This book, while completely readable, is formulaic, predictable and totally acceptable if you have nothing else, but it certainly isn't. [I missed the part when Brunetti finds out that the antibiotic causes hearing loss. This is a so-so murder mystery. I think this is a pretty good example of genre fiction. I just finished another mystery for another book club ("Frog Music") I like to gravitate towards. 4.3 • 18 Ratings; £4.99; £4.99; Publisher Description. I'm not sure that should ever happen. Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon, It’s a decent book. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The reader can already see evidence of the Donna Leon writing style: the emphasis on family, relationships, Venetian culture and Italian culture. Paperback. He said the sudden hearing loss could have been caused by an infection, diuretics or large doses of antibiotics. Previous page. We’d love your help. For some reason, however, I had never tried Donna Leon until a week ago. You get a pretty good flavor for Venice in this book, and it was interesting that it was Brunetti who solves the mystery with very few extra characters involved. Except for the ending, when it all comes together, this book is more about characters and the setting. The decay, decadence, corruption is highlighted, but at the same time, the honour and. "Death At La Fenice" is the first book in the Commissario Brunetti series. In her debut,» Death at La Fenice «(1992), Commissario Guido Brunetti, who always solves his cases in a rather unusual manner, clears up the mysterious death of a conductor. She set up a great plot and had intruiging characters, but then did nothing with them. I have read @ ten of Donna Leon's books and this review reflects my opinion of most of them. "Death At La Fenice" is the first book in the Commissario Brunetti series. not so much at the solving of the murder mystery (although I was surprised), but at how it all came together in such an organic way. Honestly, there are apparently another 20 books in the series and I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would read them. I now have a lot of Donna Leon's work on my Kindle and look forward to many an enjoyable evening curled up with her and Guido Brunetti. So the fact that this book takes place in Venice gave it at least one redeeming quality. I love Italy and I've tried reading a few of the Italian masters of crime fiction. Brunetti learns that Wellauer is a scoundrel. I recently stopped reading a detective Chen mystery (A case of Two Cities by Qui Xiaolong) after about 30 pages because from time to time blossomed in my path a simile resembling one of those giant Indonesian flowers that look and smell like rotting flesh to attract flies. Refresh and try again. If you’re looking for the type of mystery that you can’t put down, this isn’t it. So what better way to start April but the first in the Brunetti mysteries. There are plenty of clues, plenty of potential murderers and a lot of backst. I liked Brunetti and his family, in fact those scenes were among my favorites. It's the first in a series taking place in and around Venice. IMHO, I would rate "Death At La Fenice" at 4.0 stars for a great first effort. Shop with confidence. CDN$ 19.79 Death in a Strange Country: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery. this low-key and humane Venice-set detective yarn surprised me. this low-key and humane Venice-set detective yarn surprised me. To do so, he calls on his knowledge of Venice, its culture, and its dirty politics. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. There were pages upon pages that I would have cut, things that did nothing for the story, nothing for the plot, nothing for the character development. What other items do customers buy after viewing this item? She set up a great plot and had intruiging characters, but then did nothing with them. Whenever I have to say the title out loud I'm never sure if I'm saying it right and always end up waffling between the two options. Don't forget to randomly insert a bunch of Italian words to show your 'deep insight' into Italian culture. And the writing is okay, easy to follow, never awkward, but flat. I feel that there is a range of depth and literary value across the mystery genre. A friend of Leon's, a famous conductor, "suggested she try a crime novel. The reader can already see evidence of the Donna Leon writing style: the emphasis on family, relationships, Venetian culture and Italian culture. So it'd be nice if someone could tell me how to say it ri. Buy Death at La Fenice: (Brunetti 1) 01 by Leon, Donna (ISBN: 0884316402273) from Amazon's Book Store. I have not read Brunettin order so starting at the beginning is a bit strange but it feels rather good. I know some of you probably speak Italian, so can someone please tell me how to properly pronounce "Fenice"? Tell readers what you thought by rating and reviewing this book. Started this book during our isolation & requirement to stay at home due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The setting of Venice and Italy is interesting; you feel like you are walking along the canals of the city. Death at La Fenice - Ebook written by Donna Leon. A conductor succumbs to cyanide at the famed Venice opera house, in the first mystery in the New York Times–bestselling, award-winning series. I love reading anything that has to do with Venice. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. All the people who recommended the book were late 50's early 60's, so maybe that is part of it, but definitely not something I would recommend. I love reading anything that has to do with Venice. Being Italian I enjoy detective novels set in Italy. I got halfway through th. For some reason, however, I had never tried Donna Leon until a week ago. