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Venetian Song
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
Paperback
Published November 3, 1994
32 people want to read
About the author
Kay Nolte Smith
35 books15 followersKay Nolte Smith (July 4, 1932 – September 25, 1993) was an American writer. She was for a time friendly with the philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand, who was her leading literary and philosophical influence.
Smith was born in Eveleth, Minnesota and grew up in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Smith launched her literary career after her separation from the Ayn Rand circle. Her first novel was the mystery story The Watcher. Smith's Catching Fire is set in the world of the New York theater, with an anti-trade union political stance. Mindspell centres on the conflict between science versus religion, with Nolte Smith stating this fiction was written "to challenge strongly the belief in the occult".[4] Her novel Elegy for a Soprano is a roman a clef inspired by Rand, Nathaniel Branden, and the circle around them. Elegy for a Soprano also portrays the life of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia and Norway. Two of her novels — Elegy for a Soprano and A Tale of the Wind — were nominated for Prometheus Awards in 1986 and 1992, respectively.
She published seven novels before her death from cancer at age 61.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Nol..., accessed May 25, 2012)
Smith was born in Eveleth, Minnesota and grew up in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Smith launched her literary career after her separation from the Ayn Rand circle. Her first novel was the mystery story The Watcher. Smith's Catching Fire is set in the world of the New York theater, with an anti-trade union political stance. Mindspell centres on the conflict between science versus religion, with Nolte Smith stating this fiction was written "to challenge strongly the belief in the occult".[4] Her novel Elegy for a Soprano is a roman a clef inspired by Rand, Nathaniel Branden, and the circle around them. Elegy for a Soprano also portrays the life of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia and Norway. Two of her novels — Elegy for a Soprano and A Tale of the Wind — were nominated for Prometheus Awards in 1986 and 1992, respectively.
She published seven novels before her death from cancer at age 61.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Nol..., accessed May 25, 2012)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 23, 2019
2015 - What a fascinating book. I never thought the subject would grab me, but it sure did.
This is the last book by and the last book I have, finally, read by Kay Nolte Smith. She is now a favorite fiction writer of mine. Unfortunately, she died 23 years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Nol...
I liked all her books, except her first, The Watcher. The plot and theme of that was just fine, but being her first book, she did not seem to have the skill to convincingly draw the villain. But I have not read it in over 30 years, so perhaps I should go back to it.
But let me get back to this book, Venetian Song. If you liked the recent, (2015) movie Spotlight, about the Boston Globe reporters and editors who struggled to expose the truth about the cover-up in the Catholic Church about the pedophile priests, I bet you will like this book. The settings are hundreds of years different and thousands of miles separate, but the theme of church hypocrisy, of the real harms it can cause, of the immorality it can foster are totally in sync and very real.
The writing is beautiful. Ms. Smith is a master, and this book was at the pinnacle of her powers. Her vocabulary will make you stretch, indeed, but you don't have to go to a dictionary to get through it or comprehend what is going on. You just get the bonus of finding fascinating new descriptions, or situations, or techniques, etc.
If you are into theater, as my son is, you should be enthralled. Her explanations of what a mask can do for an actor, or for the audience, are very enlightening and persuasive. The power the theater has to move people, who may never have been persuadable any other way, is used to quite amazing effect. The interactions, dynamics and various tasks needed for a theater company to survive were quite interesting. The interweaving of comedy and drama in the "scenarios" became a very real necessity.
I could (and perhaps will later) go on about how captivating this book is. But for now, I'll just say I highly recommend it.
This is the last book by and the last book I have, finally, read by Kay Nolte Smith. She is now a favorite fiction writer of mine. Unfortunately, she died 23 years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Nol...
I liked all her books, except her first, The Watcher. The plot and theme of that was just fine, but being her first book, she did not seem to have the skill to convincingly draw the villain. But I have not read it in over 30 years, so perhaps I should go back to it.
But let me get back to this book, Venetian Song. If you liked the recent, (2015) movie Spotlight, about the Boston Globe reporters and editors who struggled to expose the truth about the cover-up in the Catholic Church about the pedophile priests, I bet you will like this book. The settings are hundreds of years different and thousands of miles separate, but the theme of church hypocrisy, of the real harms it can cause, of the immorality it can foster are totally in sync and very real.
The writing is beautiful. Ms. Smith is a master, and this book was at the pinnacle of her powers. Her vocabulary will make you stretch, indeed, but you don't have to go to a dictionary to get through it or comprehend what is going on. You just get the bonus of finding fascinating new descriptions, or situations, or techniques, etc.
If you are into theater, as my son is, you should be enthralled. Her explanations of what a mask can do for an actor, or for the audience, are very enlightening and persuasive. The power the theater has to move people, who may never have been persuadable any other way, is used to quite amazing effect. The interactions, dynamics and various tasks needed for a theater company to survive were quite interesting. The interweaving of comedy and drama in the "scenarios" became a very real necessity.
I could (and perhaps will later) go on about how captivating this book is. But for now, I'll just say I highly recommend it.
August 4, 2011
I really enjoyed this one. I do have a complaint about the style. Ever since reading a review of the author's A Tale of the Wind on Amazon pointing it out, I find it impossible not to notice Smith's over-fondness for the simile. I can't help but feel it would be a stronger book if just about every phrase tacked on with a "like" or "as" were ruthlessly cut away. Yet despite that stylistic tic, I can't help but be fond of this story. The author was herself an actress, and that experience, and obviously meticulous historical research, shows in the way she brings alive her tale of a troupe of players in sixteenth century Venice. But more than setting and plot, what has always shined to me in Smith's books are her characters and her way of making you care about them. In particular Susanna Bardi. Born into a noble merchant house, she was scarred as a child and as a young woman forced into an unbearable marriage. She runs away from her husband and is found on the streets by a member of the players and taken in, and the way she changes as a result of her time with them is wonderful to see.
I loved Smith's other work of historical fiction, A Tale of the Wind, set in nineteenth century France even more--I think it a richer tale. But this is nevertheless a diverting, enjoyable novel for those who love historical fiction blended with romance.
I loved Smith's other work of historical fiction, A Tale of the Wind, set in nineteenth century France even more--I think it a richer tale. But this is nevertheless a diverting, enjoyable novel for those who love historical fiction blended with romance.
December 23, 2019
When you come to feel that you are a part of the plot, as one of the players perhaps, watching events unfold around you, you know you in the midst of a ‘good read’.
October 30, 2013
A good book well worth reading. Not just another "romance" novel.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews