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Rating: 
Summary: A book that has everything
Review: Gorgeous prose, vivid social and cultural commentary, an evocative portrait of the most romantic city in the world, astonishing historical detail, and the steamiest sex to adorn a serious novel since "The Crimson Petal and the White" are all packed into this wonderful book. The plot is gripping, the history is real, the writing is mesmerizing. If you are going to Venice soon, "The Floating Book" will enhance your trip. If you can't get there, the novel is not a bad consolation.
Rating: 
Summary: not quite up to its potential, but worth reading/good close
Review: I have to admit that through much of The Floating World, I kept wishing for more. Sometimes more characterization. Sometimes more focus. Sometimes more editing. Sometimes just something more. At times I found it wonderfully written and moving, at times I considered putting it down for good (mostly the middle section), and by the end I was definitely glad I had kept going. But at all those times it never felt it quite matched up to its potential of setting or character. I can see some starting it and never finishing it, but despite its flaws, I'd recommend slogging through whatever tough parts you come across.
There are a lot of strengths to the book. The Venetian setting for one, is beautifully described. But its role goes beyond simple window-dressing. Lovric does an impressive job of making Venice essential to the story, making it almost a character itself in the way that it impresses itself on the people in the book, the way it causes certain actions and reactions. It's a masterful job.
Some of the characterization is also extremely well-done, most particularly the couple at the center of the novel who share part of its narration--the printer Von Speyer and his wife. Watching their marriage through all its highs and lows is at times exhilarating and at others achingly painful. They are the most realized characters and the most effective ones and the book seldom slips when they remain its focus.
Other characters, unfortunately, aren't as strongly composed. Sosia, another major character, starts out strong, but then seems to twist in the wind a bit, stagnating as a character before becoming more and more unlikable. She is one of those missed-potential examples. There are places where her character could be redeemed (as a literary character, not in the moral sense) but those points are either glossed over too quickly and come too late, making them ineffective. In the end, you wanted more from her as a character, wanted to feel more for her. The same is true for several of the minor characters, such as Sosia's husband or Bruno and Felice, two of her (many) lovers. Plot events manipulate you into feeling certain things about their relationships, or at least feeling you should feel something, but the emotions aren't really earned by the writing, mostly because the characters aren't drawn sharply or realistically enough.
The book has some pacing problems I thought. The opening is somewhat slow, but I'm always willing to forgive that in a book of this sort and in fact it picked up not too far into the book. Large parts of the middle third or so, however, gave me serious pause and almost convinced me on several occasions to just give up. The final third, though it maintained some of the book's flaws, moved along more quickly and more movingly, culminating in a strong close.
Structurally, the book moves back and forth in time and narration. There are periodic jumps to letter written from Catullus to his brother detailing his life in Rome, the motivation for/creation of/reaction to his poems (the present-time publication of which is one of the major focuses in the book). The letters are interesting in their own right and the parallels between his time and what is happening in Venice, both in terms of events and characters, quickly become clear. At times, almost too clear and on at least one occasion near the end, I thought one of the past revelations weakened the book's ending rather than enhanced it. Whether you like the use of this structure is probably a matter of personal taste; I found it effective at first and less so as the book went on. In either case, it's easily followed.
The narrative shift is equally clear but much more effective and in contrast to the time shifts, grows more so as the book goes on, adding intimacy and an emotional weight that a third-person narration wouldn't quite achieve.
Overall, the book was disappointing, more in relation to what you felt it could have been. The strengths of the book were so strong that they tended to highlight its weaknesses, so you were left with a lot of "what if" feeling. Still, if they did highlight the weaknesses, those same strengths also made the book, in the end, worth reading. Recommended, but with some sorrow, and with understanding should some not finish it.
Rating:
Summary: not quite up to its potential, but worth reading/good close
Review: I have to admit that through much of The Floating World, I kept wishing for more. Sometimes more characterization. Sometimes more focus. Sometimes more editing. Sometimes just something more. At times I found it wonderfully written and moving, at times I considered putting it down for good (mostly the middle section), and by the end I was definitely glad I had kept going. But at all those times it never felt it quite matched up to its potential of setting or character. I can see some starting it and never finishing it, but despite its flaws, I'd recommend slogging through whatever tough parts you come across.
