I love the characters, Commissario Brunetti and his family. The setting of Venice and Italy is interesting; you feel like you are walking along the canals of the city. When legendary German conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room two acts into a performance of La Traviata , police commissario Guido Brunetti is called in. No_Favorite. A famous, but not particularly likeable conductor is found dead in his dressing room at the La Fenice theatre (Teatro La Fenice), an opera house in Venice. this low-key and humane Venice-set detective yarn surprised me. I know some of you probably speak Italian, so can someone please tell me how to properly pronounce "Fenice"? Read … The Death of Francis Bacon. Even the celebrated opera house, La Fenice, has seen its share of death ... but none so horrific and violent as that of world-famous conductor, Maestro Helmut Wellauer, who was poisoned during a performance of La Traviata. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read Death at La Fenice: (Brunetti 1). A famous, but not particularly likeable conductor is found dead in his dressing room at the La Fenice theatre (Teatro La Fenice), an opera house in Venice. I love reading anything that has to do with Venice. Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder. 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. #1 - Death at La Fenice #2 - Death in a strange country #3 - Dressed for death #4 - Death and judgment #5 - Death in high water #6 - The Death of faith #7 - A Noble radiance #8 - Fatal remedies #9 - Friends in high places #10 - A Sea of troubles #11 - Willful behaviour #12 - Uniform justice #13 - Doctored evidence #14 - Blood from a stone Reading this book reminded me why I can't usually find in genre fiction what satisfies me in a novel. A conductor is found dead between acts at the Venetian Opera House, La Fenice, during a performance of La Traviata. I also wonder if the woman has an editor. I really enjoyed Book 1 of the Brunetti mystery series. For some reason, however, I had never tried Donna Leon until a week ago. Guido Brunetti, a native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. Commissario Guido Brunetti makes his debut in this wonderful mystery set in Venice. Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2010. 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. At least going by Death at La Fenice. 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. When it becomes clear that the fire was deliberately set, Brunetti decides to investigate. I will be reading more. 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. In order to read online Death At La Fenice textbook, you need to create a FREE account. This month World Book Club talks to award-winning American writer Donna Leon about her celebrated novel Death at La Fenice. I don't think I'll bother with another, I'll stick with genuine Italian crime fiction. We travel to Italy for this next murder mystery, Death at La Fenice, and look into the world of opera and talented well-known musicians and the death of an internationally well-known conductor.Donna Leon describes Venice, the canals and waterways, and the life of the police detective, or commissario. There are plenty of clues, plenty of potential murderers and a lot of backst. She set up a great plot and had intruiging characters, but then did nothing with them. Score pending. I have been to Venice several times as a tourist, and it rang true, but it never rang out. In this first book of the series, at least, readers hear more about what people are drinking rather than eating, and Brunetti never popped into a cozy village bistro or came home to a plate of fresh brownies as Gamache might. I decided to make a start in the series and here I am, after reading the first book. I correctly identified who it was very early on. I gave it two stars rather than one because I found myself warming slightly to Commissario Guido Brunetti and because the plot became marginally more interesting in the second half. It was loaned to me by someone with whom I work because the detective in this series is located in Venice. Death at La Fenice. Then, both my kid's school principal and my mother recommended I read it for the same reason. You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? 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. Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti, #1), Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon is a 2012 Grove Press publication. The twisted maze of Venice's canals has always been shrouded in mystery. There is little violent crime in Venice, a serenely beautiful floating city of mystery and magic, history and decay. I think this is a pretty good example of genre fiction. I have not read Brunettin order so starting at the beginning is a bit strange but it feels rather good. So it'd be nice if someone could tell me how to say it ri. Being Italian I enjoy detective novels set in Italy. I never said to myself, 'Wow that's a lovely paragraph, or sentence.’ It is set in Venice and the detective walks around Venetian neighborhoods and rides the vaporetto a lot. I haven't read enough of "Death at La Fenice" to give an opinion on this mystery, but in general I would keep an open mind. Then, both my kid's school principal and my mother recommended I read it for the same reason. all of the small everyday moments, the details that aren't. It is fairly obvious that it was death by poisoning, but who had access to get the poison into the conductors cup of coffee?? 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. 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. flag. And I suspected all along who dunnit. Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon, It’s a decent book. Some people might like Donna Leon and I'm sure she has an army of fans but I found the prose stilted and dull, the plot cadaverous and the book stuffed with cliches and dull stereotypes about Italian life and culture. He said the sudden hearing loss could have been caused by an infection, diuretics or large doses of antibiotics. Death at La Fenice: (Brunetti 1) - Ebook written by Donna Leon. Start by marking “Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti, #1)” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Except for the ending, when it all comes together, this book is more about characters and the setting. Geof Dyer's 's Jeff in Venice and Death in Varanasi, not a good book in my view, never the less makes Venice much more alive and interesting. (Perhaps the author even knew that some readers would come to the same correct conclusion; it almost seems too obvious.) Uwe Kockisch makes a stellar debut as Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti in Death at La Fenice - now available on DVD at http://shop.mhznetworks.org The damp only served to heighten the atmosphere and the lack of tourists gave us room to move and explore. Before I get to the review part, can I ask a question of my Goodreads friends? The reader can already see evidence of the Donna Leon writing style: the emphasis on family, relationships, Venetian culture and Italian culture. “His clothing marked him as Italian. The setting of Venice and Italy is interesting; you feel like you are walking along the canals of the city. I chose this book, the first in the Commissario Brunetti mystery series, because the setting is Venice, and my family and I will be briefly visiting there soon. I felt the book moved effortlessly, that the characters were believable and that the solution to the crime was very interesting, even though I had sort of figured it out before Brunetti. Except for the ending, when it all comes together, this book is more about characters and the setting. 