The Pindar Diamond [Paperback]

Those who have read Katie Hickman's previous historical fiction novel, The Aviary Gate: A Novel, set in Constantinople, will be familiar with several characters who return in the author's standalone sequel, The Pindar Diamond, which opens four years later in 1604 in a small, desolate town on the coast of Italy. An itinerant troupe of women acrobats led by Maryam, a mustachioed giantess and former freak show attraction, arrive there to perform for the villagers. Instead, a man named Bocellli pays Maryam to take away a woman and her newborn "mermaid" baby. Saved from drowning, the superstitious fears of the villagers believe the mother and baby are bringers of bad luck and want them gone. Maryam takes the woman and her unusual newborn under her wing and the troupe make their way to Venice.

Paul Pindar is in the process of destroying himself drinking and gambling. His mistress, Constanza, and his servant, John Crew, are determined to save him from himself when rumors of a high-stakes card game begin to surface. And the prize? The Sultan's Blue Diamond. The possible link of this stolen diamond to his lost love, Celia Lamprey, is too much for Pindar to resist and he seeks to enter the game.

Annetta, who had been in the seraglio with Celia Lamprey in Constantinople, is now rich and back in Venice, but haunted by the past. And there is Ambrose Jones, a collector of high-priced oddities and an intelligence operator for Pindar's merchant company. He is determined to search out and acquire the rumored mermaid baby - and to help Pindar clean up his act. But can this finder of secrets be trusted?

Fortune touches these characters for good or ill as they are guided by either love or greed. As pieces of the mystery slowly come into play, it is the fabled city of Venice with its marvelous splendor, labyrinthine canals, and dark alleyways that is the tarnished setting for The Pindar Diamond, and the author immerses the reader into its beauty and decadance.

The characters are well-realized and intriguing, but in the case of the courtesan Constanza, she exits mysteriously after starting out as something of a touchstone for Pindar and Crew; and a minor character, Francesco, appears and disappears in a way that hints more broadly at a plot device. Also, the final denouement occurs after a series of incidences that a critical reader might find too contrived and coincidental.

Ms. Hickman has the ability to wrap you in the world she has created. And also, it is her artful use of several motifs like water, symbols such as bells, overarching themes of acquisition, avarice, and isolation, as well as, the creation of characters like the outcast, Maryam, and her touching bond with the mermaid baby that add dimension and cohesion to this multi-faceted historical fiction - and that had me liking this book so much!

Overall, The Pindar Diamond is very entertaining with its descriptive prose, unique characters, and lively dialogue, where the fine line between happiness and despair, love and loss, good fortune and bad, can rely on the turn of a card or the kindness of strangers.

A mysterious woman is found with a mermaid baby. A gambling addict lusts after a one-of-a-kind diamond. He likes to visit a high-end courtesan. One man pays others to collect strange items for his cabinet of curiosities. A woman returns from a harem to become a nun. A man is after both the mermaid baby and the diamond. Somehow it all comes together through an all-female traveling acrobats. Oh yes, and there is the plague and a love story too.

The first half of the book was very, very slow and I was wondering where the book was going. The mermaid was introduced at the beginning, but by the time the author came back to it, I almost forgot the mermaid even existed. It was taking too long for me to make the connections between the unrelated chunks of the book. Perhaps I should have drawn a diagram?

The second half of the book picked up, but for me, the interesting part came too late.

The Pindar Diamond
By Katie Hickman
Published by Bloomsbury USA

The Pindar Diamond is a tragedy set in early seventeenth century Europe. The novel consists of three plotlines which eventually merge at its climax. There is a traveling troupe of acrobats lead by a giantess, a convent housing a young nun previously of the Ottoman Sultan's harem, and a swarming Venice teeming with trade, gambling and debauchery.

Maryam, the leader of the acrobatic troupe is a giant even among men. Sold by her parents into bondage, and several times after that as a freak of nature and side show act, Maryam is scarred yet resilient. When a salesman pays her to take in a young, crippled, mute women with a `mermaid' child, Maryam takes pity on the pair against the grumbling of the troupe. All the while, mysterious occurrences follow them at every turn.

Annetta, once a servant in the convent, has returned with the largest dowry in the abbeys history. Having been taken prisoner from a merchant ship and sold into the Sultan's harem, Annetta managed to please the queen Valide who took her as her personal companion. When the Valide dies, Annetta leaves the Ottoman harem with a wealth of jewels but only after making a weighty sacrifice to save a friend. As she strives to find a place for herself among the other nuns, she struggles with her past actions and wonders about their consequences.

Paul Pindar, once a distinguished merchant, has wasted away both in body and wealth. Tormented by the loss of his one true love, he drinks and gambles himself into continual oblivion. His undistinguished servant John Carew and a courtesan named Constanza scheme feverishly to save Paul from destruction and stop him from playing in a final game of winner takes all cards.

Slow to build and unable to hold my interest for more than a few pages at a time, The Pindar Diamond is not a book I would eagerly recommend. In particular, the ending both abrupt and awkward will leave readers completely unsatisfied.

Please note: My review is based on an advance reading copy and it is my sincere hope that some further editing will improve the overall flow and conclusion of the novel.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 9 reviews  3.2 out of 5 stars