Reviews for The Bellini Card (Yashim the Eunuch Series #3)

The average rating for The Bellini Card (Yashim the Eunuch Series #3) based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-02-05 00:00:00 Brian Brodoski This is the third novel about the eunuch detective Yashim in 1830's Istanbul. Formerly of the Sultan's court, he uses his contacts to solve mysteries in the multi-cultural chaos of the Ottoman capital. This time, though, the year is 1840, and the action moves across the Adriatic Sea to Venice. For centuries a power in the Eastern Mediterranean, after Napoleon Venice is an outpost of the Austrian empire, slowing falling into decay. A richly woven tale involving the Venetian aristocracy, including a beautiful Contessa, and political intrigue and secrets from the past and present. I love Jason Goodwin's Istanbul, but I must admit that I found all the different twists and turns in this book overwhelming.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-11-02 00:00:00 Tim Libra The strengths of The Bellini Card are the sense of place, characterisation, and historical detail. Goodwin places the reader in both Istanbul and Venice -- the landscape and architecture, the sights, sounds and smells, and the social strata and living conditions. The descriptions are wonderfully evocative and come to life in one's mind's eye. This is aided by a melting pot of nicely drawn characters -- a mix of fading aristocrats, bureaucrats, servants and criminals -- and their interactions conditioned by social standing. This is all well framed with respect to byzantine politics and the long history of connections between the two cities. The plot, however, is also somewhat byzantine. It might have been because I was tired when reading, but as the story progressed I became increasingly lost as to logic driving the story and I reached the end without really understanding the denouement. Maybe if I read it again it would become clear, but on first reading the complex weave and twists in the story never fully unravelled to reveal themselves. The result was a tale I enjoyed for the rich portrait of people and places, but where the plot became evermore incidental.