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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
A charming, leisurely mystery set in Venice. Policeman Guido Brunetti investigates the death of a famous conductor. The sense of place is vivid and the lead character is a subtly drawn character who drew me into the story. I felt as if I were visiting Venice in the 90s.
First in a series, recommended to me during a visit to The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City.
First in a series, recommended to me during a visit to The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
I finally finished the first novel in the Brunetti series about four months after starting it. (That is not exactly a good sign...)
When it comes to detective stories, I always care about the investigators much more than about the crime itself. I just did not care about Brunetti! He is just a clever, moderately old, white man, who didn't stand out to me in any way. For that reason, about 80% of this book was just pretty boring. The people he meets and interrogates are also all kind of one-sided and uninteresting.
There are lesbian side characters in this book but I don't think they stood for good representation. (Also, Brunetti is weirdly attracted to one of them... ew, no dude.)
Well, now I know what the Donna Leon/Brunetti hype is supposed to be about. I just don't care.
When it comes to detective stories, I always care about the investigators much more than about the crime itself. I just did not care about Brunetti! He is just a clever, moderately old, white man, who didn't stand out to me in any way. For that reason, about 80% of this book was just pretty boring. The people he meets and interrogates are also all kind of one-sided and uninteresting.
There are lesbian side characters in this book but I don't think they stood for good representation. (Also, Brunetti is weirdly attracted to one of them... ew, no dude.)
Well, now I know what the Donna Leon/Brunetti hype is supposed to be about. I just don't care.
informative
slow-paced
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
took me way too long to read this, it was a lot slower than i thought it would be. it’s all about the policeman just like interviewing the suspects and there aren’t any side plots. writing was pretty good though and the ending was unexpected.
The 71/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle made me miss my childhood and teenage years, when I read tons of Christie and Simenon. They were part of my must-reread list for years and I love the genre because of them. This was a good contender to a possible new favorite series. Brunetti is intelligent, self-aware, but not depressed, he has a loving family, for a change. The references to life in Europe at the brink of the 90s were very interesting to read for somebody born behind the Iron Curtain and this book made me miss Italy quite a lot (even though we didn’t get to visit Venice). Will definitely continue the series.
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No