The Girl from Venice

Cenzo. Readers who enjoy character-driven fiction are those most likely to enjoy reading Martin Cruz Smith’s novel titled, The Girl from Venice. Set in Italy at the end of World War II, the novel’s protagonist, Innocenzo Vianello, or Cenzo, is a fisherman with a boatload of concerns. Smith uses Cenzo as the way to explore what it was like to be an Italian as the war was ending. The ways in which the war changed his life comprise the bulk of the narrative. There’s a love story and enough action to interest most readers, but the real strength of the novel is in the depth of the character, Cenzo, and all the ways in which he becomes a way for us to better understand human nature. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Girl from Venice from amazon.com.