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Title: A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon ISBN: 0142003190 Publisher: Penguin USA (Mm) Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 5
Rating: 5
Summary: Leon: Another Glowing Thriller!
Comment: For Donna Leon's fans, Venice, the Most Serene Republic, is anything but serene! In yet another, the seventh
sure-winner in her Commissario Guido Brunetti series, Leon once again masterminds a plot, setting, and unforgettable characters in a must-read book.
In "A Noble Radiance," Leon shows what a master she is in establishing a grappling narrative hook, an absorbing
plot filled with dangerous curves, pitfalls, and landmines, and a theme that at once is contemporary and yet for all
time. The novel begins with the discovery of a badly decomposed body in a lonely farmfield in the north of Italy, and,
as her previous novels have it, Brunetti is given the case.
Just as he suspects, the body belongs to a kidnapped young man, the noble heir to a considerable estate. It is
Brunetti's responsibility to bring the news to the young man's family. Realist that he is, Brunetti is quick to find that,
indeed, something is rotten in the land of the nobili, and from this point on, the reader is led--even carried--to the
conclusion. The conclusion, however, appears a bit weak, albeit quite satisfying, I suppose, as Leon's endings usually
have a way of being far more thought- provoking.
Still, the book is well-worth the time spent--unfortunately, the time goes all too fast when reading Leon; one has the
tendency to wish they would keep on going, as they are, indeed, so mesmerizing. She has created such memorable
characters, most notably Brunetti, who has such a noble philosophy. It is almost as if he is a salmon without a stream,
as his ideals, his honesty, his concept of right and wrong seem at odds with today's sense of morality, whether it be
Italian politics or not. Leon's books are never ones to shy away from social issues and concerns and it is almost as if
she is Cassandra weeping outside the gates of Ilium, begging for anyone to believe her as she touches on responsible
concerns: the environment (especially), corruption (both political and social), and immorality in various forms. Unlike
Cassandra, Leon will be believed, one hopes.
London's "Sunday Telegraph" describes "A Noble Radiance" as a book "with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost
smell it." Indeed, and the smells are not always so desirable. Leon herself (always one with the apt literary allusion)
quotes Mozart at the beginning: "The nobility has honesty painted in its eyes." We find this quite appropriate for the
novel. She manages to evoke the landscape and atmosphere is a manner that lends strong support to her story line.
Her growing flock of readers have come to expect this in each succeeding book. So far, she has not let them down.
Like Caesar, her books have crossed the Rubicon with their social messages and readers should not let them go back! ([email protected])
Rating: 5
Summary: A standout in a very good series
Comment: I have not listened to the audio version, but the book is very, very good. It is the seventh novel in the series of (currently) twelve starring the Venetian detective Guido Brunetti. As a mystery it works quite well on its own: a body unexpectedly discovered on an abandoned farm in the Dolomites is identified as the scion of a noble Venetian family whose kidnapping had never been solved, and Brunetti must struggle to determine the identities and motives of those responsible before they claim another life. What readers of the previous books in the series will particularly appreciate, however, is the subtle mystery Brunetti finds himself facing within his own family. The solutions to the Comissario's personal and professional challenges are ultimately intertwined in a conclusion which does not represent perfect justice (as is typical in Ms. Leon's novels) but is nevertheless extremely moving. Because Brunetti's relationships with his wife and growing children broaden and deepen over the course of the series, I would recommend that readers start with "Death at La Fenice" if possible, and enjoy the first six books in eager anticipation of this one.
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Title: Uniform Justice: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon ISBN: 0871139030 Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Death At La Fenice by Donna Leon ISBN: 0061043370 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: January, 1995 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Terra-Cotta Dog: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli ISBN: 0142002631 Publisher: Penguin USA (Mm) Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli ISBN: 0142002399 Publisher: Penguin USA (Mm) Pub. Date: November, 2002 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Acqua Alta by Donna Leon ISBN: 0330346261 Publisher: Pan Books Ltd |
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