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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
While I liked this book but it was a bit of a challenge for me at times to follow the different people talking. Poldi is telling the story to her nephew and he interrupts to ask questions at times and I had to re-read more than once. I did enjoy the summaries of each chapter at the beginning of each chapter. It was a funny way to summarize the book. This book is a translation and at times a bit choppy but I did appreciate the descriptions of life in Italy and the humor of the book. Thanks to the BookishFirst program for the opportunity to read this book.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I suspect that the original Italian is better but an interesting read all the same.
Phew! I'm exhausted just from trying to keep up with the convoluted story line. I kept thinking I was close to the end only to find there was yet another far-fetched twist.
This book was super Mrs. Pollifax meets Mama Mia; however I thought it was very "haha gotcha," lots of clues were just "oh surprise there's actually a SECOND mansion with the same name that we didn't know about!" which was really irritating to me
Coincidentally, I too am an aunt. Obviously must read.
***
Well, let's address the elephant in the room. Despite our shared aunt-hood, I am nothing like Auntie Poldi.
But gosh darn it, I kind of want to be. She just rocket-launched onto my favorite characters list. I'm obsessed.
Where to begin with this gem of a book? I'm a little hazy on the exact definition of a cozy mystery but I think this counts as one. It is a lovely setting. The author conveys life in Sicily through quirky characters, beautiful descriptions, and odd jokes. The seaside town and the eccentric people who populate it make for a fun, endearing location.
Then there is the narrator of the piece, Auntie Poldi's nephew. He's a failed writer who pops in every now and then to make sure she doesn't drink herself to death. He does not take a main role; far from it, he is always away when any action goes down. But his dramatic descriptions, random interjections, and overall attitude really add another dimension. I credit him for the reason this book achieves five stars.
But of course, the real star of the story is Auntie Poldi herself. This is a rather light-hearted novel and yet it deals with surprisingly heavy topics via the main character. Auntie Poldi wants to drink herself to death. She is a severely depressed woman who lives off a pittance and longs for death. She experiences setbacks regularly. But she also is a loved woman. Her (ex?) in-laws watch out for her. They drop everything to come to her aid and endlessly discuss her love life. The people in the village accept her. She is nosy without being annoying; a woman with a past that adds humor and pizzazz without detracting from the present. Her random celebrity connections are funny.
She is an intriguing, vivacious, depressed, over-the-top 60-year-old woman. And it is hard to not love her. Think Agatha Raisin meets Phryne Fisher. But then add a host of relatives, alcoholism, and random tangents involving deaths and/or cyclops. It just works.
There are some fade to black scenes I did not super love but surprisingly didn't mind as much as I would expect.
The murderer is somewhat predictable. But...I'm not sure you read this for the murder or the romance. Oh, I suppose you do. It is, after all, a murder mystery. But there is more here. There are genuinely brilliant quotes and funny scenes and great characterizations.
I look forward to more in this series!
***
Well, let's address the elephant in the room. Despite our shared aunt-hood, I am nothing like Auntie Poldi.
But gosh darn it, I kind of want to be. She just rocket-launched onto my favorite characters list. I'm obsessed.
Where to begin with this gem of a book? I'm a little hazy on the exact definition of a cozy mystery but I think this counts as one. It is a lovely setting. The author conveys life in Sicily through quirky characters, beautiful descriptions, and odd jokes. The seaside town and the eccentric people who populate it make for a fun, endearing location.
Then there is the narrator of the piece, Auntie Poldi's nephew. He's a failed writer who pops in every now and then to make sure she doesn't drink herself to death. He does not take a main role; far from it, he is always away when any action goes down. But his dramatic descriptions, random interjections, and overall attitude really add another dimension. I credit him for the reason this book achieves five stars.
But of course, the real star of the story is Auntie Poldi herself. This is a rather light-hearted novel and yet it deals with surprisingly heavy topics via the main character. Auntie Poldi wants to drink herself to death. She is a severely depressed woman who lives off a pittance and longs for death. She experiences setbacks regularly. But she also is a loved woman. Her (ex?) in-laws watch out for her. They drop everything to come to her aid and endlessly discuss her love life. The people in the village accept her. She is nosy without being annoying; a woman with a past that adds humor and pizzazz without detracting from the present. Her random celebrity connections are funny.
She is an intriguing, vivacious, depressed, over-the-top 60-year-old woman. And it is hard to not love her. Think Agatha Raisin meets Phryne Fisher. But then add a host of relatives, alcoholism, and random tangents involving deaths and/or cyclops. It just works.
There are some fade to black scenes I did not super love but surprisingly didn't mind as much as I would expect.
The murderer is somewhat predictable. But...I'm not sure you read this for the murder or the romance. Oh, I suppose you do. It is, after all, a murder mystery. But there is more here. There are genuinely brilliant quotes and funny scenes and great characterizations.
I look forward to more in this series!
Poldi is a german living in Sicily. A vibrant 60 year old running around and getting into trouble while she attempts to solve the murder of her maintenance man Valentino.
The setting is vibrant and you just want to be there. I really enjoyed the descriptions and Poldi is great fun.
There are funny little passage like this “she took the unresolved triviality by the scruff of the neck, like someone teaching a puppy to sit, and put it back on its blanket. ‘And stay there till you tell me the answer yourself.’” Priceless.
The setting is vibrant and you just want to be there. I really enjoyed the descriptions and Poldi is great fun.
There are funny little passage like this “she took the unresolved triviality by the scruff of the neck, like someone teaching a puppy to sit, and put it back on its blanket. ‘And stay there till you tell me the answer yourself.’” Priceless.
60 and sure of herself, Auntie Poldi decides to move to a remote part of Sicily to live out the remaining days of her life drinking wine and looking out across the sea. Of course this is not to be as her personality is bigger than the island and she finds herself wig deep in investigating the death of her handyman, Valentino. Auntie Poldi is what Miss Marple would be if she were a German, living in Sicily, with an overactive imagination and sex drive. The combination of nationalities, the story of Valentino's murder being interjected into the story Auntie Poldi is telling her nephew, and it being a translation creates a bit of mayhem, but Mr. Giordano's writing style inspires visions of lush Italy and a craving for wine and granita!
A copy of this book was provided by BookishFirst, NetGalley, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by BookishFirst, NetGalley, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the plot of Auntie Poldi moving from Barvaria to Sicily. She may drink too much to morn the death of her husband, but she hasn't lost her love of living a full life. The sisters-in-law were had full roles as secondary characters.
I struggle with translated books - probably because I don't read enough of them. The style of the book was different and I couldn't tell if it was the intent of the author, which would have been fine, or a relic of the translation.
Hopefully there will be more Auntie Poldie stories.
I struggle with translated books - probably because I don't read enough of them. The style of the book was different and I couldn't tell if it was the intent of the author, which would have been fine, or a relic of the translation.
Hopefully there will be more Auntie Poldie stories.
This seems like the kind of story that is entirely made enjoyable by a charmingly quirky main character, so I anticipated little enjoyment from it if finding the main character strange and annoying.