Venetian Life

By William Dean Howells

In 1860, W. D. Howells wrote a campaign biography of Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln won the presidency, Howells was rewarded with the job of consul in Venice.He arrived there in 1862, aged twenty-five, and lived for three years on the Grand Canal. Howells would use the canal for a morning swim during the warmer months and then, perhaps, go off to his office.

For a young nineteenth-century American who had left school at age nine in order to work, the hardest part of his sinecure was that -- no doubt for the first time in his experience -- he had almost nothing to do. "I dreaded the easily formed habit of receiving a salary for no service performed", he wrote. "I reminded myself that, soon or late, I must go back to the old fashion of earning money, and that it had better be sooner than later". And so -- "though for some strange reasons it was the saddest and strangest thing in the world to do" -- Howells left Venice. While he was on the whole happy to do so, Howells said upon his departure",Never had the city seemed so dream-like and unreal as in this light of farewell".

Venetian Life flows from the enchantment, the magical improbability of the years Howells spent in that magnificent city dining with the rich, mingling with the humble, and reporting on it all with a uniquely American wit and curiosity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Classics
• Release date: Jan 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781633555655

William Dean Howells

William Dean Howells was a realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of The Atlantic Monthly, as well as for his own prolific writings.

Reviews for Venetian Life

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book about second chances. Jason has returned to Pleasant Valley as the new owner of the resort, which he has purchased from his father, who he has not spoken to in seven years. He also hasn't seen Kara in seven years, ever since he broke their engagement and left town. Now he needs her help getting the resort back up and running. He would also like to clear the air between them and tell her why he left the way he did. There's still a strong attraction between them and Jason would like to start over, but he has to show her he can be trusted first.I liked Kara. She is a great mom, devoted to making sure her daughter Sam has the best life she can give her. She has worked hard keeping the resort running under difficult circumstances. She has also been a friend to her ex-fiance's father, especially since he has been so ill. When she hears that the resort has been sold, she is worried about her job. When she discovers that Jason is the new owner she is sure that he won't want to keep her on, especially when he asks her to stay on "through the opening". They get caught in a blizzard and have to spend the time together until they can get out. She realizes that she is still attracted to him even though she doesn't want to be. As they work together on getting the resort up and running again, Kara realizes that she never stopped loving him. She slowly starts letting him back in her life. His easy relationship with her daughter softens her toward him even more. There are also some things that she needs to tell him about the past that she's afraid will make him look at her differently. I loved her support of him when he finally told her why he had left her all those years ago. I also liked the way she kept trying to get him to talk to his father before it was too late. After all her support of him it was heartbreaking to see his initial reaction to her revelations. When he came to his senses she could have made it a lot harder on him than she did.Jason had run from Kara and Pleasant Valley after finding out some disturbing things from his father, things that made him feel that he wasn't safe to be around people like Kara. It also caused him to avoid any contact with his father. When he was wounded during the war and discharged he made the decision to purchase the resort and get it back the way it was during his grandfather's time. In order to do it right he needs Kara's help. He also wants to mend his fences with her and see if they can start over. Rather than come right out and tell her he wants her to stay on permanently at the resort, he decides to keep from pushing her and only asks her to stay for awhile. When they get snowed in at his house he wants to explain what had happened in the past but she didn't want to hear it. She also was trying to understand the new Jason, who doesn't celebrate Christmas and is very closed off emotionally. He starts to open up some when he meets Kara's daughter who he assumes is his. He really takes a shine to her and becomes more like the Jason she used to know. When their attraction really starts to heat up he knows he has to tell her his secret. It worries him because he's sure that she won't want anything to do with him afterwards. I loved his astonishment when it made no difference to her. That made his attitude toward her news that much harder to bear. I was glad to see him realize what an idiot he'd been. I loved his "go big" moment.I also liked Kara's daughter Sam. She was a good blend of sweet and sassy. She took to Jason right away and had no problem trying to get her way with him, but not being a brat about it. She could be pouty or grumpy, but was mostly a good kid.