Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Penguin (Non-Classics) (2003), Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:Commissario Brunetti delves into the shadows of a Venetian family's past in this "gripping intellectual mystery" in the New York Times�bestselling series (Publishers Weekly). In A Noble Radiance, a new landowner is summoned urgently to his house not far from Venice when workmen accidentally unearth a macabre grave. The human corpse is badly decomposed, but a ring found nearby proves to be a clue that reopens an infamous case of kidnapping involving one of Venice's most aristocratic families. Only Commissario Brunetti can unravel the clues and find his way into both the hearts of patrician Venice and that of a family grieving for their abducted son. "Goes a long way to confirming Donna Leon's claim to have taken literary possession of Venice . . . A Noble Radiance gives the reader a delightful foretaste of the summer holidays to come, but it also offers much more than that." �The Independent on Sunday "The marvel of this book is that almost every detail on every page forms part of a succession of clues, planted with exquisite precision, to unraveling the mystery." �The Sunday Times "Brunetti emerges as an intelligent, somewhat world-weary individual who believes in his cause if not the system itself. In short, he's the ideal protagonist for this culturally rich mystery." �Publishers Weekly "In her detective novels with Commissario Brunetti, Donna Leon can paralyze the reader with a joyful suspense, lost in the environs of Venice and hopelessly in love with her central character and his wife." �Mail on Sunday.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member SLuce
First Donna Leon book I have listened too. Listened coming back in the car from Boston. Really liked her style.
LibraryThing member Danica.Rice
Interesting story... Liked the setting. Will likely read more from this author/series.
LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
This is the fifth book I have read in this series, and opening it was like paying a visit to familiar friends. I am happy as each recurring character pops up on the page. I am in love with Venice and with Brunetti's family. The mystery here was uncomfortable but satisfying.
LibraryThing member seoulful
Another page-turner by Donna Leon. The main character, Commissario Brunetti, and several of his co-workers must fight against the prevailing winds of political correctness and corruption in order to do their work. To solve this particular crime they must also overcome the immunity given to one of
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the Venetian noble families by virtue of their standing in the city. A man of sensitivity and integrity, the Commissario has interesting conversations with his wife, a professor in the local university, concerning the meaning of justice, right from wrong and other philosophical topics. Show Less
LibraryThing member JollyContrarian
Lassitude, headache and general malaise
Through her redoubtable hero Commissario Brunetti, Donna Leon unwittingly makes an interesting observation about A Noble Radiance itself: "...what he'd already heard so often he was beginning to feel the same symptoms: lassitude, headache and general malaise".
She may not have intended it, but in this sentence she invites comparison with the plotting and exposition in this book, which is so ponderous and repetitive you'll be experiencing lassitude and general malaise - if you haven't vigorously tossed the book aside altogether - very quickly. Your patience, if you have not, will be scantily rewarded: before half way nothing much nothing happens other than the repeated establishment of the same plot outline. After half way little does, and what there is in the way of action is ill-paced, improbable and ridiculous.
And to solve the crime (or does he really care about the crime? Leon overtly ponders whether this is what really drives her hero, something a more skilled writer would have allowed her readers to do) we have our hero Brunetti, a modern and thoughtful detective who reads Cicero in idle moments, but whose commanding officer hates him for reasons of which we are not appraised (other than the dictats of the Police Procedural Idiom). Good grief.
I think Donna Leon aspires to literariness, but doesn't get within a banjo swing of a cow's behind of it in this reviewer's humble opinion.
There are writers who write movingly, intellectually and chillingly about Italy - Peter Robb, even Thomas Harris, in passages - but Leon manages to make it all sound humdrum, and in the end there's not much to differentiate this book from countless other gumshoe detective stories other than the attraction of exotic and literary italian intrigue. The fact that it fails at that task is more than faintly damning.
Through her redoubtable hero Commissario Brunetti, Donna Leon unwittingly makes an interesting observation about A Noble Radiance itself: "...what he'd already heard so often he was beginning to feel the same symptoms: lassitude, headache and general malaise".
