Daughter of Venice

by Donna Jo Napoli

It is 1592 in Venice and Donata Mocenigo, younger daughter to one of the city's great noble families, leads a life full of wealth and privilege. But she feels constricted by the many strict rules of etiquette a young noblewoman must observe, and longs to throw off her veil.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction, Italy, Romance, Childrens

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction. She loves to garden and bake bread, and even dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist.

At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to make the neighbors wonder. But dear dear Taxi died in 2009.

She has five children, seven grandchildren, and currently lives outside Philadelphia. She received her BA in mathematics in 1970 and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures in 1973, both from Harvard University, then did a postdoctoral year in Linguistics at MIT. She has since taught linguistics at Smith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and Swarthmore College. It was at UM that she earned tenure (in 1981) and became a full professor (in 1984). She has held visiting positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), Capital Normal University of Beijing (China), the University of Newcastle (UK), the University of Venice at Ca' Foscari (Italy), and the Siena School for the Liberal Arts (Italy) as well as lectured at the University of Sydney (Australia), Macquarie University (Australia), the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) and held a fellowship at Trinity College Dublin. In the area of linguistics she has authored, coauthored, edited, or coedited 17 books, ranging from theoretical linguistics to practical matters in language structure and use, including matters of interest to d/Deaf people. She has held grants and fellowships from numerous sources, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the Sloan Foundation.

Reviews

[teddy bear · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely very interesting. I liked it a lot and it was very different from many of the books I have read before. I like that it has such complex characters for sure. Donata was an amazing character that on one side was lovable and funny and sarcastic but on the other had bad qualities just like any normal human being. I really enjoyed this book.

[Christina Baehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book went in a different, better direction than I expected from what looked to be a typical YA story: adolescent 16th century noblewoman chafes under her restrictive lot, dresses as a boy to experience life more fully, finds enlightenment.

This book was better than I expected for 3 main reasons.

1. Family. The author paints a picture of upper class Venetian family life that is full of genuine affection, interest and vitality. Donata, the heroine, is one of 12 children. It is no mean feat for an author to create 12 distinctive child characters in a book as short as this one, but she pulls it off. Donata's respect for her parents and concern for her family's honour is also unexpectedly deep.
2. Rebellion or reform? It seems that the Venetian patriarchal system was a really terrible one. According to this book, typically only one son and one daughter from each noble family was permitted to marry and raise children, so that the family inheritance (split by law between each son) would not be dissipated over the course of generations. This of course contributed to a massive problem with prostitution and illegitimacy. It was easy to sympathise with Donata's many disappointments and her resentments against such an unjust social structure. What surprised me was that while it seemed for part of the book that everything was building towards her chucking a big old tanty and getting as far away from the whole rotten mess as she could (understandable), the resolution took a far less modern, individualistic turn and one that was much more believable and satisfying, to me at least. I don't want to spoil it, but essentially the author took the heroine in a more reformist direction. Since I believe that lawful reform, not revolution, is the Christian way to transform rotten cultures from the inside out, I really appreciated this resolution.
3. Women. Finally, I appreciated the author took the opportunity to emphasise (alongside the terrible injustices) the many clever ways that wise women have found to influence and contribute to governance and culture, even in profoundly restrictive societies such as 16th century Venice.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually, I do not enjoy Historical Fiction novels, but Daughter of Venice was an exception. The author, Donna Jo Napoli, did a tremendous job explaining the setting and characters, making the plot and characters come to life. I found myself predicting throughout the entire book, there was a lot of action and twists.
The story was about a fourteen year old girl, Donata, who lives during the 1590s in Venice. She is a noble daughter, and in noble families only one daughter and son may marry. Although it is improper for Donata to marry, she longs to. Donata, disguised as a boy, escapes from her palazzo to see her home city, Venice. She falls in love with a Jewish man, and what she finds in the streets of Venice changes her life forever.
This book kept me questioning until the very end. Everyone should consider reading it, it is definintely one of my favorites.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is... okay. Enjoyable, but, and I hate to say it, pretty predictable. When I was a kid, Donna Jo Napoli always had these really clever twists that threw me. I can't tell if I grew up or if this was just an off book, but I could tell where this was going the whole time.

