, Italy, and grabs her overnight bag before stepping off the train in a fury. She is left alone (and not speaking Italian) with nothing more than her memories and a credit card. The book jacket promising that the heroine will "reclaim herself" by the end of the book should have been a warning for me. This often does not bode well for a book in my experience. The idea of the novel is very interesting, as well as the different settings. I did not enjoy the constant flashbacks offering insights into her unhappy marriage, nor did I like the way she communicated with others in the book. I think the main reason I rated this book a 2 is because I just did not feel any consideration for the main character. Nothing about her interested me in any way. In fact, I can go so far as to say that by the end of the book, I could have cared less what happened to her. There are several places throughout the book where the author uses beautiful, intricate phrases: "Slivers of light from the window looked dim and diffuse this morning" (page 14), but the overall feeling I got from this book was boredom.

[Barbi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up because its premise seemed really interesting--a woman, yearning for adventure becomes embroiled in a fascinating art mystery. Sure it's a little cliche, but I wasn't looking to read a great masterwork of literature. However, the premise is the only thing that's interesting about the book. As other reviewers commented, it becomes bogged down in art history jargon, and the shift between conventional narrative and academic narrative is awkward at best. And really, if I had been looking to read an academic treatise, I would have picked up one. And I have to say, this is one of the most poorly written novels I have ever read. At one point the narrator becomes excited when she is "having advice" by Lucy. For me, grammatical problems like this are not acceptable in published works. And typographically, the novel is a bit difficult to read because there is absolutely no differentiation between dialouge and narrative. After I got through the first half of the novel, I couldn't take it any more. I skimmed the last half to get an idea of what happens so that I could be done with the novel. It's definitely not worth reading.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story within a story, two romances, one contemporary and one that took place in the 1500s, full of art and mystery. A fun read with great descriptions of Venice and lots of art history references. I especially enjoyed the book since I read it while I was having my own adventure in Venice. Thanks, Bonnie!

[Robin Arnold · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hope this isn't a new trend, to not use quotation marks. I thought maybe it might be the copy of the book I was reading, a not for resale publishers copy printed by a local company, but then I saw others comment. It's more like reading stream of consciousness, and about watching paint dry. The idea of this plot is good, but I was disappointed in the development or lack there of.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I liked the descriptions of Venice and the explanations about 16th century artists and the intrigue of the artists who lived in that period. I also liked the strength and intelligence of the characters and how the main character found herself.

[Annea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was annoyed by the lack of quotes - it made for extra work reading dialog. I finally just skipped to the end to see exactly how it ended (romance wins out, of course). Trite book, tedious to read, pompous. Did make me want to visit Italy, however.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became wrapped up in the story of this woman’s quest to rediscover herself and gain independence after being lost in the life of her famous husband. She stumbles into a world of art, history, and mystery in Venice. The prose is delightful.

[Olga Ptashnyuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure if it is because of my obsession with Italy, but I loved this book. There were moments that really make you think about what is really important in this life and how short our life could be.

[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I literally stumbled over this book in a search for something else. The title caught my eye as I'd fallen in love with Venice a number of years back when I spent 2 days there with a friend. The story involves art history and the search for the painter of a ancient hidden fresco. A young woman traveling in Italy with her famous musician husband and his entourage feels neglected and alone. Suddenly when the train stops at a station beyond Venice, she impulsively grabs her luggage and departs the train. She boards the next train heading back to Venice with no plan, no Italian, and no money but her husband's credit card! This leads to a delightful story of what becomes a month spent with strangers who become close friends quickly, experiences she'd never have predicted and lessons learned about herself and her marriage. It was a delightful read and I anticipated searching for more of Katheryn Walker's writing only to find this was it ... the only piece of writing she's done. What a disappointment .... and yet, I am so happy I did find this one.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. A fan of Italy, history, art, and self-discovery, this book gave me all. Kathryn Walker is a gifted writer. Set in Venice, the main character leaves her rock-star husband at a train station out of mild despair and finds herself transported to Venice. She is determined to examine her life and her marriage. It is when she rescues a dog from being harassed by some street urchins, that this rich story begins to unfold its many layers.

I think it is one of my most favorite books to read. It will not disappoint.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story begins slowly with a woman who is stuck both logistically and emotionally. But with her introduction to the fascinating, elderly Lucy, and their discovery of an artistic mystery in her attic, the pace quickens and so does the reader's investment in not only uncovering (in more ways than one!) the past but also excavating the present. Venice itself is a character in the book and the entire effect is enchanting.

[Marcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant & quick summer read. I enjoyed it mostly as a chance to wander around in Venice for a while. The opening seems borrowed from the film "Pane e Tulipani" which is a funnier & more thoughtful exploration of a woman taking her life into her own hands. I would not recommend this unless, like me this weekend, you just want some fluff to relax with.

[Cara Mcnulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the Art/History mystery part of the story and the setting of Venice. Not so crazy about the story line of the protagonist's marital relationship but I guess that was the whole premise of why she was in Venice to begin with.

[Julia Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I got used to the writing style (no quotes when characters are speaking), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about Venice and Venetian art, while enjoying a good story with interesting characters.

[Michele H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet story of two women, two romances some 500 years apart. Art and some mystery, and filled with lovely characters. Some of the art history was over my head, but the stories kept me reading though the end.

[David Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting but too many characters, both in the present and the past - I found it difficult to keep them all straight. I loved all the descriptions of Venice and main characters there. A little unbelievable.

[Sha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous! Fabulous! Loved this book. Read it.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely romance and a vivid historical context.

[Michael Citrino · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is a wonderful tale of time past and present. In one era a woman finds herself and recognizes her gifts and in another that journey is just begun.

[H.L. Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read a book with such depth. I love reading a story that makes me feel as if I'm living it.

[Dianeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the story about the fresco, Clara and the artists she knew was very interesting, I just couldn’t feel for Nel. The characters seemed stiff. It just didn’t work for me.