Background:
This is the fourth book by Donna Leon that I have reviewed. Originally my boss told me to give her a try as she is one of her favourite authors. And after getting used to the first one, I have found her books to be very good and quite addictive. They are all based in Venice and ... Read review
Commissario Brunetti and Ispettore Vianello take a break from the Questura to come to the ... more
rescue of Vianello's friend Marco Ribetti, who has been arrested while protesting against chemical pollution of the Venetian lagoon. But it is not Marco who has uncovered the guilty secret of the polluting glass foundries of the island of Murano.
Do the following two things appeal to you? A holiday in Venice, away from the tourist ... more
traps, investigating the city's more unusual nooks and crannies? Or trying (by proxy) to solve a particularly mystifying crime case with a variety of intriguing suspects? Well, you don't need either the money the first would require or the police qualifications the latter might need, if you merely shell out the modest outlay for Donna Leon's Through a Glass Darkly, the latest in her always assured Commissario Brunetti novels. Admirers of these books need no recommendation: they have been amazingly consistent in their development over the years, and have rarely slipped into the overfamiliar--there's no sense that Donna Leon is tired of either Brunetti or his battles with municipal and governmental corruption. It's spring in Venice, and Commissario Brunetti and his associate Vianello undertake a task not officially sanctioned by the Questura--they will try to do what they can for Vianellos friend Marco, an eco-activist who has been arrested after an environmental protest turns ugly. Soon after, Brunetti witnesses the almost psychotic enmity of Marco's father-in-law, who almost seems prepared to murder his relative (a fear that Marco's wife shares). The old man's glass factory on Murano, the source of the conflict between father and son-in-law, becomes the scene for a murder: in front of the furnaces which eternally burn at high temperatures, a body is found and Brunettis search for the killer is aided by clues found in a volume of Dante. All of the customary Leon fingerprints are satisfyingly in place here: the sultry and immensely vivid evocation of Venice; the ever-present pall of evil and corruption that suffuses the beauty of the city, and (most pleasurably of all) the careful delineation of character in Brunetti and his associates. This is a series that has a long time to run yet.--Barry Forshaw
Postage & Packaging:£2.75 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Do the following two things appeal to you? A holiday in Venice, away from the tourist ... more
traps, investigating the city's more unusual nooks and crannies? Or trying (by proxy) to solve a particularly mystifying crime case with a variety of intriguing suspects? Well, you don't need either the money the first would require or the police qualifications the latter might need, if you merely shell out the modest outlay for Donna Leon's Through a Glass Darkly, the latest in her always assured Commissario Brunetti novels. Admirers of these books need no recommendation: they have been amazingly consistent in their development over the years, and have rarely slipped into the overfamiliar--there's no sense that Donna Leon is tired of either Brunetti or his battles with municipal and governmental corruption. It's spring in Venice, and Commissario Brunetti and his associate Vianello undertake a task not officially sanctioned by the Questura--they will try to do what they can for Vianellos friend Marco, an eco-activist who has been arrested after an environmental protest turns ugly. Soon after, Brunetti witnesses the almost psychotic enmity of Marco's father-in-law, who almost seems prepared to murder his relative (a fear that Marco's wife shares). The old man's glass factory on Murano, the source of the conflict between father and son-in-law, becomes the scene for a murder: in front of the furnaces which eternally burn at high temperatures, a body is found and Brunettis search for the killer is aided by clues found in a volume of Dante. All of the customary Leon fingerprints are satisfyingly in place here: the sultry and immensely vivid evocation of Venice; the ever-present pall of evil and corruption that suffuses the beauty of the city, and (most pleasurably of all) the careful delineation of character in Brunetti and his associates. This is a series that has a long time to run yet.--Barry Forshaw
Postage & Packaging:£2.75 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Do the following two things appeal to you? A holiday in Venice, away from the tourist ... more
traps, investigating the city's more unusual nooks and crannies? Or trying (by proxy) to solve a particularly mystifying crime case with a variety of intriguing suspects? Well, you don't need either the money the first would require or the police qualifications the latter might need, if you merely shell out the modest outlay for Donna Leon's Through a Glass Darkly, the latest in her always assured Commissario Brunetti novels. Admirers of these books need no recommendation: they have been amazingly consistent in their development over the years, and have rarely slipped into the overfamiliar--there's no sense that Donna Leon is tired of either Brunetti or his battles with municipal and governmental corruption. It's spring in Venice, and Commissario Brunetti and his associate Vianello undertake a task not officially sanctioned by the Questura--they will try to do what they can for Vianellos friend Marco, an eco-activist who has been arrested after an environmental protest turns ugly. Soon after, Brunetti witnesses the almost psychotic enmity of Marco's father-in-law, who almost seems prepared to murder his relative (a fear that Marco's wife shares). The old man's glass factory on Murano, the source of the conflict between father and son-in-law, becomes the scene for a murder: in front of the furnaces which eternally burn at high temperatures, a body is found and Brunettis search for the killer is aided by clues found in a volume of Dante. All of the customary Leon fingerprints are satisfyingly in place here: the sultry and immensely vivid evocation of Venice; the ever-present pall of evil and corruption that suffuses the beauty of the city, and (most pleasurably of all) the careful delineation of character in Brunetti and his associates. This is a series that has a long time to run yet.--Barry Forshaw
Postage & Packaging:£2.75 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Good Conclusion Disadvantages: Slow pace
...at setting the scene and through intelligent writing is able to get the reader hooked on the story even if not much is happening!! I do not feel it is her best novel by any means but still a well constructed and thought provoking book.