I do want to give her props for not resolving the romance the way she could, and in fact backgrounding it as much as she could. Still, overall, the resolution felt-- convienent, and obvious, and the whole story felt ever so slightly unrealistic.

It's an okay book. I don't think I'd read it again.

[Jaycee Dillingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK! I only rated it 4 stars because Donata never got to marry the person that she loved.

[Костадина Костова · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so much love for this book! It is a brilliant portrait of Venice, of the social, political, economic and religious forces that shape the everyday life of Venetians in the 16th century, both rich and poor. The coming-of-age story is captivating, even more so because it manages to comment unobtrusively on the fate of women in that Serenissima, where tolerance is guaranteed by practicality, but not when it comes to the daughters, the mothers, the sisters. Many of them never set foot on the alley next to their palazzo or even see the places they know and speak of - like the square of San Marco, which is hard to comprehend.
Another facet of the story is the tender and complex way it describes familial relationships, especially between sisters. Donata and her sister act and talk out of immense love and loyalty for each other and it’s so heart-warming.
Romantic love has a bit of a secondary role, which was great, because, even as it exists and thrills the fourteen-year-old Donata, that love does not define her journey nor reduce it to simply wanting to get a guy.
The only thing that might bother someone was that the language is a bit unauthentic, like at one time a character was “getting the jitters”, but it’s really a minor nuance (and I can be quite the Stanis Gramatheon about writing style).

[Elisabeth (Bets) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book a while ago and I guess I should go back a give it a reread. I do remember some of the content not being good (for example the MC’s brother said something along the lines of “why get married when you can just go to prostitutes?” And there was never any indication that he was wrong for that) there was nothing explicit or described it just wasn’t good content. I do remember loving the story other than that one paragraph tho.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did, and wish that I could give a 2.5 star rating instead of 3. The book was hard to get through for a few reasons. The first being that the protagonist, Donata, seemed to waver between a bratty child a and a witty teen. Her character is 14 years old, but her voice often appeared as that of an 11 year old. While the random facts/lessons on Venetian history were interesting, not all of the facts were pertinent(thought interesting) to the telling of Donata's story, and many of these facts were awkwardly placed and contributed to the bumpy reading. Like a previous reviewer stated, I hope that the historical notes presented in the novel are well researched facts.

I did like the rich detail of the landscape (smells, sites, etc.), I could actually imagine myself in 1500s Venice. I most enjoyed the chapters that Donata and Noe interacted.

*****SPOILER**********
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I was also bothered by the ending that didn't really resolve Donata's desire to marry contrary to tradition. It was confusing to have her go back and forth between wanting marriage, and not wanting marriage.

[Capn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read this book because it qualified for a very specific task on the August MG Team Reading Challenge I have enrolled in (#50. A book with a gondola on the cover). I wasn't expecting much - I don't read much historical fiction, and I only knew it by its cover from my list of Juvenile Fiction Set in Italy (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...).

I actually enjoyed this book. There was a lot of careful name-, date- and historical fact-dropping to set the scene, and I was very worried that the 274 pages were going to take me an eternity to finish. But then a plot began to unfold, perhaps a little forbidden romance (not my thing, but the author managed to weave it in so finely that I found myself drawn in and needing to see what became of it). Romance lovers will be disappointed, though, so don't go in expecting that.

Donata is the twin of Laura, and while they are identical barring a couple of hidden birthmarks, their personalities and aptitudes vary highly. Both are members of an enormous noble household, and both are the second daughter - a position, we discover, that means they are in with a chance at being considered eligible for marriage, and still only maybe, by dint of their family's high standing and prosperity. Otherwise, their prospects for the future look quite bleak. Their lives are pretty bleak, too, as females, in spite of their family's superlative wealth. They are veiled when they leave the Palazzo, allowed no latitude or freedom outside of the home, and delivered directly to the doorstep of wherever they are calling, chiefly for the purposes of putting in social appearances.

