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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed reading this book more than I expected to. It's a lighthearted, cosy crime book that gets a bit silly in places, but I found the main characters charming. The mystery takes second place to the descriptions of Sicily and Sicilian life. The book has an odd setup as it is narrated by the nephew who recounts what his Auntie Poldi has told him in his frequent visits to check up on her. There are also little summaries at the beginning of each chapter "teasing" what's about to happen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Murder
I enjoyed reading this translation. Auntie Poldi sometimes felt very relatable and other times not as much. It felt weird that she was somewhat suicidal but was still a spunky detective. The narrator (her nephew) sort of spit details at us and I enjoyed his "interrupting" in the middle of the narrative, but otherwise, he lended very little insight into her character. Well - I guess that is kind of who is, anyway. I could have used more details about Poldi to picture her besides the fact that she wore a wig. I will read the next one.
I can't often say that I 'haven't read a book like this before"...but I have not read a book like Auntie Poldi before. Which really worked to my advantage and enjoyment. I'd been in a terrible book slump--no book had been able to hold my attention for more than a few pages for almost a week--when I decided to give the old ARC I had of Auntie Poldi a try. I was drawn in right away by a very vivid setting in Sicily, vivid, quirky characters, and a writing style with which I was not accustomed. The story did not disappoint as I continued to read and finished it in two days, as time permitted. I didn't guess who the murderer was until very close to the reveal. And as peculiar as Poldi was, I felt myself cheering for her to find a reason to stay sober. Because, boy, could that lady drink.
The writing style--long sentences. Lots of description, of people and places and events. Touches of fantasy/ whimsy, such as conversations with death. Third person view of Poldi, the main character, but with bursts of first person written from the perspective of Poldi's nephew who occasionally lives in her attic to try to write his own magically realistic historical family epic novel. In theory, these various elements of writing styles generally wouldn't work for me, but all put together, they mesmerized me, and I kept reading. Perhaps I gave them more latitude initially because I knew they were translated into English and might reflect a different language's writing style.
I enjoyed Poldi and the aunts. I appreciated that the main characters were ladies of a certain age, who were nonetheless energetic, resourceful, and sexual. The nephew didn't seem very sympathetic to me--he mostly talked about how he couldn't seem to write his novel, and listened to his aunt tell him WAY too much about her sex life. And, while I didn't dislike Montana, I disliked the relationship he and Poldi developed. Poldi deserved better, regardless of whether she seemed content with what they had at times. Especially given her depression and alcoholism, he seemed like a bad influence in her life.
Poldi definitely suffered from depression, whether chemical or simply induced by her experiences in a long and difficult life. the fact that the author could make a charming character out of a woman retiring to a rural Italian village to drink herself to death says a lot for his writing skills. Because Poldi, as crazy and impulsive as she is, and as many bad life choices as she makes, is likable and charming. She's a great reminder that older women can have satisfying sex lives too, and shouldn't have to ashamed of that.
I also enjoyed how much I seemed to learn about modern Sicilian life and culture. I enjoyed seeing glimpse of a different way of life (and climate. phew! it sounds really hot there.) I enjoyed the secondary characters, and appreciated that they included a couple LGBTQ characters. I learned about the apparent ties between Germany and Sicily too . It takes quite a long time in the story before the author really sorts out for the reader the ethnic identities and countries of origin for most of Poldi's extended family, and they are mostly a sometimes confusing melange of Sicilian and Bavarian culture, language, and food. This seems to be a reflection of the author's own life, as he appears to be of Italian heritage, but was born and lives in Germany, where this book was originally published, in German. The book in general can feel like somewhat like a reflection of Mario Giordano's life, especially when you see his dedication includes a thanks to HIS Auntie Poldie.
So, if you don't mind a little sorting out of identity, a dash of magic realism, and a very vivid German-Sicilian experience, recorded in an uncommon (at least to English) writing style, within a competently written mystery, please do give this fun and refreshing story a chance.
