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wunder's review against another edition
4.0
Four stars for the essays about Venice. The other essays were fine, but just didn't interest me that much.
klg30's review against another edition
1.0
I loved Venice when I visited and was hoping to rekindle some of that magic with this nook. Unfortunately it fell very short. She complains about anything and everything, often in mean spirited ways. I was also surprised by the handful of times seeing her use the N word like it’s no big deal. It was totally unnecessary and off-putting.
mkfreckles's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
nomadreader's review against another edition
3.0
(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)
The backstory: Venice is one of my favorite cities in the world. I first visited it in the summer of 2004, on my way to Athens, Greece for the Olympics. I fell in love. Two years later, Mr. Nomadreader and I opted to spend our Christmas and New Year together in Venice rather than decide whose family to visit. Despite my love of both Venice and mysteries, I still haven't read Donna Leon's much-acclaimed series set there. It's near the top of my list, but in the meantime, I had to read her essays about Venice as soon as I got my hands on a copy.
The basics: My Venice and Other Essays is a collection of essays and vignettes divided into these sections: On Venice, On Music, On Mankind and Animals, On Men, On America, and On Books.
My thoughts: I've often bemoaned how difficult it is to review a collection of short stories, and here I find myself with the same problem as I attempt to cohesively talk about a collection of essays that itself is not terribly cohesive. As I finished the first essay in the collection, I said "that's it?" Truthfully, I wouldn't consider any of the essays about Venice to be essays. While classically there may not be a prescribed number of pages an essay must be, I found these pieces to also be lacking the things I most love about essays: immersion, reflection, and wisdom. The pieces themselves aren't necessarily bad, but when I expected essays about Venice, they didn't meet my expectations. If, however, you go in expecting brief, curmudgeonly anecdotes about life in Venice, you will find them.
Early in this collection, Leon comes off as quite an unhappy person. She frequently shares her annoyances and they often read more life rants than observations. Once the collection shifted away from Venice, however, moments of wisdom, clarity, and joy began to emerge. I was surprised how much I enjoyed her musings on animals, as I am far from an animal lover. Leon was at her absolute best when offering insight on American and books. Perhaps her musings on Venice would delight Venetians, but they left me cold. When she turned her critical expatriate eye to the United States, however, I was enchanted.
It is apparent at least some of these essays were written, if not also published, some time ago. There are numerous references to current events that aren't current. There are references to U.S. presidents I don't think are the current one. As a reader, I would have found it helpful to have a date written or previous publication information shared to help illuminate the setting and perspective Leon brings.
Favorite passage: "In an age where meaning has been tossed out in favor of rhetoric, in a time when films are mere concatenations of loud noises and the shedding of human blood, it is to be expected that language should no longer be considered the chief means by which we reveal ourselves, our thoughts, and our feelings. When meaning disappears so, too, must the ability to perceive it."
The verdict: As a collection, My Venice and Other Essays is frustratingly uneven. Mercifully, the collection improves as it goes on, both in quality and depth. The essays on Venice itself were each so brief I would hardly call them essays. Leon is at her best when the essays go on more than a couple of pages. It's a shame she didn't combine or develop the shorter pieces to make them fit in with the stronger, longer essays. While there's much to be enjoyed here, there are far too many piece that detract from the collection's best. Still, by the end, I wanted to claim Donna Leon as a long-lost relative, invite her to dinner parties, and listen to her delightfully unrestrained thoughts, opinions, and experiences.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The backstory: Venice is one of my favorite cities in the world. I first visited it in the summer of 2004, on my way to Athens, Greece for the Olympics. I fell in love. Two years later, Mr. Nomadreader and I opted to spend our Christmas and New Year together in Venice rather than decide whose family to visit. Despite my love of both Venice and mysteries, I still haven't read Donna Leon's much-acclaimed series set there. It's near the top of my list, but in the meantime, I had to read her essays about Venice as soon as I got my hands on a copy.
The basics: My Venice and Other Essays is a collection of essays and vignettes divided into these sections: On Venice, On Music, On Mankind and Animals, On Men, On America, and On Books.