Show More
She may not have intended it, but in this sentence she invites comparison with the plotting and exposition in this book, which is so ponderous and repetitive you'll be experiencing lassitude and general malaise - if you haven't vigorously tossed the book aside altogether - very quickly. Your patience, if you have not, will be scantily rewarded: before half way nothing much nothing happens other than the repeated establishment of the same plot outline. After half way little does, and what there is in the way of action is ill-paced, improbable and ridiculous.
And to solve the crime (or does he really care about the crime? Leon overtly ponders whether this is what really drives her hero, something a more skilled writer would have allowed her readers to do) we have our hero Brunetti, a modern and thoughtful detective who reads Cicero in idle moments, but whose commanding officer hates him for reasons of which we are not appraised (other than the dictats of the Police Procedural Idiom). Good grief.
I think Donna Leon aspires to literariness, but doesn't get within a banjo swing of a cow's behind of it in this reviewer's humble opinion.
There are writers who write movingly, intellectually and chillingly about Italy - Peter Robb, even Thomas Harris, in passages - but Leon manages to make it all sound humdrum, and in the end there's not much to differentiate this book from countless other gumshoe detective stories other than the attraction of exotic and literary italian intrigue. The fact that it fails at that task is more than faintly damning.
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LibraryThing member Joycepa
A Noble RAdiance
Donna Leon
7th in the Commisario Brunetti series, set in Venice, Italy.
In a small village out in the countryside of the Veneto, a farmer ploughing a filed opens a shallow grave that contains the decomposed body of a young man, kidnapped two years before. Scion to one of the oldest
This is one of Leon’s more straightforward police procedurals, although she doesn’t miss the opportunity to use yet another social concern as an integral part of the plot. Sgt. Vianello continues to play an increasingly important role in the series; Signorina Elettra is, of course, by now well entrenched with her bright spring-like clothing, her dazzling flowers, and her laudable capacity and enthusiasm for criminal activity, namely hacking into any banking or government computer system at will “with a little help from my friends” all over the world.
The ending is Italian--and tragic.
Intriguingly, this is the first installment where the title is a play on words involving the plot.
Not the strongest entry in the series, it is still an excellent read. Recommended.
Donna Leon
7th in the Commisario Brunetti series, set in Venice, Italy.
In a small village out in the countryside of the Veneto, a farmer ploughing a filed opens a shallow grave that contains the decomposed body of a young man, kidnapped two years before. Scion to one of the oldest
Show More
noble families of Venice, the recovery of his body--and evidence of murder--reopens the case, with Brunetti at the head of the investigation. There are too many questions that did not get asked in the original investigation, and Brunetti decides to dig deeper into the history of the family.This is one of Leon’s more straightforward police procedurals, although she doesn’t miss the opportunity to use yet another social concern as an integral part of the plot. Sgt. Vianello continues to play an increasingly important role in the series; Signorina Elettra is, of course, by now well entrenched with her bright spring-like clothing, her dazzling flowers, and her laudable capacity and enthusiasm for criminal activity, namely hacking into any banking or government computer system at will “with a little help from my friends” all over the world.
The ending is Italian--and tragic.
Intriguingly, this is the first installment where the title is a play on words involving the plot.
Not the strongest entry in the series, it is still an excellent read. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member Talbin
In A Noble Radiance, by Donna Leon, a partially decomposed body is found in a field, and is identified as that of Roberto Lorenzoni, the only son of one of Venice's oldest and most wealthy families. Two years previously, he had been kidnapped but the case remained unsolved. However, with the
Although A Noble Radiance is not the most complicated mystery in the Brunetti series so far, I found it quite well done. The pacing was not quick, but it was even, and I found the story and its resolution affecting. As per usual, Leon focused on a sub-theme in the book. Usually the secondary theme is political, but this time it was more emotionally based - the love of a husband for his wife.
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discovery of the body, Guido Brunetti is assigned to reopen the case to see if any new leads can be found. Meanwhile, Roberto's mother still grieves, and his father, Count Lorenzoni, has been training his nephew, Maurizio, to take over the family businesses.Although A Noble Radiance is not the most complicated mystery in the Brunetti series so far, I found it quite well done. The pacing was not quick, but it was even, and I found the story and its resolution affecting. As per usual, Leon focused on a sub-theme in the book. Usually the secondary theme is political, but this time it was more emotionally based - the love of a husband for his wife.
