Bella Donna: A Renaissance Mystery Novel [Paperback]

Barbara Cherne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

On a summer morning in 1494, the wealthy Florentine Novella family is rocked by the murder of the wife of the family scion. There are enough rivalries within the family to make anyone suspect. Only Giudetta, the household cook, dares unravel the tangled web of jealousy, intrigue, and infidelity to expose the unlikely killer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's summer 1494 in Florence, and the wife of a prominent man is found dead in her courtyard in Bella Donna: A Renaissance Mystery Novel by Barbara Cherne (Looking Glass). Bella, sister-in-law to the widowed man, is presumed guilty, but Giuditta, the family's cook and the accused's friend, follows a trail of intricate familial betrayals to prove Bella's innocence.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Set in Renaissance Florence, this adventure depicts the tribulations of a woman wrongfully accused of murder as seen through the eyes of the family cook. The Palazzo Novella is immobilized when Bella, who has befriended Giuditta (the cook), is falsely accused of killing her malicious and evil-tongued sister-in-law. Oddly enough, no one, not even Bella's husband, comes to Bella's defense except for Giuditta, and she's in no hurry. A pleasantly diverting historical that allows the cook some romance.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 153 pages
• Publisher: Daniel & Daniel Pub (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564743624
• ISBN-13: 978-1564743626
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,163,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Mystery Cooks!, May 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Bella Donna: A Renaissance Mystery Novel (Paperback)

If you want a relaxing afternoon read, this one is for you. Put yourself in the hammock, or curl up in your favorite chair and transport yourself to Renaissance Italy.

I tell you, after a multitude of women as coroners, feisty private eyes, 24/7 career types, Giuditta, the sleuthing cook is refreshing. Emilia, daughter-in-law of the matriarch, Caterina, is murdered. Bella, the other daughter-in-law, who never got along with Emilia, is arrested for the murder. Giuditta vows to prove the innocence of Bella with whom she has a warm and respectful relationship.

It is more what is missing from this mystery novel that makes it appealing. There is no real blood and gore. Action without plot is missing. And we don't have to pine over the ups and downs of the intimate relationships of the heroine. Giuditta does develop an intimate relationship along the way with Angelo the artist, but it is a warm and easy going intimacy that adds to the story.

This mystery is different. Different in the immense attention to detail, and the use of superb prose to set the scenes. One is transported to the time and place. You feel the heat, dust and dirt in a palazzo. You sweat with Giduitta as she travels miles on foot to gather information. The characters are many and the Italian names a bit confusing. It reminds me a bit of P.D. James. You do have to work some brain cells on this one, and that too is a refreshing difference from many of the popular mysteries of today.

The author has woven a tale of mystery that gives pleasure, and a reassurance that there really are still mystery writers that can write above the 10th grade reading level.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars awkward writing, slow plot, poor characters, August 14, 2001

By 

Robert T. Nicholson (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bella Donna: A Renaissance Mystery Novel (Paperback)

If you enjoy mysteries, you'll be disappointed. The reader is not given any chance to solve the puzzle... the author simply trots out a series of (uninteresting) revelations.

Like character development? You won't find it here. The characters are one-dimensional.

The writing is awkward, filled with disconnected, jarring observations, and laughable lines like, "A fortissimo cry erupter from Bella's mouth."

The author also seems to believe that by sprinkling Italian words through the book, she makes it more authentic. (The words are printed in italics, just to be sure the reader doesn't miss them.)

Don't waste your time on this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sketchy, June 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Bella Donna: A Renaissance Mystery Novel (Paperback)

The characters were fun -- i loved the cook heroine and the food and recipe references. However, the book isn't very well fleshed out. It is as tho it is still in semi-outline form, and the mystery itself is not very difficult to figure out. I would have liked to have learned a great deal more , and was disappointed with the sketchiness of the novel. That said, it WAS fun and different, and it certainly is a nice, quick read!