My thoughts: I've often bemoaned how difficult it is to review a collection of short stories, and here I find myself with the same problem as I attempt to cohesively talk about a collection of essays that itself is not terribly cohesive. As I finished the first essay in the collection, I said "that's it?" Truthfully, I wouldn't consider any of the essays about Venice to be essays. While classically there may not be a prescribed number of pages an essay must be, I found these pieces to also be lacking the things I most love about essays: immersion, reflection, and wisdom. The pieces themselves aren't necessarily bad, but when I expected essays about Venice, they didn't meet my expectations. If, however, you go in expecting brief, curmudgeonly anecdotes about life in Venice, you will find them.
Early in this collection, Leon comes off as quite an unhappy person. She frequently shares her annoyances and they often read more life rants than observations. Once the collection shifted away from Venice, however, moments of wisdom, clarity, and joy began to emerge. I was surprised how much I enjoyed her musings on animals, as I am far from an animal lover. Leon was at her absolute best when offering insight on American and books. Perhaps her musings on Venice would delight Venetians, but they left me cold. When she turned her critical expatriate eye to the United States, however, I was enchanted.
It is apparent at least some of these essays were written, if not also published, some time ago. There are numerous references to current events that aren't current. There are references to U.S. presidents I don't think are the current one. As a reader, I would have found it helpful to have a date written or previous publication information shared to help illuminate the setting and perspective Leon brings.
Favorite passage: "In an age where meaning has been tossed out in favor of rhetoric, in a time when films are mere concatenations of loud noises and the shedding of human blood, it is to be expected that language should no longer be considered the chief means by which we reveal ourselves, our thoughts, and our feelings. When meaning disappears so, too, must the ability to perceive it."
The verdict: As a collection, My Venice and Other Essays is frustratingly uneven. Mercifully, the collection improves as it goes on, both in quality and depth. The essays on Venice itself were each so brief I would hardly call them essays. Leon is at her best when the essays go on more than a couple of pages. It's a shame she didn't combine or develop the shorter pieces to make them fit in with the stronger, longer essays. While there's much to be enjoyed here, there are far too many piece that detract from the collection's best. Still, by the end, I wanted to claim Donna Leon as a long-lost relative, invite her to dinner parties, and listen to her delightfully unrestrained thoughts, opinions, and experiences.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
narflet's review against another edition
3.0
My primary motive for reading this collection of essays was my upcoming trip to Venice. I'd never heard of Donna Leon until a friend, an avid reader of mysteries, lent me [b:Death at La Fenice|68099|Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti, #1)|Donna Leon|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388280802s/68099.jpg|1245618]. I read the 'My Venice' and 'On Men' sections before I went on my trip. Seeing the rest weren't relevant to the trip, the book went on hold for a couple of months. I found the Venice section overwhelmingly negative and bitter. I often liked what she said to say, and agreed with what she said, but didn't like the manner in which she said it. The 'On Men' section was similar, aside from one. As for the other sections, 'On Music' did little for me as it largely talked about Opera which is something I'm entirely unfamiliar with; however the other three sections 'On Mankind and Animals', 'On America', and 'On Books' were like they came from a different person. The stories in the animal section were witty and entertaining, the America section was bluntly truthful and 'On Books' contains both a brilliant conversation with [a:Ruth Rendell|10890|Ruth Rendell|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1196257541p2/10890.jpg] and an excellent essay 'Suggestions on Writing the Crime Novel'. I'll be interested if that has any affect on my reading the next book in her Commisario Brunetti series, as I found the first two rather perfunctory.
Certainly a recommended read, if rather a mixed experience.
Certainly a recommended read, if rather a mixed experience.
marystevens's review against another edition
5.0
Trenchant, amusing, thoughtful, sometimes acerbic essays by my favorite mystery writer. Her books about that paragon of Venetian Commissarios, Guido Brunetti, are my annual trip to a sophisticated life of ease, scholarship, the pleasures of the table, congenial family life, deliciously corrupt bureaucracies, intrigue and of course crime acqua alta.
In these collected essays we are introduced to the author herself, a woman of strong and well thought out opinions on Venice, Men, Books, Music, America and Mankind and Animals. It was such a lovely read I had to force myself to put it down frequently so I could savor what I had just read.
In these collected essays we are introduced to the author herself, a woman of strong and well thought out opinions on Venice, Men, Books, Music, America and Mankind and Animals. It was such a lovely read I had to force myself to put it down frequently so I could savor what I had just read.