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LibraryThing member klockrike
Another great book in Donna Leon's series, and as usual filled with detail, psychology, and unexpected twists. A good read for an airplane flight or evening in bed.
LibraryThing member cyderry
A partially decomposed body is found in a field and identified by the family signet ring that was with it. Roberto Lorenzoni had been kidnapped two years earlier and the case was still open when Commissario Guido Brunetti takes up the case. Count Lorenzoni and his wife still grieve the loss of
This is not one of the author's more in depth mysteries but still enjoyable for the atmosphere and characters.
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their only son, but have moved forward training a nephew to take over the family business.This is not one of the author's more in depth mysteries but still enjoyable for the atmosphere and characters.
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LibraryThing member ffortsa
Brunetti is drawn into a two-year old kidnapping case when a body is unearthed in a rural village. The family crest on the accompanying ring leads him to one of the most prominent families of Venice, but the reason for the kidnapping and murder nag at him until the very last moments of the story,
This is one of the clearest of the Brunetti mysteries I've read - and one of the saddest.
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when the full horror of family pride and material success are exposed. This is one of the clearest of the Brunetti mysteries I've read - and one of the saddest.
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LibraryThing member sunnydrk
I just don't get it, poorly written with a forced storyline and undeveloped characters. I kept reading in hopes that it would get better. My only thought is that since this is a recurring character, you have to start at the beginning.
LibraryThing member TadAD
I enjoy the Venetian mysteries featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti quite a bit. This is a decent entry in the series but not the best. That's mainly because I was only a few pages into the book...about when they first described the victim…when I figured out what was going on. That tends to
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lessen my enjoyment a bit. Still, it was a pleasant read and I do enjoy the way Leon doesn't always go (actually, rarely goes) for the cliché happy ending in which the villains are history. Show Less
LibraryThing member Condorena
The possible motive and possible killers are glaring from early in the story, but the story teller still keeps you in her grip until the end. Donna Leon can do that partially because she can blame weaknesses in the Italian system for the snail like pace for getting information about any and all
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things except gossip. Show Less
LibraryThing member alyson
As always the setting, characters and especially the food make these my favorite mysteries.
LibraryThing member datrappert
Venice is a place I want to experience again and again, and if I can't do it in person, I hope to do it through history or fiction. Leon's book falls a little short both as fiction and as a vicarious way to experience Venice. Neither the characters or story pulled me in far enough to read another
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in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member quixotic-creator
This offering by Leon is more up to speed and quite satisfying. Once again Brunetti finds himself trying to discover the truth and find justice as he seeks those responsible for a young man's mysterious disappearance and subsequent death.
LibraryThing member themulhern
A typical entry. I figured out what was going on before Brunetti.
LibraryThing member anglophile65
good read - quick read
LibraryThing member crazeedi73
I love this series, I love the Venetian setting, I love the twists, I love the Italian language, I rarely give 5 stars to books, but I have for this series. I highly recommend
LibraryThing member ElizabethCromb
Translation poor in parts but good murder, police mystery
LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
★ ★ ★ 1/2
I'm not really sure how to describe this book; 1st it is a series and a popular one at that 2nd I see some similarities to the Marshal Guarnaccia Florentine mysteries by Magdalen Nabb.
Commissionario Brunetti is a family man working with the Police force of Venice. The stories are set
That being said, this book is about a kidnapping of a young man who is heir to a large Italian business and the convoluted family relationships of the remaining family....
The book opens with the restoration of an old villa and the remains of a body & Family Signet ring being found as the fields are being plowed..... The ring is identified immediately but the remains are not.... There is also a very subtle sub-line in the book which relates directly to the crime but is not revealed until the end of the book.
At times the book has too much description and I skimmed over those two parts. But overall I liked the story and I was kept guessing until the last pages. I sat up until 1:30 reading this book, so I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be reading the others in this series.
This series is also in audio format.
I'm not really sure how to describe this book; 1st it is a series and a popular one at that 2nd I see some similarities to the Marshal Guarnaccia Florentine mysteries by Magdalen Nabb.
