Rating: 
Summary: Pity the lad can't do more than copy his first novel.
Review: Ah, Sarah, countrywoman of mine, thou dost praise too much and peruse too little. Send the lad Gerardi out to Venice "for real," as the Yanks say, and give him marching orders to write a third novel with just a bit of originality. Until then, he's doomed to Dante's eighth circle of hell, the one reserved for writers whose work is lifted by crutches labeled "I AM SO LAME THAT I HAVE TO COPY MY OWN IDEAS. REPACKAGE THEM. AND PERSUADE YOU THAT THEY ARE FRESH!" Farewell, dear reader, and back to the drawing board for those of us who do not go through life looking to be hustled out of a few quid.
Rating: 
Summary: Great, but not long enough
Review: As a lover of Girardi, I was disappointed to find Vaporetto13 such a short book. I could have wallowed in his language for another couple hundred pages. The magic Girardi brings is incomparable; the scene at the bar with Caterina's friends is worth reading the entire book. The fact that we can guess the ending, so to speak, doesn't detract from the author's craft. I don't agree with Kirkus that the spell is broken when we leave Venice; it's only then that Jack can apply what he has learned to reality.
Rating:
Summary: One star is one too many.
Review: Ghost story. First novel by this author, Gerardi, was a ghost story. No stones falling from the ceiling in this one, but one helluva' plot twist on the first novel. Same-same as his first novel, dear reader. Made me damn glad I was able to get the copy at a library and not have to waste money on it. Third novel is about a guy who falls for a dame who, too, is ghosted. Author must've learned this trick at a writer's school. Indeed. I recall Gerardi saying in November of 1990, as he struggled with a momentous decision to enlist in the United States Air Force, "I wish I'd done something brave in my life." Pity that he can't do something brave now, like write a third novel distinct from his first one. You guessed it, he didn't do anything brave back then, either. But you've got to live it to learn it. Currency traders and brokers figure prominently as "heroic" protagonists in Gerardi's books. Sounds like he's ready for a career change. Would do him, and literature, a world of good. Make that move, Gerardi. Wall Street will most definitely welcome you. Ah, but then, not everybody was in line when God was handing out common sense. Or balls. Quite.
Rating:
Summary: As haunting as "Madeline's Ghost"...
Review: Girardi has a way of presenting facts about a place and its culture without sounding condescending. His descriptions of Venice are far from the "touristy" types of other novels; he can take you on the streets, in the back alleys, in the places guide books avoid or ignore. The only negative is that it was way too short.
Rating: 
Summary: The gift of description
Review: Girardi has an uncanny knack for creating time and place and truly delivering a reader there. The Venice that he describes in this novel is eerie, damp, and timeless. It is the Venice of 1,000 years ago and the Venice of today. He evokes the longing and the lustiness that such a beautiful and mysterious place can bring and weaves a passionate and sensual love story that compells you to read on. The main character in the novel is certainly one with whom we can oddly enough all sympathize with and one that we are eager to follow. Girardi truly has a gift which he has proven with this and with his other novels, and I would highly recommend his writings.
Rating:
Summary: The gift of description
Review: Girardi has an uncanny knack for creating time and place and truly delivering a reader there. The Venice that he describes in this novel is eerie, damp, and timeless. It is the Venice of 1,000 years ago and the Venice of today. He evokes the longing and the lustiness that such a beautiful and mysterious place can bring and weaves a passionate and sensual love story that compells you to read on. The main character in the novel is certainly one with whom we can oddly enough all sympathize with and one that we are eager to follow. Girardi truly has a gift which he has proven with this and with his other novels, and I would highly recommend his writings.
Rating:
Summary: As mysterious as the waters of the canals.
Review: Girardi sets your senses on the very edge with Vaporetto 13. It's reading at it's best and Stephen King, no contest!!!
Rating:
Summary: E-Vaporated 13
Review: Having read Girardi's debut novel "Madeleine's Ghost", I was excited to see he'd written another ghost story. I think his style of descriptive writing lends itself well to the supernatural theme, because the reader can become immersed in the story very quickly and the places and characters feel very real. Their lives, loves and fears are raw and true to life, this adding credibility and style to an otherwise simple ghost story. I think we can call relate to one of Girardi's characters in one way or another - ok, so we're not all traders posted to romantic European locations, living in penthouse suites on the Grand Canal, but I'm sure we've all had a friend/colleague put us in an uncomfortable position before or had an infatuation with somebody unattainable at least once in our lives. Girardi's wonderful description of Venice and all it's glories made me want to go back and experience the unique city again and again. I thought that the book was a little too short, but it worked nevertheless. At least Girardi knows when and how to finish a story rather than stretch it out for page number's sake and I LOVE the fact that his books have closure. Maybe it's fond memories of childhood fairy tales where they "all lived happily ever after...", but it's also healthy for adult reading. There seems to be so much literary drivel around at present that lacks a true ending, making Girardi's books a real pleasure to read. I have enjoyed both these books immensely, but feel that Girardi has now exhausted the "Phantom-Misunderstood-Whore-In-A-Loveless-Marriage-But-Finds-Kindred-Spirit-Only-To-Meet-A-Nasty-End" genre. Nevertheless, I look forward to reading more of his work.
Rating:
Summary: E-Vaporated 13
Review: Having read Girardi's debut novel "Madeleine's Ghost", I was excited to see he'd written another ghost story. I think his style of descriptive writing lends itself well to the supernatural theme, because the reader can become immersed in the story very quickly and the places and characters feel very real. Their lives, loves and fears are raw and true to life, this adding credibility and style to an otherwise simple ghost story. I think we can call relate to one of Girardi's characters in one way or another - ok, so we're not all traders posted to romantic European locations, living in penthouse suites on the Grand Canal, but I'm sure we've all had a friend/colleague put us in an uncomfortable position before or had an infatuation with somebody unattainable at least once in our lives. Girardi's wonderful description of Venice and all it's glories made me want to go back and experience the unique city again and again. I thought that the book was a little too short, but it worked nevertheless. At least Girardi knows when and how to finish a story rather than stretch it out for page number's sake and I LOVE the fact that his books have closure. Maybe it's fond memories of childhood fairy tales where they "all lived happily ever after...", but it's also healthy for adult reading. There seems to be so much literary drivel around at present that lacks a true ending, making Girardi's books a real pleasure to read. I have enjoyed both these books immensely, but feel that Girardi has now exhausted the "Phantom-Misunderstood-Whore-In-A-Loveless-Marriage-But-Finds-Kindred-Spirit-Only-To-Meet-A-Nasty-End" genre. Nevertheless, I look forward to reading more of his work.
Rating:
Summary: Not long enough.
Review: I love this author and find myself lost in his books. I found this book much too short. Was he in a hurry? Please start another book, I cant wait.
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