There are a lot of strengths to the book. The Venetian setting for one, is beautifully described. But its role goes beyond simple window-dressing. Lovric does an impressive job of making Venice essential to the story, making it almost a character itself in the way that it impresses itself on the people in the book, the way it causes certain actions and reactions. It's a masterful job.
Some of the characterization is also extremely well-done, most particularly the couple at the center of the novel who share part of its narration--the printer Von Speyer and his wife. Watching their marriage through all its highs and lows is at times exhilarating and at others achingly painful. They are the most realized characters and the most effective ones and the book seldom slips when they remain its focus.
Other characters, unfortunately, aren't as strongly composed. Sosia, another major character, starts out strong, but then seems to twist in the wind a bit, stagnating as a character before becoming more and more unlikable. She is one of those missed-potential examples. There are places where her character could be redeemed (as a literary character, not in the moral sense) but those points are either glossed over too quickly and come too late, making them ineffective. In the end, you wanted more from her as a character, wanted to feel more for her. The same is true for several of the minor characters, such as Sosia's husband or Bruno and Felice, two of her (many) lovers. Plot events manipulate you into feeling certain things about their relationships, or at least feeling you should feel something, but the emotions aren't really earned by the writing, mostly because the characters aren't drawn sharply or realistically enough.
The book has some pacing problems I thought. The opening is somewhat slow, but I'm always willing to forgive that in a book of this sort and in fact it picked up not too far into the book. Large parts of the middle third or so, however, gave me serious pause and almost convinced me on several occasions to just give up. The final third, though it maintained some of the book's flaws, moved along more quickly and more movingly, culminating in a strong close.
Structurally, the book moves back and forth in time and narration. There are periodic jumps to letter written from Catullus to his brother detailing his life in Rome, the motivation for/creation of/reaction to his poems (the present-time publication of which is one of the major focuses in the book). The letters are interesting in their own right and the parallels between his time and what is happening in Venice, both in terms of events and characters, quickly become clear. At times, almost too clear and on at least one occasion near the end, I thought one of the past revelations weakened the book's ending rather than enhanced it. Whether you like the use of this structure is probably a matter of personal taste; I found it effective at first and less so as the book went on. In either case, it's easily followed.
The narrative shift is equally clear but much more effective and in contrast to the time shifts, grows more so as the book goes on, adding intimacy and an emotional weight that a third-person narration wouldn't quite achieve.
Overall, the book was disappointing, more in relation to what you felt it could have been. The strengths of the book were so strong that they tended to highlight its weaknesses, so you were left with a lot of "what if" feeling. Still, if they did highlight the weaknesses, those same strengths also made the book, in the end, worth reading. Recommended, but with some sorrow, and with understanding should some not finish it.
Rating: 
Summary: I really liked this one!
Review: If you like historical fiction, here is a book to take you to another place and another time...and one that will keep you reading the hours away. The characters are well defined and the plot is woven together in such a nicely intricate way that you'll feel like you're watching a drama unfold. I'd gladly recommend this one!
Rating:
Summary: 15th Century Venice Brought to Life
Review: It took me quite a while to get into this book but once I did I enjoyed it throughly. This is a book you can become engrossed in, and time passes all too quickly.
It takes place in 15th century Venice and this period is obviously very well researched. The plots and counter plots are so numerous that it would be impossible to try to put them down in this short synopsis. There are many emotions and events to think about within the book: Medicine, the effects of plague, prostitution, witchcraft, betrayal, loyalty. Within all this there is the momentous event of the setting up of the first printing press in Venice and the effects this has on the people of Venice.
My only criticism of the book and this happens with many books, there are too many characters for the reader to keep an accurate account of and I found myself back tracking frequently.
