I enjoyed reading The Venetian Bargain. The book opens a window into life in Constantinople at the peak of the Ottoman Empire and swiftly moves on to Venice, Italy, with the main story chronicling the fight again the black plague. Abundant historical detail brings the cultures and period to life very satisfyingly.

I recommend The Venetian Bargain for readers of literary fiction and those with an interest in history.

"You have to buy in before you can sell out" is a quote from Sophie, the protagonist of Buying In, who has just begun her career as an analyst in a Wall Street investment bank. It's an attempt to explain her devotion an often unrewarding, life-consuming job. Sadly, the reader has a much harder time buying in to Sophie's story: how did she get this job and why should we care whether she keeps it?

As a former woman in banking, I really wanted to like this book. And being set in the months leading up to the financial crash of 2008 gives others a glimpse into the failure of a system that shook lives globally. I would have loved to see the setting developed more fully. The author's prose is clear and often sparse, which sometimes left me feeling as if I was reading only the outline of the story.

I did enjoy how the book presented a diverse cross-section of characters in addition to Sophie. Overall, an average read.