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Death at La Fenice Leon, Donna: at the best online prices at eBay! The reader can already see evidence of the Donna Leon writing style: the emphasis on family, relationships, Venetian culture and Italian culture. This is a so-so murder mystery. I know some of you probably speak Italian, so can someone please tell me how to properly pronounce "Fenice"? This novel is about a world-famous conductor who is poisoned in his dressing room during an intermission. Even the celebrated opera house, La Fenice, has seen its share of death. When she finished the book she stashed it away and forgot about it until submitting it for the Suntory prize in Japan. thanks! IMHO, I would rate "Death At La Fenice" at 4.0 stars for a great first effort. Death at La Fenice A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery (Book) : Leon, Donna : Available in paperback for the first time, the first book in the internationally bestselling Guido Brunetti detective series in which a high society murder leads the detective Beautiful and serene Venice is a city almost devoid of crime. . Like n. nofasternan Apr 13, 2017. But the evil that does occasionally rear its head is the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection. Brunetti, a native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. A very enjoyable mystery and I may read some more of them in the future. I finally, finally read this after legions of readers said Donna Leon was perfect for Louise Penny fans who were all caught up with Inspector Gamache. Donna Leon. not so much at the solving of the murder mystery (although I was surprised), but at how it all came together in such an organic way. Turns out there were quite a few people who had reason to dislike him, but enough for murder? I am currently reading this for a mystery book club. There is little violent crime in Venice, a serenely beautiful floating city of mystery and magic, history and decay. I also wonder if the woman has an editor. She felt that the theme of guilt was handled better by Patricia Highsmith (Strangers) than Dostoevsky (Crime and Punishment). Death at La Fenice (Book) : Leon, Donna : Available in paperback for the first time, the first book in the internationally bestselling Guido Brunetti detective series in which a high society murder leads the detective Beautiful and serene Venice is a city almost devoid of crime. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. This meant, among other things, that she was compelled to write a sequel. But the evil that does occasionally rear its head is the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection. Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery. Reading this book reminded me why I can't usually find in genre fiction what satisfies me in a novel. Leon, who completed a doctorate in Indiana, specialising in 18th-century novelists, is an ex-pat American who lives in Venice. Honestly, there are apparently another 20 books in the series and I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would read them. Read the opening of Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon. When renowned opera conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room, the victim of cyanide poisoning, Guido Brunetti, the Vice Commissario of the Venice police, must sift through several suspects. The prose style read as if it had been badly translated from the Italian.....it turns out the author is an American. I recently stopped reading a detective Chen mystery (A case of Two Cities by Qui Xiaolong) after about 30 pages because from time to time blossomed in my path a simile resembling one of those giant Indonesian flowers that look and smel. In this first installment of the Commissario Brunetti mysteries, a renowned opera conductor is found dead in his dressing room, a victim of cyanide poisoning. Summary/Review: "During intermission at the famed La Fenice opera house in Venice, Italy, a notoriously difficult and widely disliked German conductor is poisoned—and suspects abound. Then, both my kid's school principal and my mother recommended I read it for the same reason. Oh I do so love visiting a foreign city and reading this book was as good as wandering around Venice for real. 1 by Donna Leon ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1992. She wrote Death at la Fenice as a joke. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. It does not flaunt, for example, the deliberately awkward and ugly similes characteristic of noir fiction. Guido Brunetti, a native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. Great plotting and beautiful descriptions which evoke the reality of Venice. Donna Leon does a wonderful job describing the city. The set comprises: Death at La Fenice (SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE) (Chapmans, 1992); Death in a Strange Country (Chapmans, 1993); The Anonymous Venetian (Macmillan, 1994); A Venetian Reckoning (Macmillan, 1995); Acqua Alta (Macmillan, 1996); The Death of Faith (Macmillan, 1997); A Noble Radiance (Heinemann, 1998); Fatal Remedies (Heinemann, 1999); Friends in High Places (Heinemann, … Oh we see a doctor here and there, two incompetent police detectives who barely appear in any more than 10 pages, a typical Italian police commissioner, and some flavor for Guido Brunetti's home and family life. "Interview: Donna Leon Talks About Corruption and Death in Venice", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Death_at_La_Fenice&oldid=1017556323, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 April 2021, at 12:52. Let me start by saying that I love Venice and all things Venetian. I look forward to catching up on the other ones I have missed! I've heard from more than one person that Donna Leon was a good author, but after reading this book, I have serious doubts about that and I'm not sure she deserves a second chance. I love Italy and I've tried reading a few of the Italian masters of crime fiction. I just finished another mystery for another book club ("Frog Music") I like to gravitate towards literary fiction and it is a good question whether a mystery has content worthy of discussion or even reading beyond just a temporary excitement and escape. Death at La Fenice A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery, Book 1 (eBook) : Leon, Donna : A conductor succumbs to cyanide at the famed Venice opera house, in the first mystery in the New York Times and#8211;bestselling, award-winning series. It does not flaunt, for example, the deliberately awkward and ugly similes characteristic of noir fiction. Donna Leon has written four previous Guido Brunetti novels, Death and Judgment, Dressed for Death, Death in a Strange Country, and Death at La Fenice, which won the Suntory Prize for the best suspense novel of 1991. Except for the ending, when it all comes together, this book is more about characters and the setting. But as the investigation unfolds, a chilling picture slowly begins to take shape--a detailed portrait of revenge painted with vivid strokes of hatred and shocking depravity. I really enjoyed Book 1 of the Brunetti mystery series. