Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by kostpaul
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
3.0
The advance review copy I received prior to Aunt Poldi’s American debut contained an introductory blurb from Nancy Simpson-Brice of Book Vault, “Move over, Alexander McCall Smith...Mario Giordano is in the room!” I love serial novels and mysteries and McCall Smith is my all-time favorite,so my expectations were high. Aunt Poldi is a 60 year old German divorced retiree who moves to Sicily to enjoy a sea view as she drinks herself to death. She is slightly overweight, always wears a wig, smokes, drinks, and keeps a photo album of hot male police officers that she encounters on her travels. When a handyman she has hired to do some work on her newly restored villa disappears, Poldi begins an investigation.
The novel is narrated by Poldi’s nephew, a struggling writer. This was the where the story begin to strain credulity for me. The nephew describes her thoughts (often quite witty),what she sees, and even her romantic trysts. Granted, my nephews don’t occasionally board in my attic, but I can’t imagine them knowing such details about my day to day life. The mystery itself was an adequate one, the sort that you might find in a cozy series with a few too many coincidences to be believable but you enjoy anyway because you love the characters and it offers a wonderful escape. It was a rather small part of the novel. Much space was devoted to character development for almost every character, however minor their role may be and creating atmosphere. Aunt Poldi and the Sicilian Lions was originally written in German, and I would guess that much of its charm was lost in translation. I felt like there was subtle humor and cultural references I might have appreciated more if I were more familiar with German and Sicilian cultures.
I don’t anticipate that I will seek out the second installment of Auntie Poldie’s adventures, but if you want to, I believe it is already out in the UK. The German covers are my favorite!
Some of my series recommendations:
Cozy series, not necessarily mysteries: Everything by Alexander McCall Smith, Miss Julia by Ann B Ross, An Irish Country Doctor series by Patrick Taylor, and Needlework Mysteries by Monica Ferris
Set in Italy: Commisario Brunetti by Donna Leon and Inspector Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri
I’d love to find more -feel free to comment!
The novel is narrated by Poldi’s nephew, a struggling writer. This was the where the story begin to strain credulity for me. The nephew describes her thoughts (often quite witty),what she sees, and even her romantic trysts. Granted, my nephews don’t occasionally board in my attic, but I can’t imagine them knowing such details about my day to day life. The mystery itself was an adequate one, the sort that you might find in a cozy series with a few too many coincidences to be believable but you enjoy anyway because you love the characters and it offers a wonderful escape. It was a rather small part of the novel. Much space was devoted to character development for almost every character, however minor their role may be and creating atmosphere. Aunt Poldi and the Sicilian Lions was originally written in German, and I would guess that much of its charm was lost in translation. I felt like there was subtle humor and cultural references I might have appreciated more if I were more familiar with German and Sicilian cultures.
I don’t anticipate that I will seek out the second installment of Auntie Poldie’s adventures, but if you want to, I believe it is already out in the UK. The German covers are my favorite!
Some of my series recommendations:
Cozy series, not necessarily mysteries: Everything by Alexander McCall Smith, Miss Julia by Ann B Ross, An Irish Country Doctor series by Patrick Taylor, and Needlework Mysteries by Monica Ferris
Set in Italy: Commisario Brunetti by Donna Leon and Inspector Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri
I’d love to find more -feel free to comment!