Books by Donna Leon
language
English
series
review 1: Donna Leon's 21st episode from the Brunetti series - and there's a definite extra bite to this tale of Italian 21st century corruption, double-dealing & murder. Finally, the gloves are off; & Leon pulls no punches as she goes for the chin of Italy's dying democracy. She is very c...
language
English
series
review 1: This was the first Brunetti novel I have read. It was well written and the digressions and musings made it appealing albeit not too challenging. Some of the secondary characters have obviously become a bit formulaic and there are some minor "continuity faults" in the plot. I'm no...
language
English
series
review 1: This is the second or third of Leon's books that I've read in this series. I love that the city of Venice is one of the main characters. Although I like the character of Brunetti and his wife, I find that the mystery always seems truncated, as though it has to be wrapped up in a ...
language
English
series
review 1: An interesting story, but not that compelling. It's kind of interesting that at the end, the main character chooses corruption with honour(?) over blind justice. Perhaps the problem is that the main compelling point seems to be that a woman's face looks horribly disfigured by cos...
language
English
series
review 1: The marriage dynamics between Brunetti and Paola are so vivid....here's a fun glimpse: Recalling his conversation with Contessa Morosini-Albani, Brunetti said, 'She makes a distinction between people like herself, who understand and love beautiful things, and people who simply ...
language
English
series
review 1: Lovely to spend some time again with Commissario Brunetti and his family, friends, and sublime city. I find that the time of year in which Donna Leon sets each story plays into my enjoyment of the book; the oppressive, enervating heat of the Venetian summer is my least favorite ...
language
English
series
review 1: I have yet to read a Guido Brunetti mystery that I didn't like, and this one was no exception. Since I've recently viewed a painting of the Rape of Lucretia, the reference in the book was more meaningful. I like the fact that Leon can hold the reader's attention without a huge ...
language
English
series
review 1: Tod einer älteren DameNach einem Kurzurlaub wird Signora Altavilla von einer Nachbarin tot in ihrer Wohnung aufgefunden. Commissario Brunetti, der gerade bei einem Essen mit Vice-Questore Patta weilt (oder sich langweilt), ist heilfroh, dass er sich sofort an den Ort des Geschehe...
language
English
review 1: I enjoyed the book, it is a stand alone, so not part of her series. Jewels of Paradise has what makes Leon's books so great - a deep appreciation of family and a great feel of Venice. This one has a female protagonist who returns to Venice and Italy, so that is new, but the emoti...
language
English
series
review 1: I love Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti crime novels set in Venice. The crimes are often subtle, with no winners or losers. She has a mordant wit with sharp observations about Italian political and social life. I particularly like the way the character of Paola, Brunetti's wife, is of...
language
English
review 1: The historical story line was overly complicated, and I got bogged down in the retelling of Caterina's research several times. I thought the ending was abrupt, and didn't adequately explain the mysterious behavior of either the "lawyer" or the "cousins." I liked Caterina, but won...
language
English
review 1: The concept of this book was intriguing--a cookbook that gives us recipes for some of the fictional Paola Brunetti's culinary concoctions from the Donna Leon series of books set in Venice. The recipes are not meant to be exotic, and to residents of that watery city by the sea, I ...
language
English
review 1: This is a collection of short essays by Donna Leon, author of the Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries set in Venice. Leon, an American, has lived in Venice for decades now, and many of these essays reflect her impressions of life in the city. This book is not, however, a travelo...