There is not much notable about this novel - and that's good! It is a good solid Montalbano mystery, with most of the usual elements and few innovatioThere is not much notable about this novel - and that's good! It is a good solid Montalbano mystery, with most of the usual elements and few innovations. Except ... the sub-plot is about the European immigration crisis and the variety of responses to it. Those responses are: compassion on the part of Montalbano, wild conspiracy theories by the local prosecutor, and utter exhaustion on the part of the police forces detailed to escort incoming shiploads of immigrants to processing facilities.
The investigation into the murder (i.e. the reason we are here in the first place) follows the expected sequence of shock, bewilderment, basic forensics, nagging questions, flash of insight, confirmation, major f**k-up, resolution. All as it should be.
Food: check. "Already taken care of": check. Demands from Livia: check. Beautiful woman: check.
Tutto a posto!
So overall this is a good addition to the series, and surprisingly good given that it is the 24th in the series....more
This is by far the best Brunetti novel in years, and among the best in the series. This is not a return to Leon's style in her early novels, but sometThis is by far the best Brunetti novel in years, and among the best in the series. This is not a return to Leon's style in her early novels, but something new. Leon appears to have broken out of the lethargy and indifference that have characterized her past half dozen novels, and evidently spent a great deal of effort crafting the flow of this novel. The early chapters can nearly stand on their own, as Leon sets up the story: the conversation with his father in law, his return home, dinner at home, his somewhat uncomfortable interaction with Griffoni, his conversation with vice-questore Patta. The mood and tone in each chapter is different, and perfectly suited to the scene and its ramifications.
Besides the care and skill that Leon deployed in writing the novel, I was also happy that she seems to have corrected her politically rightward trajectory. There is none of the reactionary fretting about immigrants, for example, that marred a couple of the recent Brunetti novels. And this novel is structured thematically around Brunetti's re-reading of Euripedes' The Trojan Women, read here as an anti-war drama. So, politically, there are at least small reminders of the Donna Leon of twenty years ago.
The police procedural aspect of the novel is not quite so successful: the murder mystery is solved by way of an electronic deus ex machina. But, no matter, we don't really read these novels for the muder mystery.
Finally, Grove Atlantic Press has done its usual unspeakably awful job of editing and typesetting,. There is no colophon to confirm this but I assume that the font is something like "Cheapest Possible Serif" or perhaps "Kerned Line Printer Gothic". I really wish that someone would tell them that there is a difference between ', ‘, and ’. And it would actually aid readability if they would “enclose dialogue inside proper double quotes.” It's really not hard to do....more
This was one of the better of the recent Montalbano novels. It has nearly all of the elements that we should expect at this point in the series: a gooThis was one of the better of the recent Montalbano novels. It has nearly all of the elements that we should expect at this point in the series: a good mystery that plays by the rules (i.e. the reader knows what Montalbano knows); most of the usual cast of characters, acting in the way that they are meant to act; a few food references (though not enough, and nothing new). And it avoids things that have marred some of the recent episodes, such as a whiny Montalbano, an irrational Livia, and references to the fictional TV Montalbano.
In all, for the 23rd novel in the series, I thought this was a fine book and was in no way disappointed....more
This installment was more police procedural and less lyrical literature than we've come to expect from this series. And it is also a direct continuatiThis installment was more police procedural and less lyrical literature than we've come to expect from this series. And it is also a direct continuation of the previous episode, taking place just a month after his narrow escape from the false charges of pederasty instigated by Livia, the highly connected woman whom Ricciardi had spurned.
Ricciardi and Maione investigate the murder of a businessman, beaten to death just hours after he had been publicly threatened by a championship boxer recently returned to Naples from America. Meanwhile, Maione is put in an awkward position by his informant, the transvestite. And Enrica, Ricciardi's neighbor, has decisions to make, and seeks information from RIcciardi.