Donata can't bear it. She starts to wonder how the other people of Venice live, and she wants to be able to see and experience this beloved city of hers. She once dressed as a boy and snuck out onto her family's own doorstop to go crabbing with her indulgent brothers. She was caught and chastised by a servant, but she never forgot about it - it was the most interesting day of her life.

So you can guess what she schemes up next. The author has given a very realistic sense of the jeopardy she puts her family in by taking even personal risk to her reputation, life and limb, and the characters of her family members and others, in particular her mother, are very vivid and believable. But this is a middle grade book after all, and there is that fairytale-like aspect to her good fortune even when things go badly for Donata.

But she doesn't get everything she desires, and the plot seemed quite realistic to me on the unrequited improbable love front (I was hoping it would be a Happily Ever After, as much as I hoped it would not go too far and cross that boundary of too-good-to-be-true). I think this is the mark of an adept author - I usually could care less about the love lives of a given character, but I have a feeling I'll still be imagining what that highly suspect HEA ending would have looked like. ;) Again, I am surprised to have been as drawn in as I have been.

I have been to Venice before (on one hand, lovely. On the other - do you like hoardes of loud American cruise ship tourists killing all the atmosphere by speaking every unexamined, inane thought aloud and very, very loudly? Or bus loads of Chinese tourists following someone's folding umbrella held up as a baton as the guide barks out their tired spiel through a tinny portable megaphone, weaving their way unsuccessfully through other tour groups all wearing matching bright orange t-shirts (I'm suspecting you, dear Dutchies!), who then all get mixed up in the human cattle-run that is the Piazza San Marco?!). If you've seen The Spanish Steps in Rome, you'll get the idea. Overrun. All the magic stampeded into the dust clouds and blown out to sea.

The best parts of Venice, in my mind, are the ones that don't have any famous sights. The canals and alleys you can get completely lost in (it's a joy - it's not so big that being lost is going to amount to a major crisis, unless you're injured or late for an appointment or something). My dog had the time of her life there - we thoughtfully refer to it as "Dog Water City" so she can enter into the conversation. Endless stinky corners to sniff at, not a car in sight, fun little arched bridges to clamber over, cats everywhere (though most she ultimately found terrifying - most held their ground with such confidence, she was reduced to a wriggling bundle of whimpering fear, scraping against the wall to avoid the clawed, advancing adversary... it was pretty amusing. Lovely tough Venice moggies, bless them. Some were cheeky enough to come to us humans for a cuddle while pointedly staring down our totally overwhelmed dog. "These tourists belong to me now, dog.").

But Venice is not as populated as it was. You don't see many locals, and many of those alleys I mention are completely deserted, apart from street toughs of the feline persuasion (though the houses appear to be inhabited, for the most part). Modern Venice, the locals complain, is like living in Disneyland year around. So there isn't the market people that Donata interacts with, or the fishermen, or the weavers, the tanners, the spice traders, barrel-makers, cat-castrators.. there aren't even beggars (though there are pickpockets, but they travel in with the tourists for the most part). And that's what we had hoped to see - what was everyday life like for kids in Venice, for example? We didn't see much evidence of family life, though of course there was some, clinging to what dying infrastructure remained. It was depressing, truly, to see the soul of the city gone. It's mostly just a very pretty empty shell of its former self, now.

So this book is a way to see Venice before it became overrun with tourists, streaming like rats down a gangplank, and chasing away any magic still clinging to the old city. (Staying overnight in Venice and visiting the sights as late and as early as permitted is really my only recommendation to get around the ugliness of tourist rush hours. And stay in the most remote neighbourhoods, if you don't mind a walk or water taxi fare).

I enjoyed this book, and I think it would appeal to headstrong, intellectual girls with an interest in the history of Venice (an overview of Venetian history is not given - that's a wild ride in itself! - only a snapshot of the year 1592, between various epidemics like smallpox and the black death / bubonic plague). It would also interest Jewish readers, as there is much about the Jewish Ghetto here, and also a little about the Lutherans and the Vatican's many 'Inquisitions' and the pressure it exerts on the similarly wayward and headstrong La Serenissima.

