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1576: Like the twisting and turns of the canals in the city of Venice, this novel takes you on a remarkable journey
The Return of the Courtesan
What you need to know before your trail
Venice in 1576 is a city ravaged by plague. Most have fled but the beautiful and formidable Tullia Buffo, once the most desired courtesan of the age, has returned home. Facing ruin, Tullia must now fight for her life and protect her secrets.
The gondolier Sebastiano, a keeper of secrets, has plied his trade on the canals of Venice his whole life, soaking up gossip and scandal and saving his family from destitution after what happened to his father. After all these years, his lifelong grudge against the famous painter Titian’s son is as strong as ever. Now, with Titian dead, his son has returned to Venice to claim his father’s paintings and Sebastiano has a plan for revenge.
In the present day, events from centuries earlier suddenly engulf the lives of ordinary people as far distant as London and New York as they are touched by the enduring legacy of Tullia, a lost Titian masterpiece and the secrets of old Venice…
Locations
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Visit Venice
The history of old Venice
The time in which the novel is set is of huge significance and the book resembles something of a time machine as despite the journey back to such events as the Inquisition, religious practices, the banishment of Jews to the ghettos for example, the journey is comfortable to go on. Place often seeps in to the descriptions of people:
“He was as transparent as the lagoon”
It’s the stories of those on the streets, within the hallowed walls of the churches, within the houses of normal people which form the real picture of a Venice of all shapes and sizes with varying degrees of social status too of course.
Many of the large cast of characters are based on real people as are the events. Fact and fiction go hand in hand. The city is certainly one of two sides – wealth and riches side by side with squalor and the plague. Present day Venice is somewhat nicer – the canals, vaporettos, the bridges across to the islands all characters in themselves.
London
A city also known for its excessive water, but not in the same way of course. The rain, the wind, the Thames running through the city like a vein
“In a city this crowded, why on earth didn’t they use it as a source of transport? Then at least it would have some use; it would get back its pride and dignity. All it had was its ebb and flow, and of course the dubious pleasure of transporting tourists between the two Tates, but there was no dignity in that.”
The National Gallery features in the story and should definitely be a visit on any trail or tour of the art world in London
Titian’s Man With the Blue Sleeve/the quilted Sleeve (c) Wikipedia
Titian’s Man With the Blue Sleeve.
The painting which brings all the characters together in one story. The colour, social status and wealth in that painting show a city of many facets and layers. The characters who live there are like subjects of paintings of their own lives.
The art world contained in this novel is stunningly evoked. The colours, smells, and tastes are all displayed with pride. Art and art history play a significant role in this novel, as does the temperament and ways of working that each painter seems to display. There’s rivalry of course between painters – “Van Gogh and his wretched sunflowers” for example tells you that.
Gallerie dell’Accademia – is the place to head to in order to see many of Titian’s paintings
New York
Only slight mention of the city. This is where in the present day Aurora has her apartment. Of course when in the city, the art jewel that is the MOMA is the place to be
Streetview Maps
A) Italy - Venice - The Grand Canal
B) Italy - Venice - The Rialto Bridge
London - National Gallery
New York - 6th Avenue
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
Like the twists and turns of the canals in the city of Venice, this novel takes you on a remarkable journey of that city across two time zones, visits to London and New York before all coming together with a nice flamboyant artistic bow.
It’s a sumptuous read and a truly fascinating one as the author has very cleverly merged fact and fiction into, what I can only describe as a very impressive performance. Now I can’t claim to know a great deal about art or this time period but I was eased in with just the right amount of detail, the author’s flair and fluent writng filling in the rest.
I became obsessed with that painting and googled it almost straight away. That led to a new understanding and as the story progressed I became more and more immersed in the city of the plague, the rats, the gondoliers and the rich opulent palaces. The city comes to life in 3D but it’s the stories in the side alleys which really fill you in on time and place – the problems of flooding, the pigeons which plague London and venice, the tooing and froying of the people across the water veins of both cities.
I almost wanted to pick up a paintbrush such was the feeling of excitement of being so close to a master painter, those at court and the patrons who worked with them. Brilliantly crafted and as vivid as any painting which is very apt of course given the subject matter. Just like a painting, the more you look, the more you see.
A book to keep and read again I think!
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Return of the Courtesan
Destination: Venice, New York, London Author/Guide: Victoria Blake Departure Time: 1576 onwards
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