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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a donation to my Little Free Library Shed.
And…
Because of its enticing colorful cover, I decided to read it. It also sounded like it had an interesting premise.
Apparently…
This is the first in a series for this German author with Italian/Sicilian descent.
So…
We may be taking a ride into a part of his own life, told from this fictional perspective.
Premise: Aunti Poldi is our main character, who is a rather fiery retiree, intending to retire in Sicily.
But…
A murder happens in her villa, which means…
Of course…
She needs to solve it.
And…
Thus, the story gives us a case, an attractive detective in charge of it, and Poldi, finding inspiration to live.
How do I describe this tale?
Eccentric. Kind of appealing. Quirky characters.
But…
Okay in its delivery. Will this make readers want to tune in to the next Aunti Poldi adventure? Not sure.
Still…
It was nice to take in the Sicilian countryside and culture. 3.5 stars.
This story was a lot of fun but it took me forever to realize that the narrator was a man, not a woman (not sure why) and there is a ton of description for ever little thing....... So I may have missed the man/woman thing because I skipped over quite a bit of the descriptive stuff!
I received an ARC of this book through BookishFirst. Here is my honest review:
It Could Have Been A Lot Better
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions is complex. Poldi's aspiring author nephew is telling the story. He tells the story to us as Poldi told it to him. (I forget what point of view this is called). Unfortunately, at times this point of view makes the story confusing. Sometimes I did not know who was speaking or when the story was taking place. Perhaps this is because this book was translated from another language? Poldi reminds me a bit of Ove from the book A Man Called Ove in that she is older (over 60), eccentric, and is a bit suicidal at times. Otherwise, this book did not remind me of Ove. It took me longer than usual to get through this book than other books perhaps because the story ebbed and flowed as Poldi discovered evidence in the case. All in all, it was an okay read.
It Could Have Been A Lot Better
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions is complex. Poldi's aspiring author nephew is telling the story. He tells the story to us as Poldi told it to him. (I forget what point of view this is called). Unfortunately, at times this point of view makes the story confusing. Sometimes I did not know who was speaking or when the story was taking place. Perhaps this is because this book was translated from another language? Poldi reminds me a bit of Ove from the book A Man Called Ove in that she is older (over 60), eccentric, and is a bit suicidal at times. Otherwise, this book did not remind me of Ove. It took me longer than usual to get through this book than other books perhaps because the story ebbed and flowed as Poldi discovered evidence in the case. All in all, it was an okay read.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Engaging light read; narrator role didn’t tie-in well; some gaps with main character. Good descriptive on setting and place!
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:
Yes
Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing an e-galley of Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano in exchange for an honest review. This mystery is narrated by the nephew of Auntie Poldi, a sixty-year-old retiree from Munich who has decided that Sicily will be ideal for her quiet, alcohol-imbued retirement. However, life changes unexpectedly when her handyman is murdered and our heroine becomes an amateur sleuth. Her meddling ways cause problems for the police officer charged with the investigation. And she also makes a nuisance of herself with the individuals that she suspects of the murder. This mystery flows well and is often quite amusing. A most enjoyable read.