For 30 years Leon lived in Venice. She now lives in Switzerland and the reason for this move is given in this memoir.

The sophisticated but still moral Brunetti, with his love of food and his loving family, proves a worthy custodian of timeless values and verities.”— Wall Street Journal

Having recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, Leon now confronts the dual challenges and pleasures of aging. Complete with a brief letter dissuading those hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused with music, food, and her fierce sense of humor, Wandering Through Life offers Donna Leon at her most personal. Gay pride?’ Raising his voice, Brunetti repeated, ‘Alvise? We don’t have anything to do with patrolling Treviso,’ he reminded the Ispettore. Four stars. Enjoyable, especially for readers who are already fans. It would make a good choice for gifting or public library acquisition. Besides writing books, the author loves Baroque music, especially Handel. She is a patron of the orchestra Il Pomo d’Oro. She also holds locally crime writing masterclasses in Switzerland, which are usually quite soon fully booked. Praise for Donna Leon En sus novelas, Leon otorga una importancia capital al trasfondo politico, social o cultural de una ciudad, Venecia, que retrata con habilidad de forma vívida, permitiendo al lector descubrirla a través de los ojos de aquellos que viven allí. Una de las grandes bazas de la serie es el análisis en profundidad que realiza de la sociedad veneciana, desde su geografía hasta su cultura, a la vez que hace un íntimo retrato de la vida personal de Brunetti, a quien en esta ocasión conoceremos algo más gracias a esa incursión en sus años de juventud. La autora tiene un gran habilidad a la hora de crear personajes complejos que cobran vida en sus páginas con aparente sencillez.

At one stage I just thought that some of the writing was a little poor compared to the other books i Even though I have only read these two books, I have come to notice an underlying theme beyond the mystery itself. And although at some point that theme pretty much gives away the solution to the murder, the book is still a delight to read. Donna Leon was born in 1942, in Montclair, New Jersey to Catholic parents. Her ancestry is European, with her grandparent hailing from Spain (paternal), Ireland, and Germany (maternal). She grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey. In her childhood, her parents would constantly urge her to get a good education, have a good life, and overall, have fun. Her parents survived the depression times, however, they never got a college education or degree. She started traveling the world soon after. Over the years, she went to Italy, Iran, England, China, and Saudi Arabia. In China, she taught for a year, and in Iran, she lived for 4 years. She also taught in Saudi Arabia for one year, but that country was not among her favorites.

Donna Leon has a wonderful feel for the hidden evils that lie below the façade of the magical city, and Brunetti, sturdy family man and cynic, is an endearing guide into the machinations of Italian society.” —Marcel Berlins, The Times (London) on Blood from a Stone El misterio sirve de excusa para echar un vistazo a la historia política reciente de Italia, desde una perspectiva más personal, mostrando el idealismo de la juventud y la naturaleza problemática inherente al mismo. Filosofía, política, historia o justicia, son temas recurrentes en sus obras, mostrando una gran perspicacia a la hora entrar en la psique humana, en las motivaciones, pensamientos o sentimientos de sus personajes. El misterio se presenta como un elemento con múltiples capas en el que la satisfacción final viene dada no solo porque se resuelve el caso, si no por la forma en que se ha resuelto. This endlessly enjoyable series, with its deep thoughts about justice and vengeance and charming classical allusions, can’t help making you smile.”— Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review Donna Leon is the undisputed crime fiction queen . . . Leon’s ability to capture the social scene and internal politics [of Venice] is first-rate. (Baltimore Sun) I’ve been a big fan of the Guido Brunetti series and have made my way through the first 24 of them. Thanks to Netgalley, I’m jumping ahead to So Shall You Reap, # 32 in the series. It’s also the first of the series I’ve read, rather than listened to. It works just as well in either format.

In WANDERING THROUGH LIFE, Donna Leon tells the personal and extremely interesting story of her life in a delightful manner. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect as she grows and moves around the globe.Leon describes the joy of train trips and the food sharing that entails, her attachment to a feral cat, how her new garden led to a fascination with bees which meant inclusion into a novel; she fangirls Handel; and, finally, she muses on ageing. An interesting, occasionally thought-provoking, and entertaining read.