Commissionario Brunetti is a family man working with the Police force of Venice. The stories are set
Show More
in current time and have a tendency towards graphic description. Brunetti is as much as a thinker as the Marshal, but unlike the Marshal he is able to formulate his thoughts in a quicker & more succinct manner. Burnetti is also more at ease with his verbal skills and is adept at handling cantankerous superior officers.That being said, this book is about a kidnapping of a young man who is heir to a large Italian business and the convoluted family relationships of the remaining family....
The book opens with the restoration of an old villa and the remains of a body & Family Signet ring being found as the fields are being plowed..... The ring is identified immediately but the remains are not.... There is also a very subtle sub-line in the book which relates directly to the crime but is not revealed until the end of the book.
At times the book has too much description and I skimmed over those two parts. But overall I liked the story and I was kept guessing until the last pages. I sat up until 1:30 reading this book, so I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be reading the others in this series.
This series is also in audio format.
Show Less
LibraryThing member christinejoseph
current day Venice + area
Comm. Guido Brunetti — Lorenzoni family
wealth not always legal — kidnapped family son / corpse found — nephew killed
who is the real killer?
A new landowner is summoned urgently to his house not far from Venice when workmen accidentally unearth a macabre grave. The
Comm. Guido Brunetti — Lorenzoni family
wealth not always legal — kidnapped family son / corpse found — nephew killed
who is the real killer?
A new landowner is summoned urgently to his house not far from Venice when workmen accidentally unearth a macabre grave. The
Show More
human corpse is badly decomposed, but a ring found nearby proves to be a first clue that reopens an infamous case of kidnapping involving one of Venice's most aristocratic families. Only Commissario Brunetti can unravel the clues and find his way into both the heart of patrician Venice and that of a family grieving for their abducted son. Show Less
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Commissario Brunetti investigates a body discovered by a farmer plowing his field. A ring bearing the Lorenzoni family's crest suggests the corpse's identity as the son and heir who disappeared more than a year ago. Dental records confirm the conclusion. Several things suggest the crime's
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responsibility lay in a family member's hands. While there's nothing really wrong with the mystery, it lacks the depth of earlier installments and misses the opportunity to showcase Venice. The case was just too straightforward and obvious. It lacked the turns and twists to make it a compelling read. I'm erring on the side of generosity with my star rating. It probably deserves 2.5 stars, but earns 3. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Human remains are unearthed in a field near the mountains. Although the location is well outside of Venice, Commissario Guido Brunetti ends up with the case when it appears to be the remains of the kidnapped son of a Venetian noble. Brunetti did not work on the kidnapping case, and as he looks into
This is not the best book in the series. It seemed like Brunetti’s investigation was just beginning when the solution was revealed. People, places, and things were introduced early in the novel and then dropped, never to be seen or heard from again. In a tightly written mystery, everything should serve a purpose, even if it’s a false lead or red herring. Anything less seems underdeveloped.
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the files he notices some irregularities that weren’t pursued by the investigators of the kidnapping.This is not the best book in the series. It seemed like Brunetti’s investigation was just beginning when the solution was revealed. People, places, and things were introduced early in the novel and then dropped, never to be seen or heard from again. In a tightly written mystery, everything should serve a purpose, even if it’s a false lead or red herring. Anything less seems underdeveloped.
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LibraryThing member rretzler
The seventh entry in Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series, A Noble Radiance, is standard fare, but still good reading. The body of a young man with a crest ring that possibly identifies him as a kidnapping victim from a wealthy Venetian family is found in a field in the foothills of the Dolomites.
I have been enjoying the 75’s Group Read of the Guido Brunetti series. Interestingly, most of the books in the series so far don’t seem to have the typical police procedural ending that one finds in other series. This slightly bothered me at first, but I now appreciate how this gives us a chance to reflect on Brunetti’s (and possibly Leon’s) philosophy of life and Italian, or more specifically Venetian, culture.
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Brunetti is called in to assist with the identification and becomes intrigued with the kidnapping case.I have been enjoying the 75’s Group Read of the Guido Brunetti series. Interestingly, most of the books in the series so far don’t seem to have the typical police procedural ending that one finds in other series. This slightly bothered me at first, but I now appreciate how this gives us a chance to reflect on Brunetti’s (and possibly Leon’s) philosophy of life and Italian, or more specifically Venetian, culture.
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1998
Physical description
304 p.; 6.92 inches
ISBN
0142003190 / 9780142003190