Rating: 
Summary: An eerie story
Review: ... but I mean that in a good way. Sara, the heroine, receives cryptic messages from a (seemingly) all-knowing spirit. He hangs in the half-world between life and death, with some arcane task not yet finished. She helps him complete what was not completed in life, and then ...That would be telling. The fact is, the spirit (Conti) is a friendly, chatty sort and offers fair pay for services rendered. He even arranges some interesting (and quite businesslike) travel. He also has some suggestions regarding her would-be boyfriend. As it turns out, the suggestions aren't needed. Something larger than Conti is also involving itself with Sara, and is quite the opposite of the ominous, evil force that Sara might have feared. This story may be Bantock's finest. It includes all of the themes that seem to fascinate Bantock: the alternatives to life and death, exchange between the human and the supernatural, and the growth of intimacy as a force in itself. Also, the story is wholly contained in one volume. I like that: I can see how the plot plays out without waiting a year or two for the next chapter. Some people might feel that closure impairs the sense of mystery. That's a matter of personal taste, though, so I can neither agree nor disagree. Sad to say, the "Wife" includes less of Bantock's incredible artwork than any other book I've seen. His layered, complex story almost makes up for lack of his layered, complex art, but not quite. Bantock fans: this a must-have. Bantock newcomers: you'll find more of his signature art in any of the other books published to date.
Rating: 
Summary: just ok
Review: Although I love the Griffin and Sabine books for their atmospheric ambiguity, this one was too vague for me. While G & S is so appealing because the answers aren't completely clear, Venetians Wife feels the same but far less intentional.
Rating: 
Summary: Likeable main characters, some pretty art, but weak ending
Review: I am a big fan of Nick Bantock's and I looked forward eagerly to reading this book. The artwork is much more sparse than his Griffin and Sabine trilogy but still I liked the story line a lot. It's fun to read the brief descriptions of Hindu mythology, and I found our main characters, Sara Wolfe and Niccolo Dei Conti, interesting, intelligent and likeable. I could relate on a personal level to the friendship, caring and sexual attraction that Sara and Marco shared, and was happy with its "reality". The characters Sara encounters on her travels are interesting too. Here were all the ingredients for an amazing conclusion. Alas it was not to be. I was very disappointed by the lacklustre ending I got. It's left to the reader to assume that Sara or Marco or both are descendants of Conti in some way but it's vague. I love the idea of a love so intense and profound that even death cannot overcome it and I'm willing to accept that Conti had to wait for a certain person with the right combination of factors to appear to unlock the key before he could be reunited with his beloved Yashoda, but Bantock could have given us a far better ending than the one he did, considering the superb buildup.
Rating:
Summary: Likeable main characters, some pretty art, but weak ending
Review: I am a big fan of Nick Bantock's and I looked forward eagerly to reading this book. The artwork is much more sparse than his Griffin and Sabine trilogy but still I liked the story line a lot. It's fun to read the brief descriptions of Hindu mythology, and I found our main characters, Sara Wolfe and Niccolo Dei Conti, interesting, intelligent and likeable. I could relate on a personal level to the friendship, caring and sexual attraction that Sara and Marco shared, and was happy with its "reality". The characters Sara encounters on her travels are interesting too. Here were all the ingredients for an amazing conclusion. Alas it was not to be. I was very disappointed by the lacklustre ending I got. It's left to the reader to assume that Sara or Marco or both are descendants of Conti in some way but it's vague. I love the idea of a love so intense and profound that even death cannot overcome it and I'm willing to accept that Conti had to wait for a certain person with the right combination of factors to appear to unlock the key before he could be reunited with his beloved Yashoda, but Bantock could have given us a far better ending than the one he did, considering the superb buildup.
Rating: 
Summary: a weak ending breaks the spell
Review: I could not put the Venetian's Wife down as soon as I started reading it. I loved the beautiful pictures on each page and though the characters are somewhat shallow the author's economy works well with the plot, which is so original and unpredictable! This was my first experience with Bantock's writing. I had alway meant to check out his Griffin and Sabine books because the art work looks so interesting. I received the Venetian's Wife as a gift. I am an art historian and work at an art museum so my brother thought the book was particularly appropriate for me. Until the very end, The Venetian's Wife was one of my favorite books; however, I found the end extremely disappointing. I felt cheated and angry; like the author did not finish his work.
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Summary: A Reveiw For Nick Bantock's The Venetian's Wife
Review: The Venetian's Wife is a book that takes the mind on an unforgetable adventure.It dishes out the unbelievable in reality.Nick Bantock's style of writing mixed with his transaction of words,which flow together beautifully,paint a vivid picture in the mind.I love the way you can read the personal letters meant someone else and not feel any guilt.I also enjoyed learning about the Hindu culture while reading this book.I think that Nick Bantock has an extroidanary talent that can make you look at the world from a different vantage point.It mixes up a romantic love story with a reality-check situation that really challenges and urges your thinking of mind to go further than the average mind.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing after Griffin & Sabine
Review: The Ventian's Wife is another bizarre, beautiful, original (art)book by Nick Bantock. The plot was elaborate and interesting, with hints of mysticism and mystery. Sadly, it didn't deliver what it promised. . . so many hints were made of ways that the story would tie together, but it didn't happen. The ending was abrupt, almost as though he forgot to send the last chapter to the publishers. It is still a good and intriguing, if quick, read despite it's failure to fully interweave
Rating: 
Summary: What makes me angry these days
Review: This book uniquely takes as its subject a syphelitic and partially blind whore from Hamberg. This eccentric choice of character renders the book defunct as the woman in question is (I assume) illiterate. For this reason the book was completely without words and only three pages long. However I must commend the most beutifully illistrated cover and the acknowledgments are set in an old fashioned fleet street style that is increasingly hard to find. I dedicate this reveiw to my mother.
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Summary: Different Type of Book, Great Read
Review: This is a great book for anyone interested in art, computer science, the Renaissance and Italy, or Indian mythology and religion. Bantock strikes again with his "illustrated correspondence" in which he mixes technology and modern ideas with Renaissance intrigue and thought of the lost manuscript of an ancient Indian manuscript. The reader will find themselves lost in the emails and correspondence between Sara (the protagonist) and her mysterious mentor, as she finds the mystery behind the manuscript and finds herself in a sensual journey about the power of love.
Rating:
Summary: The World's Best Book
Review: This is the best book I've read in years (and I can't wait for the movie)!!! It's magical and wonderful. With an excellent mix of history, art, and technology, Mr. Bantock weaves a tale and casts a spell and it is all done perfectly! Thanks you Mr. Bantock!!!
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