Rating:
Summary: A Venetian labyrinth: 3 1/2 stars
Review: Like many historical fiction debuts, Michelle Lovric's The Floating Book suffers from too many facts at the expense of storytelling. Most of the novel takes place in Venice just after the invention of movable type, although each section is framed by correspondence from the Roman poet Catullus to his brother in 63 B.C. Lovric's Venice can be deliciously evil and romantic at once, with murky water that sometimes gives up dead babies and with doors that hide intense passion and curses. Her characters are Venetians and foreigners alike: Sosia, a Serb Jew who seduces men of every class as long as they are Venetians; her husband Rabino, a respected doctor who embraces practical medicine over superstition; Wendelin von Speyer, a German entrepreneur and typesetter; Wendelin's Venetian wife Lussièta who loves him despite, or perhaps because of, his foreignness; Bruno, Wendelin's editor and a man at the mercy of Sosia's indifference; and many others. Catullus and his poetry hover over all as his poetic undying love for his cruel lover (mirrored in the relationship between Bruno and Sosia) becomes the publishing venture the main characters eagerly await. The problem is, with so many characters and so many details obviously drawn from thorough research, nothing gets fully realized. The relationship between Wendelin and his wife shows the most promise, but even that gets bogged down by lengthy explanatory passages. Many of the characters are wooden and seem to exist solely for the purpose of exposing a side of Venice during the time period. The best characters, though - Bruno, Wendelin, Lussièta - made me wish Lovric had concentrated almost exclusively on them. As a character, Sosia holds the greatest promise of being memorable, but Lovric never fully enters her heart, instead leaving her motives for the end when the reader has already lost sympathy. Despite its flaws, The Floating Book has much to offer. Although the writing alternates between beautifully evocative and stilted/overwritten, the best sections are engrossing and well-paced. The middle of the book is the slowest, and readers might be tempted to skip over whole sections to get to the real stories of interest. But to do so would compromise the resolution, which draws its threads from all the plots. The author has clearly fallen in love with the idea of fifteenth century Venice, and her passion is contagious. But the setting as character is simply not dynamic enough to carry the weight of an entire novel. I give this novel three and a half stars, an average of the best sections and the worst. Avid readers of historical fiction might find this novel more compelling than I did, especially if they relish an emphasis on history over story.
Rating:
Summary: A Venetian labyrinth: 3 1/2 stars
Review: Like many historical fiction debuts, Michelle Lovric's The Floating Book suffers from too many facts at the expense of storytelling. Most of the novel takes place in Venice just after the invention of movable type, although each section is framed by correspondence from the Roman poet Catullus to his brother in 63 B.C. Lovric's Venice can be deliciously evil and romantic at once, with murky water that sometimes gives up dead babies and with doors that hide intense passion and curses. Her characters are Venetians and foreigners alike: Sosia, a Serb Jew who seduces men of every class as long as they are Venetians; her husband Rabino, a respected doctor who embraces practical medicine over superstition; Wendelin von Speyer, a German entrepreneur and typesetter; Wendelin's Venetian wife Lussièta who loves him despite, or perhaps because of, his foreignness; Bruno, Wendelin's editor and a man at the mercy of Sosia's indifference; and many others. Catullus and his poetry hover over all as his poetic undying love for his cruel lover (mirrored in the relationship between Bruno and Sosia) becomes the publishing venture the main characters eagerly await. The problem is, with so many characters and so many details obviously drawn from thorough research, nothing gets fully realized. The relationship between Wendelin and his wife shows the most promise, but even that gets bogged down by lengthy explanatory passages. Many of the characters are wooden and seem to exist solely for the purpose of exposing a side of Venice during the time period. The best characters, though - Bruno, Wendelin, Lussièta - made me wish Lovric had concentrated almost exclusively on them. As a character, Sosia holds the greatest promise of being memorable, but Lovric never fully enters her heart, instead leaving her motives for the end when the reader has already lost sympathy. Despite its flaws, The Floating Book has much to offer. Although the writing alternates between beautifully evocative and stilted/overwritten, the best sections are engrossing and well-paced. The middle of the book is the slowest, and readers might be tempted to skip over whole sections to get to the real stories of interest. But to do so would compromise the resolution, which draws its threads from all the plots. The author has clearly fallen in love with the idea of fifteenth century Venice, and her passion is contagious. But the setting as character is simply not dynamic enough to carry the weight of an entire novel. I give this novel three and a half stars, an average of the best sections and the worst. Avid readers of historical fiction might find this novel more compelling than I did, especially if they relish an emphasis on history over story.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Story in Many Ways
