As Commissario Guido Brunetti watches his mother buried, he takes some solace in the cloud dappled sky, and the tops of the Venretian cypress trees, moving gently in the spring breeze. A few days later he is consoled by returned missionary priest and family acquaintance, Father Antonin Scallon. But it is not consolation alone that brings him. Antonin is concerned about a friends son's large donations to the leader of an 'alternative' religious organisation, Leonardo Mutti. Suspicious, Brunetti asks if the man done anything wrong in making donations. Not yet, the priest replies.Then a ten-year-old gypsy girl is found dead in the canal, a man's wedding ring and watch in her possession, and Brunetti uncovers a thorny world of prejudice and malefaction surrounding the immigrant gypsy communities, and encounters the new task force set up to help investigate cases involving 'extracommunitari'. Could there be a connection between the maligned gypsy communities and Mutti's alternative 'religion'? Sinister forces are at work and when people or organisations have no respectability left to lose, Pandora's Box is ajar.
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
The Girl of His Dreams
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
From Amazon
Reading The Girl of His Dreams leaves you no choice but to reconsider what makes a mystery novel so good. Certainly there's no denying the appeal of a hard-boiled crime story, where more often than not a brilliant yet battered P.I. drives you white-knuckled to the edge of your seat, but Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti--at once exactingly inquisitive and disarmingly sensitive--bucks that genre convention entirely. Here, in Leon's seventeenth Brunetti mystery, is a man who investigates the tragic drowning of a young Gypsy girl relentlessly, yet--in his thoughtful meanderings through the streets and cafes of Venice--also struggles to understand the human warps and weaknesses that make his beloved city so vulnerable. In the end, it's this pure love and curiosity for life (and, I admit, his lusty appreciation of daily luxuries like prosecco, good coffee, or a burst of sunshine) that make Brunetti such a seductive hero--so much so that you're willing to follow him wherever he goes. --Anne Bartholomew
Review
" Gorgeously written . . . the seventeenth book in this superlative series restates Leon's themes with more intensity than usual."
-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Toni Osborne
TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
17th novel in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series
True to her self, Donna Leon covers the location and characters and highlights the characteristics we have come to love in this series: the portrayal of the city of Venice in all its beauty and problems, the warmth of Brunetti's family life and the social conscience he illustrates, also his personal war against corruption.
The story opens with the funeral of Guido's mother in San Michele. A few days later, the priest who had performed the ceremony approaches Brunetti and accuses another cleric of a criminal act. While looking into this matter, another case is brought to his attention, the body of a Romany child; a 10 year old girl is discovered in the water. The investigations revolve around Brunetti's home life in San Polo and the diverse locations surrounding the cases. By the end of the book, I found myself a little confused, too many loose ends.
The themes of this book: anti-cleric, Romany crime, political correctness and the vulnerability of children are integrated into the plot in an allusive and subtle manner. The usual figures are present: Paola and the kids, Signorina Electra and Patta being their same old selves...things are getting boring... Although I was fully absorbed at the beginning I was disappointed by the end. I found the initial case petered out and the second case lacked a satisfying conclusion.
I find this series although enjoyable up till now has run its course, too predictable. I wonder if Ms Leon is running out of ideas, maybe it is time for Commissario Brunetti to retire.
True to her self, Donna Leon covers the location and characters and highlights the characteristics we have come to love in this series: the portrayal of the city of Venice in all its beauty and problems, the warmth of Brunetti's family life and the social conscience he illustrates, also his personal war against corruption.
The story opens with the funeral of Guido's mother in San Michele. A few days later, the priest who had performed the ceremony approaches Brunetti and accuses another cleric of a criminal act. While looking into this matter, another case is brought to his attention, the body of a Romany child; a 10 year old girl is discovered in the water. The investigations revolve around Brunetti's home life in San Polo and the diverse locations surrounding the cases. By the end of the book, I found myself a little confused, too many loose ends.
The themes of this book: anti-cleric, Romany crime, political correctness and the vulnerability of children are integrated into the plot in an allusive and subtle manner. The usual figures are present: Paola and the kids, Signorina Electra and Patta being their same old selves...things are getting boring... Although I was fully absorbed at the beginning I was disappointed by the end. I found the initial case petered out and the second case lacked a satisfying conclusion.
I find this series although enjoyable up till now has run its course, too predictable. I wonder if Ms Leon is running out of ideas, maybe it is time for Commissario Brunetti to retire.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Before writing my review, I waited two days after reading The Girl of His Dreams to see if I liked the book any better after sleeping on it. I didn't. Sorry, Ms. Leon. This one's a clunker. Why? Of two cases, only one is interesting. And the investigation of the interesting one isn't very stimulating. This book will only appeal to those who enjoy thinking about the injustices that victims experience.
As the book opens, crime seems to have taken a holiday in Venice and Commissario Guido Brunetti has plenty of time to investigate a mysterious preacher who is looking for big donations on the behalf of a priest he barely knows. Naturally, there's no crime to pin down, but Brunetti decides to look around anyway.
Before the preacher's background and motives can be understood, Brunetti has to deal with a most unpleasant duty . . . pulling a dead girl from the water. Here's where the local color comes in. The girl is a Gypsy (the P.C. term is Rom), part of a family that steals for a living. As you can imagine, Gypsies aren't interested in telling their troubles to the police.
How will Brunetti find out what happened to the girl? That's the real mystery of this book. A lot of the leads turn out to be misleading which provides a few mild surprises.
Once again, you'll learn that the police aren't able to do very much about crime, those in the establishment who complain often have things to hide, and the poor aren't as bad as everyone else thinks. The explication of those points is, however, not very interesting compared to other books in this series.
Did I need to read this book to remain a fan of this series? Not really. You have the option to pass on this one.
As the book opens, crime seems to have taken a holiday in Venice and Commissario Guido Brunetti has plenty of time to investigate a mysterious preacher who is looking for big donations on the behalf of a priest he barely knows. Naturally, there's no crime to pin down, but Brunetti decides to look around anyway.
Before the preacher's background and motives can be understood, Brunetti has to deal with a most unpleasant duty . . . pulling a dead girl from the water. Here's where the local color comes in. The girl is a Gypsy (the P.C. term is Rom), part of a family that steals for a living. As you can imagine, Gypsies aren't interested in telling their troubles to the police.
How will Brunetti find out what happened to the girl? That's the real mystery of this book. A lot of the leads turn out to be misleading which provides a few mild surprises.
Once again, you'll learn that the police aren't able to do very much about crime, those in the establishment who complain often have things to hide, and the poor aren't as bad as everyone else thinks. The explication of those points is, however, not very interesting compared to other books in this series.
Did I need to read this book to remain a fan of this series? Not really. You have the option to pass on this one.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Wilma
Format:Paperback
I read "The Girl of His Dreams" on a return flight from Italy which included a short stay of 3 days in Venice. I thought Venice was truly 'un altro mondo' and now better appreciate the love Guido Brunetti expresses for his city. Commissario's love of his wife and family and the strong influence of his wife is always apparent. Don't look for 'happy endings' - Commissario Brunetti once again finds out the truth of the tragic death of a young girl, with help from his valued colleagues, but the ideal of impartial justice is once again denied. For me, a very enjoyable experience to read and ponder.
Want to see more reviews on this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 61 reviews
3.4 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
