For Donna Leons fans, Venice, the Most Serene Republic, is anything but serene! In yet another, the seventh
sure-winner in her Commissario Guido Brunetti series, Leon once again masterminds a plot, setting, and unforgettable characters in a must-read book. In "A Noble Radiance," Leon shows what a master she is in establishing a grappling narrative hook, an absorbing
plot filled with dangerous curves, pitfalls, and landmines, and a theme that at once is contemporary and yet for all
time. The novel begins with the discovery of a badly decomposed body in a lonely farmfield in the north of Italy, and,
as her previous novels have it, Brunetti is given the case.
Just as he suspects, the body belongs to a kidnapped young man, the noble heir to a considerable estate. It is
Brunettis responsibility to bring the news to the young mans family. Realist that he is, Brunetti is quick to find that,
indeed, something is rotten in the land of the nobili, and from this point on, the reader is led--even carried--to the
conclusion. The conclusion, however, appears a bit weak, albeit quite satisfying, I suppose, as Leons endings usually
have a way of being far more thought- provoking.
Still, the book is well-worth the time spent--unfortunately, the time goes all too fast when reading Leon; one has the
tendency to wish they would keep on going, as they are, indeed, so mesmerizing. She has created such memorable
characters, most notably Brunetti, who has such a noble philosophy. It is almost as if he is a salmon without a stream,
as his ideals, his honesty, his concept of right and wrong seem at odds with todays sense of morality, whether it be
Italian politics or not. Leons books are never ones to shy away from social issues and concerns and it is almost as if
she is Cassandra weeping outside the gates of Ilium, begging for anyone to believe her as she touches on responsible
concerns: the environment (especially), corruption (both political and social), and immorality in various forms. Unlike
Cassandra, Leon will be believed, one hopes.
Londons "Sunday Telegraph" describes "A Noble Radiance" as a book "with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost
smell it." Indeed, and the smells are not always so desirable. Leon herself (always one with the apt literary allusion)
quotes Mozart at the beginning: "The nobility has honesty painted in its eyes." We find this quite appropriate for the
novel. She manages to evoke the landscape and atmosphere is a manner that lends strong support to her story line.
Her growing flock of readers have come to expect this in each succeeding book. So far, she has not let them down.
Like Caesar, her books have crossed the Rubicon with their social messages and readers should not let them go back! ([email protected])