In short - this is a workmanlike novel. It advances the story of Ricciardi and the women who flock around him, and helps us better understand the isolation that he has imposed on himself. And it works as a mystery: we know what Ricciardi knows as he unravels the murder mystery....more
An entertaining set of short stories featuring the main characters from the Montalbano series: Montalbano, Fazio, Augello, Livia, Adelina, and CatarelAn entertaining set of short stories featuring the main characters from the Montalbano series: Montalbano, Fazio, Augello, Livia, Adelina, and Catarella. They mostly stay in character, except that both Montalbano and Livia are less volatile than usual. Which is good. ...more
This is the allegedly true account of an honest and hard working family in Sicily in the early 20th century whose lives and livelihood were destroyed This is the allegedly true account of an honest and hard working family in Sicily in the early 20th century whose lives and livelihood were destroyed by the mafia in connivance with the corrupt and ineffectual state. The family, through their persistent hard work, had managed to build successful businesses, and refused to pay the mafia extortion money. In retaliation the mafia threatened them repeatedly, burned their farm buildings, attempted to steal their livestock, damaged their orchards, and killed or attempted to kill more than one family member. Still, the Sacco family refused to give in. Eventually the mafia changed tactics and began to use the state apparatus to their benefit, by threatening or bribing people to charge the Saccos with serious crimes. Although the police and carabinieri knew full well what was happening they claimed that their hands were tied and that they had to pursue the charges. Corrupt or intimidated judges went along with the charade. In the end the core of the Sacco family were on the run for years from both the mafia and from the state. ...more
Another entertaining look at the culture wars in Italy. This time around a Sicilian who speaks perfect Arabic, and can pass as a north African, is recAnother entertaining look at the culture wars in Italy. This time around a Sicilian who speaks perfect Arabic, and can pass as a north African, is recruited by the security services to infiltrate an alleged terrorist cell being run out of a phone center / meeting place. Allegedly. The recruit wants to do his part for his country, but doesn't harbor any ill feelings towards Muslims, and despises the prejudice shown by his countrymen.
In the course of his undercover work he encounters a veiled woman whom he immediately falls in love with. This leads to awkwardness at several levels as the story progresses.
Overall - enjoyable. Lakhous possibly does a bit more explicit commentary than absolutely necessary, but he makes it work fairly well....more
Enzo Laganà is a 37 year old journalist in Turin, living in the neighborhood of San Salvario where he has lived since he was a young boy. His family wEnzo Laganà is a 37 year old journalist in Turin, living in the neighborhood of San Salvario where he has lived since he was a young boy. His family was from Calabria, and moved to Turin at a time when southerners were openly treated as inferior, so he feels at least some solidarity with the immigrants who are not the object of scorn and hatred by much of Italian society.
There are four stories in this novel: the piglet, a series of gang murders, Enzo´s excessively nosy mamma, and ... well, the fourth would be a bit of a spoiler. Things get a bit complicated for Enzo as he negotiates the landmines of each of the subplots.
I liked this little novel because Lakhous does a great job of putting an entertainng and light-hearted veneer over some serious themes: nativist responses to immigration; organized crime, and its cozy relationship with the political elite; and racial and ethnic conflict. ...more
Too many tourists in Venice. The Italian government is corrupt and ineffectual. Billions of euros wasted on flood control gates that will never work. Too many tourists in Venice. The Italian government is corrupt and ineffectual. Billions of euros wasted on flood control gates that will never work. Cruise ships in Venice. These are the things that Leon doesn't like this time. Not exactly the Donna Leon of twenty years ago, who aimed her guns at the mafia, at fascists, at polluters, at the military. At least we can be grateful that she doesn't suggest that Lega Nord maybe has a point, as she did in the previous novel.
Whatever. We all get old. "Too many tourists in Venice" is just Leon's way of saying "stay off of my lawn."
It is pointless to reiterate the plot: like Brunetti, it wanders around somewhat aimlessly until, at the end, everything comes together rather neatly.
There is the now usual side plot involving signorina Elettra and her astonishing ability to break into every imaginable database - this time there are consequences with both legal and ethical repercussions. This is left unresolved, for some reason.
Patta (Brunetti's boss) is acting strangely human, almost decent, in fact. Why? We don't find out.
I don't know. This just seems like a good workmanlike police procedural, with a few ignorable flaws. I almost feel that I should go back and reread Death at La Fenice or Acqua Alta to see if my recollection is correct; that the early novels in the series were spectacularly better than the more recent ones. ...more
Ferrante is a master story teller. She is able to start a scene, veer off to a 20 page digression to explain the events that led to the scene, and resFerrante is a master story teller. She is able to start a scene, veer off to a 20 page digression to explain the events that led to the scene, and resume, and make it all seem natural and inevitable.
I think what struck me most about this novel is the sense that this is a kind of memory, rich in detail and psychological insight, and organized in a way that memory never is. The complex and changing relationships between the children of the neighborhood as they grow into adolescence seems like something that nobody could ever reconstruct from their own experience, but also like nothing that could arise from pure imagination.
