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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed seeing more from the count (Paola's dad), but what felt like some interesting build up to a bit of family drama in the end went unrealised. I'm glad that this installment didn't have any convoluted scenes where someone is under guard, but doesn't seem to be guarded at all times. However, Brunetti revealed a new string to his bow of poor quality detective decisions, letting the murder suspect get changed out of his blood stained clothing because he felt sorry for him.
Honestly, I sometimes have sympathy for Vice-Questatore Patta.
This one was a bit less ranty about corruption/politics/the catholic church than some previous installments.
Honestly, I sometimes have sympathy for Vice-Questatore Patta.
This one was a bit less ranty about corruption/politics/the catholic church than some previous installments.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
In this outing, a two-year-old kidnapping case is reopened when a farmer in a remote village plows up a body--and a ring bearing the family crest of a wealthy Venetian family. Commissario Brunetti is handed the case, and quickly senses something more going on than the tragic death of a young man. The boy was complaining of being ill not two weeks prior to his abduction. And his travel and credit card records leading up to the kidnapping took him to Eastern Europe, where smuggling and illicit trade are common. Was he involved in something that led to his death? And do his father Count Lorenzoni, and his cousin (the new heir) know the answers?
Brunetti is a family man who loves his wife Paola, so when he seeks information about the Lorenzoni business dealings from his wife's father, also a Count and wealthy businessman, Brunetti is upset to have the Count tell him Paola is unhappy. As the policeman pursues his case, his own family concerns are very much on his mind.
This balance of personal and professional plot lines is one of the attractions of Ms. Leon's series. Brunetti and his team are an appealing lot, and each book reveals a bit more about the cast of characters. Definitely worth a read.
Brunetti is a family man who loves his wife Paola, so when he seeks information about the Lorenzoni business dealings from his wife's father, also a Count and wealthy businessman, Brunetti is upset to have the Count tell him Paola is unhappy. As the policeman pursues his case, his own family concerns are very much on his mind.
This balance of personal and professional plot lines is one of the attractions of Ms. Leon's series. Brunetti and his team are an appealing lot, and each book reveals a bit more about the cast of characters. Definitely worth a read.
I thoroughly enjoy this series. Detailed descriptions of life in Venice and philosophy from the Commissario. After reading the first 3 books, I ordered all the used copies I could find of the rest of the books in the series and always look forward to the next case.
'A Nobel Radiance' by Donna Leon, one book in a series which features Commissario Guido Brunetti.
To contemplate in these unsettled/unsettling times (from Chapter 24):
"He pulled down his copy of Cicero's 'On the Good Life' and turned to the section on duties, where Cicero writes of the divisions of moral goodness. 'The first is the ability to distinguish truth from falsity, and to understand the relationship and consequences of each one. The second category is the ability to restrain the passions. And the third is to behave considerately and understandingly in our associations with other people.'"
An exchange with Signorina Elettra, assistant to Guido's boss:
"A company I've invested in has decided to open a pharmaceutical factory in Tadzhikistan. There's an article in the paper about opening markets in what used to be the Soviet Union, and I wanted to get an idea of whether I should stay with them or pull my money out."
"And?"
"I think it all stinks is what I think," she answered, closing the paper with a sweeping gesture.
"Why?"
"Because these people seem to have jumped from the Middle Ages into advanced capitalism. Five years ago, they were bartering hammers for potatoes, and now they've all become businessmen with telefonini and BMW's. From what I've read, they have the morals of pit vipers, and I think I don't want to have anything to do with them."
"Too risky?"
"No, quite the contrary," she said quite calmly. "I think it's probably going to be a very profitable investment, but I prefer not to have my money used by people who will deal in anything, buy and sell anything, do anything in order to profit."
"Like the bank?" Brunetti asked. She'd come to the Questura some years ago, leaving her job as secretary to the president of Banca d'Italia because she refused to take dictation of a letter going to a bank in Johannesburg. The UN obviously didn't believe in its own sanctions, but Signorina Elettra had thought it necessary to uphold them, even at the cost of her job.
