I thought that this was a quick and easy read and I found that I was easily transported back to the time and places visited.

Although I'm not an artist, I think I have an eye for colour and the subtleties of colour and light. I also like stones, lapis being a favourite, which was what attracted me to reading the book.

It was fascinating to discover in the notes that Marco Polo had seen eyeglasses being used in China. I quite liked the part that vision and sight played in the story and how Paulo's other senses were enhanced with his being able to see the world through lenses and what all that meant to him. I also liked the whole idea of the colour of heaven and the idea of using colour to depict a concept. A trip to Siena to see the painting would be fun, having read this book.

I thought that it was a magical tale, simply told. ( )

Good story, but somehow I didn't quite get it. I think I'm just not philosophical enough for this particular book. I couldn't grasp what the premise was about life and death, although it may just be as simple as you must live your life as if every day is your last.

Well written and fairly easy to read, but as above, I just couldn't grasp some of the concepts. The characters were, however, well defined and quite interesting. ( )

I bought this book because of its lovely cover, and because I like historical fiction from the early days of Venice. It was an interesting enough read, but the female characters where anachronistic, and the author made mistakes on historical details. I figure if I can find errors, the book must have more, and the writer loses credibility. ( )