Donna Leon is the American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice and featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti. She has lived in Venice for over 25 years.
The Girl of his Dreams: (17th in series)
Kate: Loved his descriptions of Venice and the everyday life with his family. The story is about the murder of a gypsy girl and highlights the Venetians dislike of tourists.
Ann: She write in a very relaxed style which is still very powerful.
Judy: There is a lot of assumed knowledge in the novel. She'd call it "soft crime"...no lengthy descriptions of violence. Always a sad element to the story line.
She was a little disheartened with the conclusion: sometimes justice doesn't prevail over money and power.
Aqua Alta: (5th in series)
Kris: Really enjoyed the book, found it difficult to put down. It reminded her of Ruth Cracknell's book "Journey from Venice". There is a little bit of violence when the archaeologist is savagely beaten but balanced by the glimpses into his family life with his wife and 2 daughters.
Blood from a Stone: (14th in series)
Judy J: Set in Christmas time in Venice, with wonderful descriptions of the city, the lights and particularly the cold. Brunetti is investigating the murder of an illegal immigrant from Senegal. He continues his investigation (at a fairly leisurely pace) even though his boss wants him off the case. Great descriptions of his favourite coffee places, lunch at home with his wife and his attempts at Christmas shopping! Rather unsatisfactory ending though as everything is 'wrapped up' very quickly and quite improbably.
Jo: Enjoyed the different setting from most books and thought she would read more. She felt for the illegal immigrants and the difficulties they had to live under.
Through a Glass, Darkly: (15th in series)
Claurene: In each of Donna Leon's books she reveals another aspect of the seamy underside of society. In this book it is the illegal disposal of toxic waste...a big problem. This was more interesting than the crime part of the story.
Connie: She enjoyed the writing about the glass factories in Murano, found his family interesting, and the roles of the police, particularly Elettra, made for good reading.
The map was particularly helpful and she had walked along the same streets and been to the same places and done some of the same things.She thought it was nice to read about nice people and happy families, a nice change to reading so much violence.
Wendy: Really enjoyed reading it and particularly liked the characters after she got used to reading the names. She thought it had a very neat ending, which didn't occur to the very last paragraph. She thought she would read her again.
Questions of Belief: (19th in series)
Jane: In this book Venice is suffering from a heatwave, which creates many opportunities for the characters to visit various bars. But as Brunetti is trying to get away from the city a public figure is killed, evidence of court cases being held up is uncovered and Vianello's aunt becomes mixed up with a charlatan horoscope guru. The story lines are quite involved and do become confusing. It would have helped to have had a family tree!
Beastly Things: (21st in series)
Rosemary: Her most recent publication. A male body is found in the canal suffering from Madelung deformity (parts of the body become thicker than normal...chest & lungs). There is a separate investigation of corruption in the slaughterhouse. There are some vivid description of the killing of the animals, but Rosemary still enjoyed it.
About Face: (18th in the series)
Pamela: She had no trouble reading it, but was annoyed by the book. She felt tricked and manipulated because the story was implausible and dishonest. The plot starts off promisingly when a woman undergoes a 'bad' face lift and her husband has some involvement in an illegal waste management system. But it doesn't go any further.
The author kept suggesting plot lines that weren't followed through.
Jules: She enjoyed the book and thought it all came together rather well. Along the way you learnt quite a lot about his wife's parents and her in-laws.
Doctored Evidence: (13th in the series)
Joan: In the genre of crime fiction, she is a good writer. All the books seem to have the same characters and themes. Similarities in all books....coffee, food, vaporetto, all add to the scene she paints and the feel of Venice.
Following the finding of of an elderly female body, conflict develops between the different levels of the police.When her carer, an illegal immigrant fled to Rumania, the local police think they have solved the crime. But Brunetti comes in and sorts it all out.
She enjoyed it but feels she wont have to read any more because they all are very similar....
Suffer the Little Children: (16th in the series)
Maree: Unfortunately wasn't able to get the book finished. She found it difficult to 'get into' the book as there was a lot of implied knowledge about the background of the characters. She needed a map to maintain her interest in the book.
The story involved a pediatrician, illegal adoption and the Carabinieri taking the children away.
Uniform Justice: (12th in the series)
Dianne: A boy is found hanging in a posh military academy. Is it murder or suicide? There is no justice in the ending.
Dianne became very frustrated in the way Brunetti investigates. He wont use the internet, forgets his phone, only seems to work about 4 hours a day. She also thought the writing was very verbose.
Death at La Fenice: (1st in the series)
Jules: She has now read 3 of her books. Although this is the author's first book, they can be read in any order.
This book is set in the opera theatre, and gives an indication as to why she began writing the series. The maps in the front are very useful.