'A Nobel Radiance' by Donna Leon, one book in a series which features Commissario Guido Brunetti.
To contemplate in these unsettled/unsettling times (from Chapter 24):
"He pulled down his copy of Cicero's 'On the Good Life' and turned to the section on duties, where Cicero writes of the divisions of moral goodness. 'The first is the ability to distinguish truth from falsity, and to understand the relationship and consequences of each one. The second category is the ability to restrain the passions. And the third is to behave considerately and understandingly in our associations with other people.'"
An exchange with Signorina Elettra, assistant to Guido's boss:
"A company I've invested in has decided to open a pharmaceutical factory in Tadzhikistan. There's an article in the paper about opening markets in what used to be the Soviet Union, and I wanted to get an idea of whether I should stay with them or pull my money out."
"And?"
"I think it all stinks is what I think," she answered, closing the paper with a sweeping gesture.
"Why?"
"Because these people seem to have jumped from the Middle Ages into advanced capitalism. Five years ago, they were bartering hammers for potatoes, and now they've all become businessmen with telefonini and BMW's. From what I've read, they have the morals of pit vipers, and I think I don't want to have anything to do with them."
"Too risky?"
"No, quite the contrary," she said quite calmly. "I think it's probably going to be a very profitable investment, but I prefer not to have my money used by people who will deal in anything, buy and sell anything, do anything in order to profit."
"Like the bank?" Brunetti asked. She'd come to the Questura some years ago, leaving her job as secretary to the president of Banca d'Italia because she refused to take dictation of a letter going to a bank in Johannesburg. The UN obviously didn't believe in its own sanctions, but Signorina Elettra had thought it necessary to uphold them, even at the cost of her job.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I would love to visit Italy one day, and especially Venice. Leon’s books, along with others, have made me fall in love with the city.
Setting and character are Leon’s strong points for me. Brunetti keeps me coming back to this series. He’s intelligent, determined, and has a wonderful, strong, loving relationship with his wife and children, who are actually in the books, not just shadows rarely mentioned. And Signorina Elettra, the secretary of the Vice-Questore, is a treat, a woman I would love to know in real life.
This is not a fast-moving, action-packed mystery. It deals with personal relationships, with greed, with concepts like truth and justice.And we see all the clues at the same time as Brunetti, we see him working through the case, so when the end comes it isn’t a grand revelation, but is still satisfying.
I listened to this one narrated by Anna Fields, as I have with others in the series. I like hearing the Italian phrases, rather than seeing them in black and white and guessing the pronunciations. This is not a series I’ve read in order, but each stands on its own. Yes, the characters grow and change, but I never feel like I’m missing something by not having read the previous one.
Setting and character are Leon’s strong points for me. Brunetti keeps me coming back to this series. He’s intelligent, determined, and has a wonderful, strong, loving relationship with his wife and children, who are actually in the books, not just shadows rarely mentioned. And Signorina Elettra, the secretary of the Vice-Questore, is a treat, a woman I would love to know in real life.
This is not a fast-moving, action-packed mystery. It deals with personal relationships, with greed, with concepts like truth and justice.And we see all the clues at the same time as Brunetti, we see him working through the case, so when the end comes it isn’t a grand revelation, but is still satisfying.
I listened to this one narrated by Anna Fields, as I have with others in the series. I like hearing the Italian phrases, rather than seeing them in black and white and guessing the pronunciations. This is not a series I’ve read in order, but each stands on its own. Yes, the characters grow and change, but I never feel like I’m missing something by not having read the previous one.
A novella rather than a novel, and fairly simple. The best part about is was the title. A body was found in Northern Italy and it ends up being the son of a Venetian businessman. The young man was kidnapped a killed a few years earlier. Why that happened is rather weak. The story isn't good, but it's not terrible.
Read this on a horse-back riding holiday across Scotland and used the escapism from the fairly cold and wet Scottish climate by conjuring up images of Bella Venezia with plates of steaming pasta in front of me. LOVE Brunetti!