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published This novel is about a world-famous conductor who is poisoned in his dressing room during an intermission. Edition Notes Genre Fiction. It even is in a sense about the character of the victim, but I never felt any of the characters was fully human, had any of the fitful unexpected texture of real people. Let me start by saying that I love Venice and all things Venetian. The librarian who leads one of my book clubs and has a masters degree in English, said that "Strangers on a Train" which we had read, compared favorably to "Crime and Punishment". I am currently reading this for a mystery book club. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon, 1992, HarperCollins Publishers edition, in English - 1st ed. the emphasis on family, children, little girls... the importance of doing the right thing even if it is not necessarily the legal thing... no spoilers here, but the end really brought things together in a way that made perfect emotional sense. Select Your Cookie Preferences. During intermission at the famed La Fenice opera house in Venice, a notoriously difficult conductor is poisoned, and suspects abound. The decay, decadence, corruption is highlighted, but at the same time, the honour and integrity of Brunetti and his Sergeants. I love a holistic novel. A conductor is found dead between acts at the Venetian Opera House, La Fenice, during a performance of La Traviata. The damp only served to heighten the atmosphere and the lack of tourists gave us room to move and explore. (Perhaps the author even knew that some readers would come to the same correct conclusion; it almost seems too obvious.) A breathless beginning and an unexpected lack of reference to the lush setting mark this lively launch of a projected series of Venetian mysteries. I read this because it's set in Venice, a city I've only been to on a dull rainy day in winter, but one I enjoyed visiting very much. Start by marking “Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti, #1)” as Want to Read: Error rating book. DEATH AT LA FENICE From the Commissario Guido Brunetti series , Vol. Whenever I have to say the title out loud I'm never sure if I'm saying it right and always end up waffling between the two options. It is fairly obvious that it was death by poisoning, but who had access to get the poison into the conductors cup of coffee?? Commissario Brunetti, in his first outing, must dig deep into the man's past to find out who could possibly have wanted to do such a thing. Commissario Guido Brunetti makes his debut in this wonderful mystery set in Venice. (Originally published in 1992). The ratings were high on Goodreads and Lj, an avid police procedural reader I follow, rated a number of books in the series quite highly. And Death in LA Fenice makes some effort at in-depth characterization, unlike say, Agatha Christie, where characterization is like the molding of inexpensive chess pieces – only sufficient to differentiate how they move in the game. Well, I've now entered the world of Commissario Guido Brunetti, of the police force of Venice. I think this is a pretty good example of genre fiction. by Harper Perennial. So it'd be nice if someone could tell me how to say it right. There are plenty of clues, plenty of potential murderers and a lot of backstory about the conductor who apparently was a Nazi in his early life. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read Death at La Fenice. . His travels around the city give an interesting and occasionally claustrophobic feeling to the place. So the fact that this book takes place in Venice gave it at least one redeeming quality. Death at La Fenice is the 1st book in the exciting Guido Brunetti Series by Donna Leon, set in the beautiful, romantic, mysterious and unique city of Venice. The setting of Venice and Italy is interesting; you feel like you are walking along the canals of the city. But the evil that does occasionally rear its head is the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection. Death at La Fenice (Book) : Leon, Donna : Available in paperback for the first time, the first book in the internationally bestselling Guido Brunetti detective series in which a high society murder leads the detective Beautiful and serene Venice is a city almost devoid of crime. World-renowned Maestro Helmut Wellauer is taken suddenly ill after the second act of, Donna Leon is one of my favourite mystery writers. It was loaned to me by someone with whom I work because the detective in this series is located in Venice. And the dilemma for Guido Brunetti will not be finding a murder suspect, but rather narrowing the choices down to one. An intriguing kind of plot, but the processes of his mind never intrigued me. Reading a mystery. CDN$ 18.95 Next page. Like n. nofasternan Apr 13, 2017. 'I lucked out,' she says."[1]. The series features Commissario Guido Brunetti, family man, modest, moral, loyal and philosophical detective extraordinaire. 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Am currently reading this book reminded me why I ca n't usually find genre. You can ’ t it are n't android, iOS devices other things, that she was offered two-book. Great plot and had intruiging characters, but then did nothing with them his! It rang true, but then did nothing with them not particularly likeable is... Of this book was as good as wandering around Venice his mind never intrigued me, seen! Them in the Commissario Brunetti series week ago about it until submitting it for Suntory... Native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder out that the theme of guilt handled., so can someone please tell me how to say it ri both my kid 's school principal my...
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