Some lists for other books on Italy and Venice/Venezia:
Italia by Region: Nothern Italy: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Venezia (Ital.): https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
Venezia Storia, Cultura, Attualit (Ital.): https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

and once more for juvenile fiction set in Italy: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd heard good things about this book, and it didn't let me down. Donna Jo Napoli has written a vivid, well-researched coming-of-age story set in Venice in the 1590s. There's a scene in the very first chapter in which our young heroine ventures into a forbidden map room that beautifully evokes a sense of excitement and enchantment; from that moment I knew I was in good hands.

But the story also had a lot to recommend it as well. Of course, Napoli was writing from a modern humanist and feminist viewpoint, but she showed a true historian's eager sympathy for her subjects, their faith, and the complexities of their world. She clearly intends to expose the oppression which seems to have characterised so many aspects of life in renaissance Venice, especially the treatment of women, but she is fair enough (and realistic enough) 1) to give her heroine a loving family who value her and are willing to listen to reason; 2) to acknowledge the genuine ability of clever and gifted women at all periods of history to find self-fulfillment and earn recognition for their talents; and 3) to provide her heroine with an ending that may not follow the feminist narrative, but is refreshingly true to the character, the time, and the place.

I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it for mature young adults.

[Lauren James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of my favourite books alongside THE THIEF LORD set in Venice, because that’s clearly My Thing, this is a historical novel about a rich girl who sneaks out of her house to flirt with a cute Jewish boy who teaches her to write. I got this out of the library about three times when I was fourteen.

This is set in Venice in 1592, where Donata is a noble girl stifled by convention, who dresses as a boy to explore the city. She finds her way to the Jewish district, and meets a boy called Noe, who works in publishing. This book was a huge inspiration for the 1854 storyline in The Next Together, where my character Katy dresses up as a boy so she can go adventuring too!

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I happened upon this book on night when I was terribly bored. I had nothing to read so searching the downstairs bookshelf I picked up this book. I Had picked it up many times before but never started to read it. So I decided to give it a chance. I loved it.

[Ally Wetherhold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little plot and an abrupt ending, but very pretty descriptions and historical aspect.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Venice is a city of light and water, where colors flourish because of a spirit of hope."

So I wanted to read something light and easy and that's what this is. It's another great children's / YA book along the lines of the other two Napoli books I've read (Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale and Bound) which are realistic portrayals of young girls in historic settings (Ireland and China, respectively).

Daughter of Venice, takes place, obviously, in Venice. It's about a young girl, Donata, who I trying to become more than what women of her station are due in the 1500's. It's an enlightening look into a world that most people don't think of. The life of nobles is perceived as easy and carefree, with the idea that endless doors are open to them. But the reality is much different.

Napoli shows us a glimpse into a fictional girl's life with very real information, showing us that anyone can achieve what they want in their life.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so impressed by this book. Great plot, great characters, great writing.

I would highly recommend, but would probably set minimum age of audience at around 14 or 15 years old for frequent references to philanderers, a lot of time spent thinking about marriage, and a conversation about the morals of prostitution.

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This middle grade historical fiction took me a minute to get into, but I very much enjoyed where the story went and all the historical details included.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, this book did not seem as enticing as the ever dramatic Red Necklace. (I got them together at the library, recommended by my sis.) But after reading deep into it, I realized it was as intense and sad as Red Necklace was.
It's a story of a young noble girl named Donata living in Venice a long time ago. It's a custom that only the oldest daughter of the family gets the privilege to marry, but Laura (Donata's twin) and Donata's only dream is to marry just like Andriana (the oldest).
News comes from their father that both Donata and Laura will be shut up in a convent together, which is custom for younger daughters. Donata realizes she has never seen her city of Venice, and she pledges to know her city before she is shut away. She begins the perilous journey to disguise as a poor fisher boy and explore with the help of her sisters.
This leads to betrayal of her mother's trust, marriage confusion, and the loss of her noble reputation.
This book is not only very interesting to read, it is also very educational because I have never known anything about ancient Venice. Please read this and you'll be smarter.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
I wish I could write a proper review someday, with character analysis and everything, but you'll just have to settle with this.
Donata was a REAL PERSON (not REAL real, but PERSONALITY real. This is really important if you want your readers to not burn your book.)
She had fire.
She had guts.
She was a girl pretending to be a boy pretending to be a girl pretending to be a boy.
She was awesome.

