Customer Reviews

Wilful Behaviour

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

As I die-hard fan of Donna Leon's Brunetti mysteries -- I went to the trouble of buying this one through amazon.uk since it is not available in the U.S. yet -- I find the author seriously off base here. The plot of the mystery is only moderately interesting or challenging, and Leon herself seems to be in a generally sour mood. The wry and careful observations of Venice tourism and Italian government red-tape have turned into rants and crabbiness that make us wonder if Leon is getting bored with life at the Questura and the Brunetti household. Even the regular cast -- Miss Elettra, Vianello, Patta, Paola, Chiara, Rafi, etc. -- seem to be in a glum place and eager for a fight. For first-time Leon readers some of the earlier books are a better place to start.

This was my first Donna Leon book, and I loved it.
It's extremely intriguing and very intelligent. Remember that feeling of being glued to the pages up to the end? That's it, but without the ups and downs of emotion that you can find in a super-thriller; here you are guided cleverly into a life you didn't know about, and you become part of the scene.
You'll love Brunetti and his wife Paola, you'll feel as if they all were your friends.
Donna Leon is fantastic at depicting thoughts and images... no complicated sintaxes, but simple words conjured in the perfect way. Perfect to make you feel what she is imagining and you can't see.
If anyone of you loves Venice and knows the Italians, this is the book for him. Donna Leon is obviously extremely familiar with the city and its people - with the true italian behaviour, in fact.
Oh no, this review is a mess! :) I really cannot write!
Anyhow, do remember this book when you search for a memorable read. It won't last long, though. I rushed through its 356 pages in little more than a day. SOB!

To me, the best mysteries can be viewed more as novels than as puzzles to be solved. Donna Leon successfully crosses into this high ground of mystery writing with Wilful Behaviour.

In fact, such a successful novel can be read independently of the other books in a series. Wilful Behaviour also meets that test.

Do you like a book with memorable characters? Wilful Behaviour delivers both with characters that you meet in the novel and those who are described by other characters.

Do you like an intricate plot where all the pieces fit together in multiple dimensions? Wilful Behaviour once again is a good book in terms of this quality.

Do you like novels that reflect other novels, rewarding the well-read? Donna Leon delivers here as well.

Although I have always liked this series, Wilful Behaviour breaks out above the clouds in terms of being much better than the earlier offerings in the series.

In the story, Professoressa Paola Brunetti is approached by one of her better students, Claudia Leonardo, about a legal question that the student hopes Professor Brunetti's husband, Commissario Guido Brunetti, can answer. Guido resists providing any information without receiving more details. He meets Claudia and finds that her question relates back to the difficult days of World War II while Italy was part of the Axis powers. Not knowing much about those days, Guido begins to exercise his curiosity and learns about many hidden crimes from those days.

All of this becomes not so academic after Claudia is murdered, and many new questions are presented. In the process of investigating Claudia's murder, Brunetti learns about new levels of deception and depravity that some employ to achieve their selfish ends.

I have read a number of novels that relate to those days in World War II in Italy, and I found this one to be one of the very best.

Enjoy!