A Thousand Days in Venice
The July Book Club: All the details on our LIVE discussion
“The really precious parts of my life are transportable, not conditions of geography. Why shouldn’t I go to live on the fringes of an Adriatic lagoon with a blueberry-eyed stranger and leave no trail of biscotti crumbs to find my way back?
My house, my fancy car, even my native country were not, by definition, me. My sanctuary, my sentimental self were veteran travelers. And they would go where I would.”
A Thousand Days in Venice
(Marlena de Blasi)
Picture it: New York City, August 2007.
I’d read Marlena de Blasi’s memoir. And I, too, wanted to live on the fringes of an Adriatic lagoon with a blueberry-eyed stranger (if I could find one).
So I moved to Italy.
(As you do.)
Spoiler: No such stranger could be found.
Instead, in a strange and ironic twist to my very own “Eighty-Three Days in Venice” story, it appears that I went all the way to Venice just to find a New Yorker with eyes the color of green apples. Someone I probably walked past a hundred times a month on Lexington Avenue and never saw.
Proving that the light is better in Italy.
(sigh)
The July book club pick is “A Thousand Days in Venice” by Marlena de Blasi.
I loved this book when I read it 20 years ago. And I’ve been wondering if it would still resonate with me all these years later.
Would I recognize myself in her writing?
Would I relate to her adjustment to Venetian life, compared to my own attempts at building a life there (or in any of the other countries I’ve since lived in)?
Would I roll my eyes and dismiss it as just another over-dramatized, totally romanticized, completely glamorized Netflix original about a woman who moves to Venice for love?
I had questions.
And I thought it’d be fun to discuss them with you.
THE DETAILS: Mark these dates in your calendar!
❶ July 27, 2025: The LIVE group discussion for paid subscribers.
⏰ 9:00 a.m. (Los Angeles)
⏰ Noon (NYC)
⏰ 5:00 p.m. (Lisbon)
⏰ 4:00 a.m. on July 28 (Auckland—ouch, sorry).
FYI, the LIVE discussion will always be the last Sunday of the month, so you can plan ahead if you’re a plan ahead kind of person.
This discussion will not be recorded because I want everyone to feel comfortable participating in the conversation without feeling like their innermost thoughts and opinions are being posted on the world wide web.
Paid subscribers will receive an email on Saturday, July 26, 2025, with the Zoom link for Sunday’s private discussion.
That email will also have the contenders for our August book so you can vote for their favorite.
❷ August 2, 2025: The Book Club Discussion post.
Look for a text post in your inbox (and on the Substack app) with a wide-open comments section for all subscribers to share their thoughts about the book.
This post will also reveal the book we’ll be reading for August.
Can’t wait to start this conversation with you!
And if you’ve got a move-abroad memoir that you’d love to read? Hit reply to this email and let me know! I’ll add it to the list for voting.
Your favorite book club leader who wishes she lived a thousand days in Venice,
Vivian
PS. Wanna discuss the book in real time and help choose our future reads?
Become a paid subscriber ($5/month) for exclusive access to our private, unrecorded Zoom discussions. It’s totally where the most wonderful conversations are happening and the best connections are being made.
I’m in!!