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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I liked this less than other recent Montalbano. Maybe because there was less food? Fewer footnotes? Certainly more of the same, which isn't bad, but not pushing the envelope in any way. 2.5 stars, rounded down because I expected more.
I used to enjoy this series. Campy, ridiculous, but fun. But now. My bullshit tolerance is lower and Montalbano just annoys me. Sorry.
One of my favorites in the series! This book was a non-stop comedy of errors, and Montalbano still managed to keep his job in the end... Loved it!
Montalbano sta diventando vecchio, e come accade ai vecchi diventa impressionabile. Lo colpisce un gabbiano morente sulla spiaggia, così come lo riduce a uno straccio lo spettacolo crudelissimo di una morte per mafia. Nonostante ciò, non perdè nè il suo acume nè il suo understatement, e risolve elegantemente un'indagine che coinvolge i soliti intoccabili, rendendoli così toccabilissimi e mettendoli in berlina.
Il nostro commissario questa volta si imbatte in una storia molto più cupa e drammatica del solito, segnata dall'iniziale macabro presagio della morte di un gabbiano che sulla spiaggia finisce i suoi giorni in una danza agonizzante. Da quel momento in poi è una sequenza di eventi forti e drammatici, il primo dei quali è la scomparsa del collega e amico Fazio. Montalbano si dannerà l'anima per ritrovarlo, arrivando a sfinirsi dalla stanchezza e a correre molti rischi, scordandosi, tra l'altro, completamente di Livia. Il finale gioca tutto sull'astuzia del commissario, che si rivela, ancora una volta all'altezza della sua fama.
Storia bella e coinvolgente, e non manca anche qualche battuta divertente, probabilmente una delle migliori della serie, sicuramente la migliore tra i romanzi più recenti.
Storia bella e coinvolgente, e non manca anche qualche battuta divertente, probabilmente una delle migliori della serie, sicuramente la migliore tra i romanzi più recenti.
Mucho vicio es lo que tengo yo con esta serie de novelas, y los Reyes Magos que lo saben me dejaron este título. A ver si me acerco a la librería a por otro par.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read the first four or five of these novels a few years ago. I found them very entertaining. This one seemed weaker. The jokes didn’t quite hit the mark a lot of the time. Even the poissonally in poisson joke starts wearing a bit thin! Also, the plot was a bit of a mess and not very satisfying.
Still an enjoyable enough read though. I’ll try another of his later ones to see if this was part of a trend or just a one off.
Still an enjoyable enough read though. I’ll try another of his later ones to see if this was part of a trend or just a one off.
After a disappointing [b:The Age of Doubt|13065250|The Age of Doubt (Inspector Montalbano, #14)|Andrea Camilleri|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1339554625s/13065250.jpg|6235288], this series is back on track. Fazio disappears, and Montalbano must find him. Along the way, he still has to think about his relationship with Livia, getting older, and his appetite.
This story had an actual mystery to solve, about a character we care about. Like all the stories, once the immediate crisis is over, the story slows down to a Sicilian pace, only to speed up again as all the loose threads come together.
Like all these stories, the translations are lovingly done, and no attempt is made to make this book as an "American" style mystery. The idioms don't get overtly Americanized, either, so we get wonderful word paintings of life in Vigita.
As usual, though, the brutality of Mafia and the roughness of life also come through. I can't recommend these to those with a delicate sensibility to violence, but Camilleri balances the sweetness of life with the horror of murder in a bold way.
This story had an actual mystery to solve, about a character we care about. Like all the stories, once the immediate crisis is over, the story slows down to a Sicilian pace, only to speed up again as all the loose threads come together.
Like all these stories, the translations are lovingly done, and no attempt is made to make this book as an "American" style mystery. The idioms don't get overtly Americanized, either, so we get wonderful word paintings of life in Vigita.
As usual, though, the brutality of Mafia and the roughness of life also come through. I can't recommend these to those with a delicate sensibility to violence, but Camilleri balances the sweetness of life with the horror of murder in a bold way.