Her awesomeness radiated from the pages as I read, and I wanted to be in 1592 Venice so I could share some of that awesome.
Her family was not so awesome (except for Bortolo).
Laura was slightly boring (except for the fact that she played violin!!!!!! :D)
Everyone else was normal or annoying. (except for Uncle Umberto - he was nice)
Noe was awesome too! I want Noe! He can write me a handbill anytime! I'm glad Donata didn't end up with Noe. He's mine! :)

******and they all read happily ever after******

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an average YA historical novel. I don't really have much to say about it because I wasn't "wowed" by it nor did I dislike it. It follows Donata in 1592 Venice. She is one of many daughters in a noble family in a time when dowries were of great import. Basically all the dowry money is going towards marrying off her older sister so Donata and her female siblings are looking at life in a convent stuck inside looking out all the time.

Donata dons the attire of a fisher boy and runs the streets of Venice where she befriends a Jewish man and becomes a scribe. She must find a way to avoid her family's plans for her even if it means scandal and deceit.

Very clean YA book. The heroine is very innocent. I didn't understand why there was so much political talk in this one tho.. Was out of place.

[Melrose · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was such BAD book maybe the author should stop writing!I didn't like that the main character, who was 14, acted like an 10 year old. I am sorry, but she was sooooo annoying. She was crying she couldn't get married, but when she finally can marry someone she doesn't want to. Second all this history made me feel like i am in school......not that i hate school as much as this book. Some pages it was just history. Third the author got her facts all mixed up. She said that Albrecht Durer was Dutch but he wasn't he was German. I mean if you are going to write such a lame book at least GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT! Do not read this book!!! It is such a waste of time!

[Meliha Avdic · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's written for younger readers, so I will overlook the parts that I wish were elaborated or at least written with more details, more emotions and such.

I wish I read this book when I was about 14, 15. Of course, it wasn't published then, but other similar books were. However, much like this book, those books have to be dug up. This makes me a little angry with the publishing industry and their marketing strategies.

Having said all that, I think I will bring this book as my mum's reading on our next trip - it's informative, light, feminine, and feel good. I will also add it to the list of books I will suggest to my niece when she's a little older.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the writing but it was too off for me. I'm a 14 year old but i feel like the charater really is 11 and immature. Also i couldn't finish it because it made me rediculously mad that women had such a restricted range of rights. I don't know....I'm not a feminist or anything but it eas all i could think about as i was reading and i didn't keep my attention. So, I didn't like it, especially the end (Isipped ahead and read only little parts here and there) because i felt like it was too rushed and didn't add up.

[Grace Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only bright spot of the book was the Venetian setting with the canals and the rich details of the landscape. I didn't understand Donata as a main character because she wanted to marry one second, then didn't want to marry another second. All the political talk was really unnecessary too. Do not read this book.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really like the theme of the book and had trouble keeping interested.

[Megan Royce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expertly written with an ending that leaves you full of emotion, Daughter of Venice transports you to 16th-century Venice. You feel as if you're walking alongside Donata and her twin sister Laura, who are daughters of a wealthy Venitian noble. The twins are two sides of the same coin, and each explores the two different sides of being a woman in 16th-century Italy: one yearning for her place in Venetian society and one yearning for the freedom men are automatically given at birth.

Laura is dutiful, hard working, and dreams of one day being married, which is a tough ask considering she is the third daughter in the family. Donata is adventurous, rebellious, and dreams of the freedom she does not have as a woman in 16th-century Venice. Looking for excitement, Donata conspires with her sisters to escape and explore the city dressed as a poor boy. Meanwhile, her twin Laura will take on both her and Donata's household chores while Donata is in the palazzo.

