Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful read
Review: A wonderful read. I agree with other reviewers that the author succeeded where many fail when given a good idea and good documentation; it is sad and made me cry at the end. The book reads better than a novel; it paints a portrait of a lost age. Completely enjoyable summer read; very romantic.
Rating:
Summary: Sumptuous and compelling
Review: Andrea Di Robilant paints an evocative picture of mid 18th Venetian life and love through words. He scetches and draws to perfection as if painting a real life masterpiece - a Canaletto or Tiepolo. His words conjure up images full of color and depth. It is as though we are are eavesdropping while we follow the lives of these truly remarkable lovers. It gives us an insight into life in Venice during their times and as the author states, Venice has not really physically changed since. We can picture the cobbled streets, the small bridges and the sumptuous Palazzo's. We travel accross the continent through north Italy to Paris and then on to the rather "dull" city of London, meeting aristocracy on the way. We are voyeurs on fashion, art, culture, and politics of the day. A fascinating read. I look forward to my next trip to Venice with my eyes wide shut.
Rating:
Summary: Decaying republic--unending love
Review: Andrea Memmo is the scion of an ancient Venetian family that is destined to become one of the most powerful in a dying republic. Memmo is filled with ideas about enlightenment and reform and he is mentored by some of the most brilliant men of the time. Enter Giustiniana whose mother was Greek and whose father is British. These two get together and their lives are turned upsidedown. The author does a memorable and convincing job of using history and time to portray these two men. But the best part of this novel was the way in which the author approached the writing or "finding out" of what happened. He uses 250 year old letters that his father has "found" from a direct ancestor. This might sound like a cheap way to introduce the materials, but it works somehow. With a plot worthy of Chevalier in some of her novels, and writing that is gorgeous and well crafted like McCrae's Bark of the Dogwood, this one doesn't disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: Stop waiting for the next GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING!
Review: Because it has arrived! Truth is stranger (and more wonderful) than fiction in this exotic Venetian love story. Save for some passing references by the one and only Cassanova, the torrid affair of 18th-century patrician Andrea Memmo and the illegitimate Anglo-Venetian beauty Giustiniana was supposed to be be lost in the annals of history. Then, 300 years later a cache of letters is discovered by their descendant Andre di Robilant, and A VENETIAN AFFAIR finally sees the light of day.READ THIS BOOK, RECOMMEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Elegant, Sparking, Seductive
Review: Eighteenth century Venice, with its gondoliers and masks and gambling halls and theatres, is the fascinating backdrop to Andrea di Robilant's "A Venetian Affair" where he shares with his readers the true story of his ancestor Andrea Memmo's secretive affair with a lovely young Anglo-Venetian woman, Giustiniana Wynne. And so are bustling Paris and the more subdued London of the mid Eighteenth century.
The reader will go the full gamut of emotions while reading "A Venetian Affair". Passion, desire, erotica, humor, jealousy, rage, scandal, and more color the events recounted. This is not just a story of passive emotional suffering. The lovers never stop fighting back at the obstacles imposed on them. They plan and plot and as time and separation - the other two great protagonists in their story - play their parts, the lovers invent new roles for each other.
Besides the alluring story of that clandestine love affair, the reader is also seduced by the fascinating details about the manuscripts that form the basis for the memoir: A stash of letters found in a family attic in a palazzo on the Canal Grande, over a hundred of them, that provide many missing pieces to the mosaic of the love story. The author shares with us the excitement of their discovery, and the family tragedy that ultimately destined him to be the author of this book.
"A Venetian Affair" is not only an beautiful love story well written, but also a carefully researched biography of two very important people in late Eighteenth century Venice. Andrea Memmo was one the last great statesmen of the oldest Republic in the world, and Giustiniana Wynne was an acclaimed author in her time. Memmo is still remembered today for many of his civic endeavors. Giustiniana is a 'lost' woman writer waiting to be rediscovered.
The author's style is simply delightful - sparkling and elegant. A highly recommended read.
Rating:
Summary: Elegant, Sparking, Seductive
Review: Eighteenth century Venice, with its gondoliers and masks and gambling halls and theatres, is the fascinating backdrop to Andrea di Robilant's "A Venetian Affair" where he shares with his readers the true story of his ancestor Andrea Memmo's secretive affair with a lovely young Anglo-Venetian woman, Giustiniana Wynne. And so are bustling Paris and the more subdued London of the mid Eighteenth century.
The reader will go the full gamut of emotions while reading "A Venetian Affair". Passion, desire, erotica, humor, jealousy, rage, scandal, and more color the events recounted. This is not just a story of passive emotional suffering. The lovers never stop fighting back at the obstacles imposed on them. They plan and plot and as time and separation - the other two great protagonists in their story - play their parts, the lovers invent new roles for each other.
Besides the alluring story of that clandestine love affair, the reader is also seduced by the fascinating details about the manuscripts that form the basis for the memoir: A stash of letters found in a family attic in a palazzo on the Canal Grande, over a hundred of them, that provide many missing pieces to the mosaic of the love story. The author shares with us the excitement of their discovery, and the family tragedy that ultimately destined him to be the author of this book.
"A Venetian Affair" is not only an beautiful love story well written, but also a carefully researched biography of two very important people in late Eighteenth century Venice. Andrea Memmo was one the last great statesmen of the oldest Republic in the world, and Giustiniana Wynne was an acclaimed author in her time. Memmo is still remembered today for many of his civic endeavors. Giustiniana is a 'lost' woman writer waiting to be rediscovered.
The author's style is simply delightful - sparkling and elegant. A highly recommended read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Romantic True Story
Review: Enjoy this book as you would a mini-vacation. It involves a romance between 'two star-crossed lovers,' (to borrow from Shakespeare) between Andrea Memmo and an illegitimate Anglo-Venetian beauty named Giustiniana. It features their much-heated correspondence and explosive love affair and concludes with a afterword regarding their prospective fates. Truly a wonderful book! I'm glad I took the time to enjoy it! Also recommended: Life of Pi, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: Elegant
Review: I am at a loss as to the reason for the glowing reviews for this book. There is nothing even remotely admirable about either of the two protagonists. They are shallow, vain, lazy and conniving. They go to great and elaborate lengths to try to cuckold old men as a means to secure their love yet lack the courage of their convictions to just simply be together. Their apparent casual faithlessness also makes their written declarations of undying love ring hollow. I gave the book 2 stars only because of the historical content. If this is a true reflection of Venetian society, it's no wonder the Republic fell into such a decline.
Rating: 
Summary: An unforgettable story of love's staying power
Review: I approached this book with much excitement and it did not disappoint. It is not only a chronicle of an undying, yet impossible love but it also presents a crisp picture of 18th century Venice with all its charm and outdated aristocracy. The book is so bittersweet...in spite of the pureness and greatness of their love it is so heart-wrenching to see them forced to live separate lives by an inflexible and archaic social system. Maybe they have found themselves again in a subsequent life and have had the chance to be together and fulfill their interrupted love story.
Rating:
Summary: absorbing historical affair
Review: i could not put down this tale of a passionate and compelling affair across the continent of europe. though i feared a sad and depressing end, the two lovers finished out lives of extraordinary satisfying modernity while still patterning the inexorable mores of their time. the shallow youths of andrea and giustiniana gave way to deeper and more likeable adults, and their trials and tribulations were captivating. at the same time, a fascinating picture is painted of slice of life in venice, paris and london of the day. read this book and give it often. i did and i have.
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