robisonline's review against another edition
3.0
Everything from the plot to the characters got more interesting as the story progressed which made for an exciting and pleasing end to the mystery
capra's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
annebrooke's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this one as I love the TV series (both old and young Montalbano) - the read here is charming, and the relationships between colleagues and friends are very quirky, but most of the time I didn't have much of a clue as to what was going on. It finally got going in terms of plot in the last twenty or thirty pages when everything was explained - no idea how Montalbano worked it all out though! That said, the sense of place is great, and nice to see our main character still eating well! Still, to my mind, the TV series is better ...
leannaaker's review against another edition
5.0
What a fun mystery series! I'll definitely check out more.
evanlooy's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lyv's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
luxxybee97's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars
tl;dr – sometimes…things that are adapted from the source material…are better
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I haven’t watched an episode of Inspector Montalbano in years, admittedly, but I did used to love it whenever I caught it on the TV. It’s a fond memory that I share with my mum, and reading the books has been on my list for years. Admittedly, this is only the first in the series, and I am coming to it with prior knowledge, but I wouldn’t say I was all that impressed with it. It’s got a sense of humour that I think translates well to the adapted version, but it’s nothing that special. The mystery goes in unexpected ways, but the prose and dialogue are crisp verging on cutting, like Camilleri doesn’t want to waste a single cent printing any words that are not 100% completely necessary. Perhaps that’s why it translates so well to the small screen.
joeh's review against another edition
3.25
I love Montalbano, I love Camilleri's writing and I love the luscious setting he creates. I will (obviously) read more Montalbano because, as I said, I love him and he is the best. However, the plot of The Shape of Water was just ok.