I really like Donna Leon. I hope she continues to write forever. Her books are always literate and interesting with marvelous characters. The plots are intricate even if her view of Italian society is dark indeed. For example, in Acqua Alta, a woman is seriously beaten by some thugs. Her partner calls for an ambulance, but she is told there are two people ahead of her and she must be placed on a waiting list. Sorry. Once in the hospital every palm must be greased just to get the sheets changed. Corruption is rampant. Amidst this corruption, Commisario Guido Brunetti, and his wife, Paola, struggle to remain honest and raise their children. They have a wonderful relationship -- “the radar of a long marriage” -- and Paola provides a nice contretemps to Guido. Leon, who has taught English for many years at University of Maryland extension campus at the U.S. Army's Vicenza (Italy) post, has lived many years in Italy, speaks the language fluently, and captures the nuances of the people and of daily life in Venice. Acqua Alta refers to the seasonal high water in Venice when the tides flood large sections of the city. Sirens wail before the expected onrush and everyone must wear boots to get around in water that can be knee-deep. The city is always slow to erect the boards that people must traverse to avoid the water (I’m reading a book about Venice that discusses the future of the city -- more in a later issue). The high water and muck it brings provides a thread that nicely parallels the difficulties Guido faces during this investigation. Flavia Petrelli, an opera singer, and her lover, Brett Lynch, an American archaeologist, return from a previous novel, Death at La Fenice Brett was beaten up as a warning not to meet with the director of a famous art museum (later murdered) and Guido must sort out a series of events in the underbelly of the art world related to an archaeological dig in China. Lurking behind everything is the dampness and the cold fog that seeps into all the old crusty buildings. Guido always solves the crimes, but the guilty often, because of the corruption and their connections, remain unpunished. Unusually, in this one, Guido arrives in time before the tragedy.
Ah, Donna Leon! I will never quit you. I said after the last Brunetti mystery I read that I was going to take a break, which is a ridiculous statement that someone should have tried to refute. I liked this much more than the last installment, so I am officially back on the Leon train (or gondola, I suppose).Here are some great things featured in this book:- Brunetti learning what Occam's Razor is, and promptly discarding that silly notion since it would never apply to an Italian crime- Brett Lynch and Flavia Petrelli!!!! my favorite hotshot lesbian couple of all time- Art hijinks and inter-continental heists- Two entire pages describing terrible female tourists ordering gelato in bad Italian, while Brunetti watches and exchanges looks with the bartender (spoiler alert: I am this tourist)- A sentence about the Grand Canal that includes, "where boats went about their boaty business"- The endless fight against acqua alta, which made this book very atmospheric and its climax particularly awesome- My golden prince Raffi has been absent from the last two books, but he came back for this: Raffi closed himself in his room after lunch, saying that he had to do his Greek homework, ten pages of Homer to translate for the next morning. Two years ago, when he had fancied himself an anarchist, he had closed himself in his room to think dark thoughts about capitalism, in the doing perhaps to hasten its fall. But this year he had not only found a girlfriend but, apparently, the desire to be accepted at the university.As much as I love Brett, I would have actually preferred to get more of the story from Brunetti's perspective. I'm not sure how that would have worked at the ending, but I like these books better when you're able to see the action solely from his point of view. But other than that, I really enjoyed the descriptions of Venice during the winter and found the mystery mildly interesting (which is the best that I can ever actually say for this series).
What do You think about Acqua Alta (2004)?
Reasons most of my book group did not like this book:1) They hated all the characters.2) They thought there was no tension.3) They have no interest in ancient pottery.4) They found it badly written.Reasons I enjoyed this book:1) I really liked the characters.2) I found it extremely tense.3) I like learning about things I don’t know anything about.4) The writing wasn’t full of grammatical errors or awkward constructions.You know, it wasn’t a GREAT book. But it didn’t make me want to throw it acro
—Elizabeth
Almost the last Brunetti book from my reading list. Donna Leon outdoes herself in this one: Brunetti reconnects with Flavia Petrelli, famed opera diva when Flavia's partner Brett is brutally beaten. Brett, who is an art historian, had mounted a show of ancient Chinese pottery which has now proven to contain fake pieces. The pursuit of the perpetrators takes Brunetti into the world of rabid collectors and again the specter of the Mafia working its way north. Brunetti best explains the Italian approach to law and legalities by comparing Italy to Germany: Germans believe laws are to be obeyed; Italians beileve laws are meant to be diciphered and then evaded if at all possible. We discover why Signorrina Elettra left the Bank Italia (no spoiler, you must read yourself). The title refers to the periodic flooding of Venice when rainfall and tides converge to create a deluge. The description of the sodden atmosphere is masterful; you can feel yourself wading through the streets and wringing out your clothes. And of course, the solution fits the crime even if it does not adhere to the legalities. Great addition to the series
—Lois
Linda's read most of them, I've read one or two and will probably read more. Also like the Andrea Camilleri books for similar books set in Sicily. Camilleri pokes fun at Venice, Leon pokes fun at Sicily.
—Eddie
