The Girl of His Dreams
A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery
Checking Availibility...Description
When a friend of Commissario Guido Brunetti's brother, a priest recently returned from years of missionary work in Africa, calls on him with a request, Brunetti suspects the man has hidden motives. An American-style Christian group has begun meeting in private homes in the city, and it's possible the priest is merely wary of the competition. Nevertheless, Brunetti and his wife, Paola, decide to go undercover. But when a girl's body is found floating in a canal, Brunetti must put everything aside to investigate the secretive world her people, the gypsies, who exist on the fringes of Italian society. Originally published in 2008, Donna Leon's The Girl of His Dreams is classic Donna Leon.
Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Hard-Boiled
Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural
Fiction / Mystery & Detective / International Crime & Mystery
About this Author
Donna Leon is the author of the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. The winner of the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, among other awards, Leon has lived in Venice for thirty years and now divides her time between Venice and Switzerland.
ISBN:
9780802126917
Format: Trade paperback
Series: The Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries
Pages: 304
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic
Published: 2017-04-21
Format: Trade paperback
Series: The Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries
Pages: 304
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic
Published: 2017-04-21
Reviews
Praise for The Girl of His Dreams:
"Gorgeously written . . . [A] superlative series."--Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review
"Donna Leon is best known for her subtle and enduring Commissario Guido Brunetti detective series, set in Venice . . . The Girl of His Dreams is Leon's 17th Brunetti outing and one of her finest; a cunning novel of great depth."--Anna Mundow, Boston Globe
"The Girl of His Dreams helps me understand why Leon has such a fervent following . . . Brunetti is a marvel: smart, cultured and dedicated to his work, all the more so when the pompous inept superior tries to rein him in . . . Free of coincidence of obvious contrivance, The Girl of His Dreams is a showcase of nuanced characterization, acute observation and seamless plotting."--Washington Post
"Book by book, expatriate American writer Donna Leon has been telling a secret history of Venice. Her 17th Commissario Guido Brunetti book, not surprisingly, is bookended by funerals. In between she delves into crimes against the Romany, political correctness and the comforts of family in times of loss in a story so perfectly balanced that it feels as though it glides on a dark, still, silent waterway."--John Freeman, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"It begins in a cemetery and ends in one, but in the midst of death, Donna Leon affirms life in The Girl of His Dreams . . . As much about family as about crime, Leon's literate and humane novels are as moving as any in the genre. And The Girl of His Dreams is a dream come true for those who love intelligent entertainment."--Richmond Times-Dispatch
"As fans of this series know, Brunetti loves his family and his familiar comforts. Long lunches, ideally in the family apartment, are chronicled in detail, allowing a vicarious tasting of such midday repasts as fusili with black olives, mozzarella, and fresh basil, followed by calamari stuffed with carrots, leeks, 'perhaps even some chopped shrimp.' Such breaks make it easier for Brunetti to deal with the harsh realities of his job . . . And just as she allows Brunetti those few breaks . . . so, too, does Leon offer palliatives to her readers. The quality of life in Venice may be sinking faster than the island itself, as local fruit stands now carry only tourist knickknacks and the wait for the vaporetto grows ever longer. But what remains is beautiful, especially in springtime, despite the presence of death and the absence of justice. It is this contrast, and Leon's subtly lyrical evocation of it, as much as the food or the central mystery that makes her books irresistible. And once again, in The Girl of His Dreams, all the decay only makes the beauty more poignant."--Clea Simon, Boston Globe
"As heartfelt and moving as Brunetti's best."--Kirkus Reviews
"[A] remarkably rich series . . . As it evolves, it becomes clear that Leon deserves her place not only with the finest international crime writers (Michael Dibdin and Henning Mankell, for example) but also with literary novelists who explore the agonies of the everyday (Margaret Drabble and Anne Tyler, among others)."--Booklist
"Gorgeously written . . . [A] superlative series."--Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review
"Donna Leon is best known for her subtle and enduring Commissario Guido Brunetti detective series, set in Venice . . . The Girl of His Dreams is Leon's 17th Brunetti outing and one of her finest; a cunning novel of great depth."--Anna Mundow, Boston Globe
"The Girl of His Dreams helps me understand why Leon has such a fervent following . . . Brunetti is a marvel: smart, cultured and dedicated to his work, all the more so when the pompous inept superior tries to rein him in . . . Free of coincidence of obvious contrivance, The Girl of His Dreams is a showcase of nuanced characterization, acute observation and seamless plotting."--Washington Post
"Book by book, expatriate American writer Donna Leon has been telling a secret history of Venice. Her 17th Commissario Guido Brunetti book, not surprisingly, is bookended by funerals. In between she delves into crimes against the Romany, political correctness and the comforts of family in times of loss in a story so perfectly balanced that it feels as though it glides on a dark, still, silent waterway."--John Freeman, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"It begins in a cemetery and ends in one, but in the midst of death, Donna Leon affirms life in The Girl of His Dreams . . . As much about family as about crime, Leon's literate and humane novels are as moving as any in the genre. And The Girl of His Dreams is a dream come true for those who love intelligent entertainment."--Richmond Times-Dispatch
"As fans of this series know, Brunetti loves his family and his familiar comforts. Long lunches, ideally in the family apartment, are chronicled in detail, allowing a vicarious tasting of such midday repasts as fusili with black olives, mozzarella, and fresh basil, followed by calamari stuffed with carrots, leeks, 'perhaps even some chopped shrimp.' Such breaks make it easier for Brunetti to deal with the harsh realities of his job . . . And just as she allows Brunetti those few breaks . . . so, too, does Leon offer palliatives to her readers. The quality of life in Venice may be sinking faster than the island itself, as local fruit stands now carry only tourist knickknacks and the wait for the vaporetto grows ever longer. But what remains is beautiful, especially in springtime, despite the presence of death and the absence of justice. It is this contrast, and Leon's subtly lyrical evocation of it, as much as the food or the central mystery that makes her books irresistible. And once again, in The Girl of His Dreams, all the decay only makes the beauty more poignant."--Clea Simon, Boston Globe
"As heartfelt and moving as Brunetti's best."--Kirkus Reviews
"[A] remarkably rich series . . . As it evolves, it becomes clear that Leon deserves her place not only with the finest international crime writers (Michael Dibdin and Henning Mankell, for example) but also with literary novelists who explore the agonies of the everyday (Margaret Drabble and Anne Tyler, among others)."--Booklist
If the product is in stock at the store nearest you, we suggest you call ahead to have it set aside for you, or you may place an order online and choose in-store pickup.