It is here that the heart of our story begins. After experiencing life in the palazzo for the first time, Donata finds herself in the Jewish Ghetto. Here, she meets a boy named Noé, who shows her what life is truly like outside of her gilded cage, prompting her to ask her father for the unthinkable: to join her brothers in tutorials so she could learn to read and write.

Will Donata push the social constructs and become a woman who can stand toe-to-toe with her brothers? Will Laura fulfill her dreams and find her own happy ending? Find out in Daughter of Venice>.

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not often that I say I think a book should be LONGER....and I don't think THIS book should have been longer, but rather the book it COULD have been.

The description of Venice at this time in history is beautiful, the people are alive, real, I felt empathy for them. The historical details were well researched and slipped into the narrative without feeling like the author was trying to throw facts at you, unlike the feminist references.

I knew this was going to be a novel with a feminist underlay, but it felt like the author was hitting you with a brick of feminism at certain points in the narrative. There weren't enough heavy references for them to become too distracting, but I did feel like I was being belittled slightly whenever one popped up; the narrative itself was enough to make clear the deeper meanings of the text.

The story is an unusual one, and I was fully prepared to immerse myself in it. I would happily have spent a long time in this location, surrounded by the scenery and the people of the time. I wanted to get to know the characters better, this book deserved to be longer, and the story more in depth, or maybe a different story should have been told.

[Anya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started reading, then, put it down as it was getting a bit slow for me, however as I wanted to simply finish it, I picked up the book again a few months after and I will admit that further on I have skipped a page or two here and there in places.( Also, I had the list of the names of the siblings and their ages jotted down on bit of paper to reference to as I was reading, as with that large family I was getting mixed up who was who)

As historical fiction for younger audience I think it is very interesting, refreshing and touches on good themes. I thought the ending was somewhat unpredictable and yet it worked well. I wish I had read this when I was younger as I think, I would have enjoyed it much more back then.

All in all, not bad (I liked the city descriptions and other everyday bits and details) however not great for me at this time.
Book came to be via donation and is leaving to a little library to find a new home.

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to add this to "my favorites" because it combined much of what I love about the best coming-of-age literature--a well researched historical setting (not needed for coming-of-age, but my favorites tend to fall in that category) and a strong character going outside the norm to discover/do what she loves. It doesn't shy away from the dark side of Venice's history (which I knew next to nothing of, but now feel educated about) and some details might make younger readers uncomfortable (this is for teens, not middle grade), but it's done well and a bit of squirm-factor is a good thing for the topics (poverty, prostitution, class division, etc.) Definitely a book that leaves you thinking about the characters and wanting to know what happens next.
Reminded me of THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE and JACOB HAVE I LOVED, two other favorites.

[Kathlyn Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this novel. It was an inspiring tale of a young noble girl trying to escape the confinement of her home and rules. Donata grew up in Venice in the 16th century as a noble. For her entire life she has been kept inside the house or only allowed out for parties. Her other sister's follow the rules but one day Donata decides to find out what the world is truly like. This book was truly inspiring especially if you pay attention to why Donata decides to sneak out. She wants an education, she wants to help the poor in her city, and most of all, she wants to be free.
I would definitely recommend this novel for a discussion on historical fiction. While the novel isn't based on a true story, it does provide insight into the lives of several real women that - like Donata - wished to learn.
There is not content warning for this book, a wonderful, fun, clean adventure.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is full of twists and turns. Throughout it, I kept trying to guess what would happen next, how it would end, but generally, my predictions were vague or false, yet the outcomes that I failed to predict pleased me more than those I'd imagined.

Donata is a highly likeable character, balanced with virtues and flaws and a stubborn demeanour. Overall, I loved her story; her yearning for adventure and knowledge and learning... Her desire to know and understand everything that is human.

Daughter of Venice is a powerful YA novel, full of wonderful descriptions and imagery, completed by a well thought out story with memorable characters.