Marie Ohanesian Nardin
Welcome! I'm so pleased you stopped by. Have a scroll or click around. Learn a bit about me. Then, by simply subscribing below, you'll receive my Blog posts, updates on my media interviews and collaborations, my Sambuca di Sicilia home restoration progress, my journey to become a certified Sommelier, and in due time learn about my work-in-progress and upcoming writing projects.
Born in Los Angeles, California, I moved to the Venetian countryside in 1987 where my husband and I raised two fabulous daughters, and where I now live with my husband, and Remo, our Bernedoodle.
A former California banker, I've taught English as a second language, and have written for and worked with news outlets and travel media magazines in the U.S.A. and Italy.
Now, when I'm not writing or restoring our vacation home in Sicily, I'm studying with AssoSommelier - Venezia to become a certified professional sommelier. I expect to take the exam in late 2023 or early 2024.
As with my other passions, I consider my novel, Beneath the Lion’s Wings, like another child, because it comes from my heart. I hope this contemporary women's fiction brings pleasure to you, too.
"…she felt ordinary. Her troubles, now, seemed trifle in comparison to what Venice had been, was and would be…she looked as far down the darkening canal as the setting sun would allow. She wondered if others appreciated Venice’s beauty and fragility as deeply as she had come to or if, like a raging fever, the city infected some while avoiding others. She sighed at the grandeur and at the resilience that surrounded her, and she promised herself she’d try to be more like Venice." Beneath the Lion's Wings
Author of
Beneath the Lion's Wings
- a Novel
Book Reviews
“…Good escape reading in this tale of love and tough decisions in Venice…In her well-researched debut novel, Nardin does a fine job evoking Venice’s atmosphere, culture, and history. The particular practices and customs of gondoliering, along with women’s efforts to enter the profession, make for absorbing reading.” – Kirkus Reviews
"The next best thing to sipping a Bellini on a sunny balcony overlooking the Grand Canal. Pure delight.” – Dianne Hales, author of La Bella Lingua and Mona Lisa – A Life Discovered
“…a charming, moving romance...Venice—impossibly beautiful, mysterious, demanding—is a third character in the novel. A delicately nuanced love story.” – Elizabeth Jennings, author and co-founder of the Women’s Fiction Festival, Matera, Italy.
"...the author’s finest touch is her cultural understanding of an outsider wanting to fit in...she has tenderly handled true stereotypes and has avoided the touristic view while weaving a romantic tale through the waterways and narrow alleys of Venice, Italy.” – Pamela Sheldon Johns, author of Cucina Povera and 50 Great Pasta Sauces
“A fun escape to Venice…A love story with twists as captivating as the city’s canals.” – Kathy Ayer, founder of Food Lover’s Odyssey Culinary Vacations
"Grab a spritz and lose yourself in the calle of Venice through this captivating tale of personal growth shrouded in secrets and mystery.”—Michelle Fabio, author of 52 Things to See & Do in Calabria