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A review by cheryl6of8
About Face by Donna Leon
4.0
October's Genreland prompt is "in a city you have never been to" which made me immediately think of a book from this series. Someday I hope to make it to Venice, but it hasn't happened yet. I had started another mystery set in Denver - haven't been there either - but it is not keeping my interest. I impulsively pulled this off the shelf and dove right in.
I am very fond of this series and of Commissario Brunetti and his friends and family. He wages an endless and tiresome war against the entropic forces of corruption and indifference which underlie more of the work of government around the world than we want to admit. This book involves a discussion of Italian literature -- Ovid and Cicero in particular -- which would, I am sure, appeal to those interested in these works. And, of course, Paola is always immersed in Henry James. I am not attached to any of those writers, but I am aware of the influence of my favorite literature in my own life. Here, it influenced Brunetti's investigation into the smuggling of hazardous waste and the murders associated with that issue. The entire story takes place in 10 days or less, but involves intricacies and intrigues that remind you, as always, of the dark underbelly of so much of the world. Nonetheless, Brunetti finds a path of honor and optimism through the darkness -- I think that is why I like him.
I am very fond of this series and of Commissario Brunetti and his friends and family. He wages an endless and tiresome war against the entropic forces of corruption and indifference which underlie more of the work of government around the world than we want to admit. This book involves a discussion of Italian literature -- Ovid and Cicero in particular -- which would, I am sure, appeal to those interested in these works. And, of course, Paola is always immersed in Henry James. I am not attached to any of those writers, but I am aware of the influence of my favorite literature in my own life. Here, it influenced Brunetti's investigation into the smuggling of hazardous waste and the murders associated with that issue. The entire story takes place in 10 days or less, but involves intricacies and intrigues that remind you, as always, of the dark underbelly of so much of the world. Nonetheless, Brunetti finds a path of honor and optimism through the darkness -- I think that is why I like him.