The only other novel I can recall that comes close to this level of experiential detail is A Dance to the Music of Time and I think that My Brilliant Friend actually surpasses the best of that series....more
This novel was a rambling mess. It starts with inspector Bordelli and his sidekick Piras investigating the rape and murder of a young boy. They have nThis novel was a rambling mess. It starts with inspector Bordelli and his sidekick Piras investigating the rape and murder of a young boy. They have no clues and no way forward. Since Bordelli has nothing concrete to go on, he spends evenings with his friend Rosa, the ex-prostitute, and loses sleep thinking about the women who have passed through his life. He complains about the incessant rain. One evening Rosa surprises him by inviting a tarot card reader to her apartment while Bordelli is there. Naturally the tarot card reader tells him that he will soon meet a beautiful woman.
Soon enough, the incessant rain turns into a devastating flood, and the city of Florence is inundated, with up to 10 feet of water in some areas. Much of the middle portion of the novel describes the devastation and its aftermath, and along the way Bordelli meets a beautiful woman, 30 years younger than him, and he falls in love immediately. And she seems interested. Naturally. It was foretold.
Bordelli stumbles upon the barest scrap of a clue and immediately leaps into action by having the possible suspect watched and followed day and night - with no results. Then, like a bolt out of the blue, Bordelli receives a midnight caller, a representative of state security, who asks him to go immediately to the home of a certain individual and give him a nasty scare. Which Bordelli does. And, by a miracle!, that person is soon discovered to have a connection to the original suspect. Mirabile dictu! And from there all the pieces begin to fall into place.
There are a couple plot twists before the end, but the entire investigation rests on highly improbable coincidences and amazing leaps of speculation. That is not a good basis for a proper mystery novel.
Really nothing about this novel held together. The various plots - the murder mystery, the flood, the beautiful young woman, the Rosa connection, the strangely immature Bordelli - were each linked in some way, but the overall effect is one of artistic chaos. ...more
Another perfectly fine entry in the Montalbano series. There is nothing really new here, and that is mostly a good thing - if it's worth writing a seqAnother perfectly fine entry in the Montalbano series. There is nothing really new here, and that is mostly a good thing - if it's worth writing a sequel, the sequel should be just like the original in nearly every respect. So in this novel we have the elements that we expect: Catarella breaks something and mangles everyone's name; Fazio has "already taken care of" everything that Montalbano asks him to do; Augello leaps to conclusions; the mafia is deeply involved; the food is delicious; Gallo's driving causes distress; Livia takes umbrage; Montalbano has an insight that leads to a solution. This is all as it should be....more
This is far from the best novel in the Commissario Ricciardi series.
I think that the novelty of Ricciardi's special curse has worn off for the author,This is far from the best novel in the Commissario Ricciardi series.
I think that the novelty of Ricciardi's special curse has worn off for the author, and maybe for his readers as well. More than in any of the previous novels, "The Deed" is represented as madness, rather than as a supernatural curse (or gift). And unlike all the previous novels, "The Deed" plays no role in the solution of the murder mystery. In part that is because the murder itself took place months before Ricciardi begins his investigation. But that fact, of course, is a choice by the author, and I think represents his withdrawl from the core concept.
Regular readers of the series will recall that Ricciardi's tata Rosa died in the previous novel, leaving Ricciardi even more alone than before. He is experiencing an unbearable depth of grief, and is withdrawing even further into his own loneliness. In part because of this he makes a definitive break with Livia, the beautiful, wealthy, and connected woman who has been pursuing Ricciardi for months. His break from her leads to consequences that he could not possibly have foreseen. And he is still devastated by his discovery in the previous novel that Enrica, the neighbor woman that he has (somehow) fallen in love with, from afar, has a new suitor - one that she seems to have accepted.
I see this novel as a transition to what, I predict, will be the final novel in the series. Ricciardi in Glass Souls has reached a crisis, and the resolution of that crisis will determine the course of the rest of his life. We are given hints as to how the crisis will resolve, but nothing definitive.
I look forward to the next novel in the series.
Update (August 23, 2017): I see from https://www.goodreads.com/series/8660... that there are already 3 more in the series, not yet translated to English, so plenty to look forward to....more
According to the author's note at the end of this book, Sicily was actually ruled by a woman for one month in the 17th century. Sadly, little is knownAccording to the author's note at the end of this book, Sicily was actually ruled by a woman for one month in the 17th century. Sadly, little is known about her, but Camilleri spins an excellent tale based on the scant historical evidence. In this telling, the woman outsmarts and outmaneuvers the corrupt and venal ruling council; distributes their stolen treasures to the people, in the form of lower taxes on bread and other necessities; closes down brothels and provides shelter and food to oppressed and exploited women; and just generally metes out justice to the guily. All in one lunar month.
It is well written and well translated, and a just generally enjoyable read....more
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