Venetian Vespers - by John Banville (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A novel set in Venice at the turn of the twentieth century, narrated by a writer who becomes entangled in a web of conspiracy and murder"--

Book Synopsis

A masterful, enthralling new novel from the Booker Prize winner

Everything was a puzzle, everything a trap set to mystify and hinder me. . . .

1899. As the new century approaches, struggling English writer Evelyn Dolman--a hack, by his own description--marries Laura Rensselaer, daughter of an American oil tycoon. Evelyn anticipates that he and Laura will inherit a substantial fortune and lead a comfortable, settled life. But his hopes are dashed when a mysterious rift between Laura and her father, just before the patriarch's death, leads to her disinheritance.

The unhappy newlyweds travel to Venice to celebrate the New Year at the Palazzo Dioscuri, ancestral home of the charming but treacherous Count Barbarigo. From their first moments in the mist-blanketed floating city, otherworldly occurrences begin to accumulate. Evelyn's already jangled nerves fray further. Where has Laura disappeared to? How to explain the increasingly sinister circumstances closing around him? Could he be losing his mind?

Venetian Vespers is a haunting, atmospheric novel from one of the most sophisticated stylists of our time.

Review Quotes

"Creepily atmospheric. . . . Bristles with dramatic fodder: family tensions, a vast fortune, a devastatingly lovely expat accompanied by her hard-drinking, insistently charming brother. But what emerges from the dark shadows of the plot is an even darker psychological portrait of a man forced to grapple with his own inner demons." --Alida Becker, New York Times Book Review

"An intricate thriller that is also a slyly fashioned work of art. . . . Plotted so perfectly that it leaves a cleanly satisfying shape in the mind." --Kevin Power, Irish Times

"Memorable and disturbing. . . . Over an illustrious literary career, Banville has been compared to James, Proust and Beckett. . . . The story he tells is expertly put together. . . . Each vividly evoked moment leads on to the next with a deepening sense of intrigue. . . . It's all conveyed with a cinematic intensity." --Marcel Theroux, The Guardian

"Each of [Banville's] books is an event, not just for his exuberant energy and consistent sense of purpose as a writer but also for a depth of perspective. . . . His versatility carries on surprising us, and Venetian Vespers pulls off its own particular tricks with devilish aplomb." --Jonathan Keates, Financial Times

★ "Celebrated and virtuoso novelist Banville entwines his gift for historical crime fiction with his most cunning literary artistry in this fever-dream of a tale. . . . Banville is at his Jamesian finest in this beguiling novel of diabolical gambits." --Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred)

"An intricate puzzle investigating the erotic yet toxic relationship between a perfidious woman and her susceptible victim." --Barbara Conaty, Library Journal

"An English writer and his secretive bride make a fateful visit to Italy in Banville's eerie latest. . . . Will linger in readers' minds. . . . He keeps the reader guessing." --Publishers Weekly

★"A trip to Venice takes a dark turn for a British writer and his American wife. . . . Banville once again proves himself a master of suspense, and he captures a noir version of Venice perfectly. Evelyn is a fascinating character: monstrous, certainly, but is he really being manipulated? Is he manipulating the reader? It's an open question, and a testament to Banville's considerable skill as a storyteller. Dark, twisty, and consistently smart: vintage Banville." --Kirkus (starred)

★ "A master of the twisty-turny plot and an able creator of atmospheric settings, Banville has written a stylish, skillfully crafted noir that is quite simply a pleasure to read, and will keep you guessing till the very end." --Lauren Bufferd, BookPage (starred)

"Enthralling and utterly transporting. . . . An intricate and entertaining puzzle. . . . With a gift for words that raises novel-writing to dizzy heights of literary excellence, Banville is producing some of his best work yet. . . . Venetian Vespers [is] a haunting and atmospheric fin de siècle noir which harnesses all the chilling tropes of a decaying and decadent city and brings them to glorious life. . . . Overflowing with Banville's masterful and elegant storytelling, and with an enigma at its heart that spreads its tentacles from first page to last, this edgy and endlessly fascinating winter's tale is a slice of word wizardry that no discerning reader should miss. --Pam Norfolk, Lancaster Guardian

"Banville is in playful and mischievous form, entertaining the reader with wonderfully snarky asides while showing off with literary pyrotechnics as only he can. . . . Evelyn Dolman [is] one of the most striking and unforgettable characters Banville has ever created." --Edel Coffey, The Gloss

About the Author

JOHN BANVILLE, the author of numerous novels, has been the recipient of the Man Booker Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Nonino International Prize, a Lannan Literary Award for Fiction, and the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature. He lives in Dublin.