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. Death at La Fenice chronicles Commissario Guido Brunetti's investigation of the death by cyanide poisoning of renowned German conductor Maestro Helmut Wellauer in the middle of a performance of La Traviata at the Venice opera house, La Fenice. Donna Leon does a wonderful job describing the city. Welcome back. Please follow the detailed, Brunetti's Venice: Walks with the City's Best-Loved Detective, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / International Crime & Mystery, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural, By purchasing this item, you are transacting with Google Payments and agreeing to the Google Payments. To do so, he calls on his knowledge of Venice, its culture, and its dirty politics. We cannot guarantee that every book is in the library. I was pretty disappointed. Well, I've now entered the world of Commissario Guido Brunetti, of the police force of Venice. Refresh and try again. I have read @ ten of Donna Leon's books and this review reflects my opinion of most of them. A very enjoyable mystery and I may read some more of them in the future. ‎The twisted maze of Venice's canals has always been shrouded in mystery. [Yes, Dr Treponti at the university. EMBED. It's the first in a series taking place in and around Venice. The prose style read as if it had been badly translated from the Italian.....it turns out the author is an American. So the fact that this book takes place in Venice gave it at least one redeeming quality. I really enjoyed Book 1 of the Brunetti mystery series. A famous, but not particularly likeable conductor is found dead in his dressing room at the La Fenice theatre (Teatro La Fenice), an opera house in Venice. An intriguing kind of plot, but the processes of his mind never intrigued me. We all have our reading bucket lists. I quite enjoyed this little mystery. Donna Leon . Guido Brunetti, a native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. all of the small everyday moments, the details that aren't important to the case but are important to what is being said, what finally happens... the whole point of the book. Hello readers of Death at La Fenice, Would any of you remember if there is a map included in the book? I had previously read two of Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series #5 Aqua Alta & #17 The Girl Of his Dreams & I found both to be satisfiying reads. And the dilemma for Guido Brunetti will not be finding a murder suspect, but rather narrowing the choices down to one. Guido Brunetti, a native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. Even the celebrated opera house, La Fenice, has seen its share of death. I am currently reading this for a mystery book club. With my years of French I automatically go with "Fe-nees", but I suspect the correct pronunciation might be "Fen-nee-che". I had to return the ebook to the library so I can't flip through and find it. Death at La Fenice a novel of suspense This edition was published in 1992 by HarperPaperbacks in New York, N.Y. Now all of his admirable abilities must come into play in the deadly affair of Maestro Helmut Wel. 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 … But it did take place, as Guido says, "in the most beautiful city in the world," and since Leon lived there, the description is quite accurate and sent me down a fun memory lane. 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 more or less guessed the denouement about half way through and by the end I didn't really care much anyway since very few of the characters actually sprang to life. It does not flaunt, for example, the deliberately awkward and ugly similes characteristic of noir fiction. Score pending. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Let me start by saying that I love Venice and all things Venetian. This novel is about a world-famous conductor who is poisoned in his dressing room during an intermission. There are plenty of suspects since Wellauer made a lot of enemies on his way to the top. I love reading anything that has to do with Venice. So what better way to start April but the first in the Brunetti mysteries. Death at La Fenice Reviews. Maestro Helmut Wellauer, considered the world's greatest living conductor, is found dead of cyanide poisoning between Acts 2 and 3 of La Traviata at Venice's La Fenice Opera House. I wanted to start a new police procedural series and after doing some research decided to begin the Commissario Brunetti series by Donna Leon. 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. 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. Brunetti must quickly solve this case as the victim's high profile creates added pressure on city officials to provide answers. The first in this long-running series and Brunetti emerges fully-formed from the start with his humane efficiency, and his charming family. 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. I love the characters, Commissario Brunetti and his family. To see what your friends thought of this book. His travels around the city give an interesting and occasionally claustrophobic feeling to the place. Note! I'm not sure that should ever happen. I'm thinking of reading this for one of the 2018 GR Challenges and the theme is "a book with a map". If you’re looking for the type of mystery that you can’t put down, this isn’t it. Bravo, Signora Leon, on the first book in the Commissario Brunetti series. I love Italy and I've tried reading a few of the Italian masters of crime fiction. So it'd be nice if someone could tell me how to say it right. . So, you never know. The plot doesn't have the same emotional and politicized depths as some of the later books but the Venetian setting and immaculate writing make this stand out in an over-crowded crime marketplace. To read on e-ink devices like the Sony eReader or Barnes & Noble Nook, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. It could be anywhere - even on the front cover. Fabuloso! Oh I do so love visiting a foreign city and reading this book was as good as wandering around Venice for real. Some have a slightly better story, a little more engaging than others, but for the most part, the books are about Brunetti, and about Venezia, and the Italian people. 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