For me the book could have quite easily been a little longer in length. As everything seemed a little rushed towards the end. I would have liked to have considered the facts and had them spelt out a ... .../>
Well worth a read. Not the finest moment by Donna Leon but an interesting and enjoyable piece of fiction none the less. A must however for any Donna Leon fans. I can imagine this as a good book to read on holiday, not too deep or riveting just a novel you can pick up and read a few chapters as the mood grabs you.
Published by: William Heinemann 2006
Amazon Price: £5.49
Pages 256
ISBN: 0-434-01452-4 more
Background:
This is the fourth book by Donna Leon that I have reviewed. Originally my boss told me to give her a try as she is one of her favourite authors. And after getting used to the first one, I have found her books to be very good and quite addictive. They are all based in Venice and focus on the detective work of Commissario Brunetti.
About the author:
Donna Leon has lived in Venice for many years. So far she has written 17 crime novels including this one, all of which have been highly acclaimed. Before becoming a writer she was a teacher and gain experience in many countries.
About the book:
A friend of Inspector Vianello Marco is arrested following a demonstration at a chemical plant. The environmentalist's wife called Vianello to get him released. Brunetti accompanies him, but as soon as they get there they discover all the charges against Marco have been dropped.
Upon his release the three men bump into Marco's father in law De Cal, an owner of the local glass making plant. He is furious with Marco and threatens to hurt him. After some informal enquiries Brunetti is satisfied that 'the old man' is just shouting his mouth off and means him no actual harm.
Then Giorgio Tassini, the Night Watchman at the Glass Plant is found dead. Upon investigation he has also been talking bitterly about the Plant to everyone. Brunetti discovers he has a dossier about the Plant, claiming the owner to be responsible for his two year old daughter's bad health.
The Commissario must find out if it is Tassini's own guilt that makes him believe this or if there really is a case to answer by De Cal and the other next door plant owner Fasano.
My thoughts on the book:
My overall view on this book is an enjoyable read. I do still struggle with the Italian culture as for me it is so different from our own. So issues such as corruption, the Mafia and environmental laws I find difficult to relate to because of this difference. I know they happen here but it seems far more prominent in the Italian culture.
What I liked about the book was the basic storyline. I liked the way the author used an environmentalist Marco and I thought it would be all about him and the struggle between right and wrong. But she merely used this character to open up the story which was not about him at all.
However I did at the same time find the story really seemed in the early chapters to be meandering along without a specific purpose. There was no investigation as such and I waited with bated breath for something to happen. Which of course it finally did, I just thought she could have brought it all in earlier in the book.
As a result of this it was only the final few chapters when the book became exciting. Up to that point is was a routine story. That said something I like about the author's style is the way she leads the investigation so far but then leaves some of the conclusion open to interpretation. Allowing the reader to decide what would have happened in the end.
I have become accustomed to the lead character of Commissario Brunetti and over time I have learnt to enjoy the little interplays in the books between him and his family. However they have little to do with the plot or the investigation, they just seem to make him more likeable and human. That said the relationship the author creates between Brunetti and his senior officers is quite amusing and frequently makes me wonder how anything every gets done.
Donna Leon for my money writes from the heart. She is very good at setting the scene and through intelligent writing is able to get the reader hooked on the story even if not much is happening!! I do not feel it is her best novel by any means but still a well constructed and thought provoking book.
For me the book could have quite easily been a little longer in length. As everything seemed a little rushed towards the end. I would have liked to have considered the facts and had them spelt out a little more clearly.
Conclusion:
Well worth a read. Not the finest moment by Donna Leon but an interesting and enjoyable piece of fiction none the less. A must however for any Donna Leon fans. I can imagine this as a good book to read on holiday, not too deep or riveting just a novel you can pick up and read a few chapters as the mood grabs you.
Published by: William Heinemann 2006 Amazon Price: £5.49 Pages 256 ISBN: 0-434-01452-4 Web Site: www.donnaleon.co.uk
Advantages: Good characters, good descriptions of Venice Disadvantages: not too thrilling
...takes over the case.
Through a Glass Darkly is Donna Leon's 15th thriller in the Commissario Brunetti series, No 17 is already out in hardcover. I've read nearly all of them, I've only skipped two or three, why have I been so faithful especially as I wrote a review in 2001 (The Dark Sides of Venice) advising Donna Leon to take a break and not publish a new book every year, regular as clock-work? I've finally understood that what I complained about ... ...all the other novels before Through a Glass Darkly rests on four columns so-to-speak, 1) Commissario Brunetti, the private man with his hobbies and family, 2) Commissario Brunetti, the policeman with his job and colleagues, 3) the town of Venice and 4) the crime proper. Talk of formulaic, with Donna Leon you've got the strictest formula possible and her readers love her for it, they even demand it!
Commissario Brunetti is a good one, no vices lurk ...
MALU 15.07.2008
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