Drawing Conclusions: ( 20th in the series)
Margaret: The writing is good and the stories always had a moral aspect to them which is unusual in most crime novels. But sometimes there seems to be problems with her plots...Margaret felt they were a bit soft.
Other recommendations:
Pamela:
The Red Chamber by Pauline A Chen...problems and customs within a Chinese family
The Rose Grower by Michelle de Krester
Joan:
The Favoured Daughter by Favzia Koofi ...she is the first woman speaker in the Parliament and she writes to her two daughters about her life.
Jo:
Heaven Is For Real .....a beautiful story about a little boy, who, while undergoing a procedure, goes to heaven for 3 minutes, before he comes back. He writes, among other things, about what angels are like and people he has met in heaven.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
SEPTEMBER - books by Joanna Trollope
KATE: Spanish Lover
This is the story of twins who have chosen to live very different lives. One seems to have the 'perfect life' with a happy marriage, children and successful business while the other is single and working in her own business. But when the perfect life starts to crumble and the other's business begins to succeed, the relationship and expectations between them change. This is especially so when the single twin, very much out of character, goes to Spain, has an affair with a married man and chooses to get pregnant. The whole dynamics of their relationship is now changing.
Kate enjoyed reading it.
JOAN: Daughters In Law
The story concerns a husband and wife and their 3 adult sons. As each of them marry we see the demise of the mother's power and the raising of the power of the daughters in law. It is told from the mother's point of view as she struggles to accommodate the changing role she has with her sons.
"I couldn't stand it...." speed reading required!
WENDY: Next of Kin
The setting is rural England in the 1950s when life in the countryside is very difficult. As the farmers and their families go through hardship, depression, suicide etc it is the women who show their strength, they are the hope for the future and they will change it.
It was not a depressing book and Wendy will read more by this author.
PAMELA: The Rector's Wife
The title embodies the main theme of the novel - a small community can deny a person's individuality. They also can have preconceived notions of role and obligations. There are no heroes or villains. The rector is devastated after he is unsuccessful with an expected promotion and his disappointment becomes inward looking.
His wife takes a job at the local grocer to earn a bit of money to help out her kids and this is seen by the parish and community as an act of undermining her husbands ability to provide for her and his family.
JUDY: A Soldier's Wife
This seems like a modern day version of the previous books with many similarities in plot and characters. This time the main character is a soldier returning from Afghanistan. While he has had a successful tour, he is unwilling and unable to talk to his wife about this, as well as being unable to leave the routine and security of the soldier's life behind. Well meaning friends and relatives try to help but probably make the situation worse. It is not until his wife changes direction with her life, is there any possibility that the marriage can be saved.
Both books featured long suffering wives who must make many sacrifices for their husband to continue with their careers.
KRIS: Girl from the South
A change in setting for this novel...switching between southern USA and London. It follows the lives of several couples, their families and friends. Few of them are able to make a commitment and others find it difficult to fit into their expected life style. Over the year in which the book is set, these dysfunctional characters grow and change.
ROSEMARY & ANNE: Friday Nights
Eleanor is a retired, childless spinster (by choice). Looking out of her window she sees 2 women passing and eventually invites them in and so Friday nights begin. Gradually various others join the group and their children become friends.
When one of them meets a man, the group dynamics change, and gradually their lives also change.
It was easy to read but with no real plot though.
JANE: Marrying the Mistress
An older judge has been having an affair with a younger councillor. He goes home to the wife in the country, she to the modern flat in the city.
Earlier in their marriage, the judge had given his wife the opportunity to have a career but she doesn't want it and goes on to play the long suffering, martyr role. So when the affair is discovered there is no sympathy for the wife.
The story gets bogged down in detail (eg description of the cottage garden) which seems to be used as padding. Again it is a variation of similar themes used in other books by the author.
JO: The Choir
The story is based around a boy's choir in a cathedral town, the internal politics and scandal surrounding it. One of the choir boy's mother is having an affair with the choirmaster, his grandfather, a councillor, wants more say in the running of the cathedral. The boys are pulled in different directions according to what people want them to be. Eventually the cathedral needs money for extensive renovation and so the choir must go.
Jo's opinion was that even though it had been made into a mini series it was only "OK".
JULES also had begun this book, but couldn't finish it.
CLAURINE: Other People's Children
The story is about 3 interconnected families all with interconnected children.
It is very simple writing, but she finished it only because of guilt feelings over not finishing other books.
CONNIE: Brother and Sister
Two children have been adopted and grow up in a loving and secure family. When one of them (later in adult life) decides to look for her birth mother, loyalties and relationships within the families and marriages are tested and changed.