Review: There are so many main characters, it's hard to know where to start. Catullus, an aristocratic newcomer to Rome who we first meet in 63 BC could be the main character...we learn about him through his letters to his brother Lucius, a soldier posted far away from Rome. He has fallen in love with an unsuitable woman - wealthy, elegant, powerful, Clodia's reputation for avarice rivals Messalina's. He writes poems about her, ribald, raw, romantic, poems that will make Catullus the toast of Rome, briefly, before he dies and his works are forgotten. But perhaps the main characters are the Von Speyer brothers, who have traveled over the Alps and away from their homeland of Germany to Venice in 1468, where they hope to introduce movable type to this jewel of a city. They marry into Venice, Johann marrying the cool Sicilian Paola, Wendelin the fiery and sweet Venetian Lussieta. One of their greatest supporters will decide to get Wendelin to publish the works of Catullus...no matter what forces of persuasion he has to bring bear, but the publication of this erotic work will bring much trouble upon them all. Sosia is not the main character, but she certainly is important. She, like Clodia, sleeps with men like some people collect coins...indiscriminately and obsessively. Unlike Clodia, she's not rich or powerful, or even particularly pretty. A Serbian who was tortured by solders and left to die, she's married to Doctor Rabino Simeon, a man she seems to veer between apathy and hate for. She's also the lowest caste in Venice...a Jew, she has to were a small gold circle on her clothes. Two of her most important customers -- for us, anyway -- are two friends she engages in sort of a love triangle with: Felice Feliciano and Bruno Uguccione. Felice is a fussy, Don Juanish scribe whose true sensual delight is in the forming of words, Bruno is a naive, kind of sweet man who works for the Speyer brothers and who loves Sosia, though the more he shows it, the greater her contempt for him. The other main character is Venice...Venice in all her noise, in all her scent, in all her color. She is sometimes painted as a fairy tale, a haunted realm of story and myth, more beautiful, more impossible than a dream. Her marriage to the ocean, perpetrated every year by the Doge who is boated out a little ways from the land in order to drop a ring into the depths of the water to remind both parties of their vows, makes her seem like a chaste princess. Her many courtesans, and the doings of the ladies at one of her nunneries, coupled with the insular attitude of her people, their love for beauty, their ready admission that they, while not lazy, are certainly languid in their moves, paints her as a woman who has more in common with Sosia or Clodia than anyone else. Though we have a lot of characterization and story outside the book world proper, particularly the bittersweet love between Wendelin and his Lussieta, the point where everything Lovric is writing seems to converge is in how the two stories - the story of Catullus first publishing his works and the story of Wendelin publishing them again seem to mirror each other in clever ways. The cycle of acceptance, praise, and hatred of the poems also mirror each other. In many ways, it's as if history has repeated itself, only the technology and the faces have changed. In many ways it is a beautiful story, a vivid exploration of Venice that will color perceptions of this magical land for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: It sneaks up on you
Review: This 15th century historical novel is a little slow going at first, but it sneaks up on you. Just sit back and allow the beauty of the writing, the images, and the atmosphere carry you along. The book is a series of related stories that weave together like a Venetian tapestry, full of shifting colors and blurry hints of depth and emotion. One is the story of Sosia, a lovely, sensual, but shallow Jewish girl married to a good man whom she detests. She takes many lovers, men of every rank in 15th century Venice society. Another parallel story is about a German who has come to Venice to set up a printing press.
Many themes twist and turn through the pages of The Floating Book, themes that include Judaism, faith, fate, the importance of the written word, jealousy, poetry, seduction - and taken together, they create the old Venice of that era. Hence the title: that Venice was like a floating book of ideas. The author is clearly in love with words, and perhaps there are a few too many of them.
But still, it's a lovely and evocative read.
Rating:
Summary: Just too much; but still a good read
Review: This could have been an absolutely fantastic historical novel; however, I feel the author attempted to intertwine too many characters and too many plot lines. Bringing the German printing press to Venice provides a great backbone for the plot; however, the switching back and forth to the ancient poet and the sexual escapades of some woman named Clodia is just confusing. I guess the author wanted us to become as enthralled with the erotic poems as the Venetians were; however, for me it just didn't work. The details of the city, the differences in personality between the Venetians and the German printer, the superstitions, and the effect of the printing press are wonderful. In all, very good historical read, but one that I almost abandoned due to excesses -- in wording and in characters. (Sometimes I had to stop to read a sentence over and ask myself "what in the world did that mean?"). The character of Sosia is as one editor described "over the top" while other characters such as von Speyer are easily believable.
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