The writing style--long sentences. Lots of description, of people and places and events. Touches of fantasy/ whimsy, such as conversations with death. Third person view of Poldi, the main character, but with bursts of first person written from the perspective of Poldi's nephew who occasionally lives in her attic to try to write his own magically realistic historical family epic novel. In theory, these various elements of writing styles generally wouldn't work for me, but all put together, they mesmerized me, and I kept reading. Perhaps I gave them more latitude initially because I knew they were translated into English and might reflect a different language's writing style.
I enjoyed Poldi and the aunts. I appreciated that the main characters were ladies of a certain age, who were nonetheless energetic, resourceful, and sexual. The nephew didn't seem very sympathetic to me--he mostly talked about how he couldn't seem to write his novel, and listened to his aunt tell him WAY too much about her sex life. And, while I didn't dislike Montana, I disliked the relationship he and Poldi developed. Poldi deserved better, regardless of whether she seemed content with what they had at times. Especially given her depression and alcoholism, he seemed like a bad influence in her life.
Poldi definitely suffered from depression, whether chemical or simply induced by her experiences in a long and difficult life. the fact that the author could make a charming character out of a woman retiring to a rural Italian village to drink herself to death says a lot for his writing skills. Because Poldi, as crazy and impulsive as she is, and as many bad life choices as she makes, is likable and charming. She's a great reminder that older women can have satisfying sex lives too, and shouldn't have to ashamed of that.
I also enjoyed how much I seemed to learn about modern Sicilian life and culture. I enjoyed seeing glimpse of a different way of life (and climate. phew! it sounds really hot there.) I enjoyed the secondary characters, and appreciated that they included a couple LGBTQ characters. I learned about the apparent ties between Germany and Sicily too . It takes quite a long time in the story before the author really sorts out for the reader the ethnic identities and countries of origin for most of Poldi's extended family, and they are mostly a sometimes confusing melange of Sicilian and Bavarian culture, language, and food. This seems to be a reflection of the author's own life, as he appears to be of Italian heritage, but was born and lives in Germany, where this book was originally published, in German. The book in general can feel like somewhat like a reflection of Mario Giordano's life, especially when you see his dedication includes a thanks to HIS Auntie Poldie.
So, if you don't mind a little sorting out of identity, a dash of magic realism, and a very vivid German-Sicilian experience, recorded in an uncommon (at least to English) writing style, within a competently written mystery, please do give this fun and refreshing story a chance.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I enjoyed this book because of the hilarious personality of Auntie Poldi! She is a spitfire and her sarcasm was delightful. I love people who take no prisoners and no nonsense and Poldi is all that and a bag of chips.
All the characters in this book charmed me. All of them had unique and likable personalities, including the nephew who narrates the book. This author has a real way with characterizations.
The story was also good. It was a well-conceived mystery and had some good twists and turns.
The one thing that challenged me about this book was the way it read. It felt dense and I really had to read slowly to get everything, and even had to read some parts twice, or go back and re-read something. Some books have writing that almost doesn't even require your eyes to see the words because the story feels like it just flows right through your brain automatically and easily. This book was not that kind of writing, at least for me. I think that was a factor of this being a translated book. This is not a criticism of the translator, because based on what I read I feel the translator did a really good job at capturing the charm of the author's story and characters. I think there is just a feel in the pacing that somehow becomes a bit thicker when you are reading a book in a language other than the one it was originally written in. Again not a critique, just one reader's reaction.
That said, I really found Poldi to be a wonderful character, and I would read other books in this series.
All the characters in this book charmed me. All of them had unique and likable personalities, including the nephew who narrates the book. This author has a real way with characterizations.
The story was also good. It was a well-conceived mystery and had some good twists and turns.
The one thing that challenged me about this book was the way it read. It felt dense and I really had to read slowly to get everything, and even had to read some parts twice, or go back and re-read something. Some books have writing that almost doesn't even require your eyes to see the words because the story feels like it just flows right through your brain automatically and easily. This book was not that kind of writing, at least for me. I think that was a factor of this being a translated book. This is not a criticism of the translator, because based on what I read I feel the translator did a really good job at capturing the charm of the author's story and characters. I think there is just a feel in the pacing that somehow becomes a bit thicker when you are reading a book in a language other than the one it was originally written in. Again not a critique, just one reader's reaction.
That said, I really found Poldi to be a wonderful character, and I would read other books in this series.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No