In Connie's opinion, the story really didn't really end. She thought the couples may have got back together again but the book really didn't say.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS:
Judy: The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell....strong female character, murders set in New York
Judith: Choir Man by Jonathon Welsh....Choir of hard Knocks, inspirational and entertaining
Connie: Shatter by Michael Robotham ....psychological thriller but quite violent
Pamela: White Heat by M J McGrath....murder set in the cold, bleak tundra of the Canadian Arctic
Is similar to Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg.....mystery thriller, very good read
Joan: Stasiland by Anna Funder....her research for this is used in next book"All That I Am"
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn ....a missing wife, a thrilling story
This is the story of twins who have chosen to live very different lives. One seems to have the 'perfect life' with a happy marriage, children and successful business while the other is single and working in her own business. But when the perfect life starts to crumble and the other's business begins to succeed, the relationship and expectations between them change. This is especially so when the single twin, very much out of character, goes to Spain, has an affair with a married man and chooses to get pregnant. The whole dynamics of their relationship is now changing.
Kate enjoyed reading it.
JOAN: Daughters In Law
The story concerns a husband and wife and their 3 adult sons. As each of them marry we see the demise of the mother's power and the raising of the power of the daughters in law. It is told from the mother's point of view as she struggles to accommodate the changing role she has with her sons.
"I couldn't stand it...." speed reading required!
WENDY: Next of Kin
The setting is rural England in the 1950s when life in the countryside is very difficult. As the farmers and their families go through hardship, depression, suicide etc it is the women who show their strength, they are the hope for the future and they will change it.
It was not a depressing book and Wendy will read more by this author.
PAMELA: The Rector's Wife
The title embodies the main theme of the novel - a small community can deny a person's individuality. They also can have preconceived notions of role and obligations. There are no heroes or villains. The rector is devastated after he is unsuccessful with an expected promotion and his disappointment becomes inward looking.
His wife takes a job at the local grocer to earn a bit of money to help out her kids and this is seen by the parish and community as an act of undermining her husbands ability to provide for her and his family.
JUDY: A Soldier's Wife
This seems like a modern day version of the previous books with many similarities in plot and characters. This time the main character is a soldier returning from Afghanistan. While he has had a successful tour, he is unwilling and unable to talk to his wife about this, as well as being unable to leave the routine and security of the soldier's life behind. Well meaning friends and relatives try to help but probably make the situation worse. It is not until his wife changes direction with her life, is there any possibility that the marriage can be saved.
Both books featured long suffering wives who must make many sacrifices for their husband to continue with their careers.
KRIS: Girl from the South
A change in setting for this novel...switching between southern USA and London. It follows the lives of several couples, their families and friends. Few of them are able to make a commitment and others find it difficult to fit into their expected life style. Over the year in which the book is set, these dysfunctional characters grow and change.
ROSEMARY & ANNE: Friday Nights
Eleanor is a retired, childless spinster (by choice). Looking out of her window she sees 2 women passing and eventually invites them in and so Friday nights begin. Gradually various others join the group and their children become friends.
When one of them meets a man, the group dynamics change, and gradually their lives also change.
It was easy to read but with no real plot though.
JANE: Marrying the Mistress
An older judge has been having an affair with a younger councillor. He goes home to the wife in the country, she to the modern flat in the city.
Earlier in their marriage, the judge had given his wife the opportunity to have a career but she doesn't want it and goes on to play the long suffering, martyr role. So when the affair is discovered there is no sympathy for the wife.
The story gets bogged down in detail (eg description of the cottage garden) which seems to be used as padding. Again it is a variation of similar themes used in other books by the author.
JO: The Choir
The story is based around a boy's choir in a cathedral town, the internal politics and scandal surrounding it. One of the choir boy's mother is having an affair with the choirmaster, his grandfather, a councillor, wants more say in the running of the cathedral. The boys are pulled in different directions according to what people want them to be. Eventually the cathedral needs money for extensive renovation and so the choir must go.
Jo's opinion was that even though it had been made into a mini series it was only "OK".
JULES also had begun this book, but couldn't finish it.
CLAURINE: Other People's Children
The story is about 3 interconnected families all with interconnected children.
It is very simple writing, but she finished it only because of guilt feelings over not finishing other books.
CONNIE: Brother and Sister
Two children have been adopted and grow up in a loving and secure family. When one of them (later in adult life) decides to look for her birth mother, loyalties and relationships within the families and marriages are tested and changed.
In Connie's opinion, the story really didn't really end. She thought the couples may have got back together again but the book really didn't say.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS:
Judy: The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell....strong female character, murders set in New York
Judith: Choir Man by Jonathon Welsh....Choir of hard Knocks, inspirational and entertaining
Connie: Shatter by Michael Robotham ....psychological thriller but quite violent
Pamela: White Heat by M J McGrath....murder set in the cold, bleak tundra of the Canadian Arctic
Is similar to Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg.....mystery thriller, very good read
Joan: Stasiland by Anna Funder....her research for this is used in next book"All That I Am"
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn ....a missing wife, a thrilling story
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)