Customer Reviews
"It was the siren at San Marco, calling out to the sleeping city" - By: Nicholas Casley, 10 Dec 2008 
"It was the siren at San Marco, calling out to the sleeping city the news that the waters were rising: acqua alta had begun."
Ever visited Venice & wondered about those boards & lengths of tubular metal that appearin the strangest of places? Did you think they were there for usein an open-air table-top sale? In Saint Mark's Square? No, those boards are there for the acqua alta, those days when the waters of the lagoon invade the alleys of the watery city. Alas, they occur with more & more regularity as the city continues to sink & climate change continues to resultin rising sea-levels.
`Acqua Alta' is the fifth Brunetti novel, & sees the return of lesbian couple Brett Lynch (Bette Lynch?) & Flavia Petrelli, archaeologist & opera diva respectively. The focus now is on Brett & her reputation, as some ancient Chinese ceramics go missing, & the director of the city's museums is somehow implicatedin switching them for fake ones. The story & the writing return to form after the somewhat disappointing fourth novel.
In this instalment we learn more about Signorina Elettra's background & how she came to be at the Questura. But why would Brunetti vow never the let her & his wife Paola meet? We can take some assurance, though,in Brunetti's boss being continuously bumptious ("This isn't a social club here Commissario") &in the fact that there appears no sign of the scaffolding around the church of San Lorenzo coming down.
There are the occasional references that one feels can only have come from personal experience. For example, when the author writes about a bar on the Zattere - here called Il Cucciolo (the cub, the puppy) - that Brunetti avoided because "the waiters were the rudestin the city", one wonders if she had a real barin mind. Perhaps there is also a dig at the late-nineteenth/early-twentieth century art historian Bernhard Berenson, when Donna Leon has a character comment about Berenson's judgement on Venetian paintings being up for sale.
This is an enjoyable read; now I am ready for the next onein the series.
Unputdownable, fast-moving story - By: Bluebell, 29 Jan 2008 
I've read quite a few booksin this Inspector Brunetti series, all of which I've enjoyed. I haven't read themin chronological order, but that hasn't mattered: the only difference it makes is that Brunetti's two children varyin age. This particular book is earlyin the series and, I thought, one of her very best with the added bonus that I learned some more about the backgrounds of the characters. I read it quickly as the story was so engrossing. The chilly dampness of Venicein the winter adds a tremendous atmosphere to the book as the rising sea level of the Acqua Alta is anticipated & experienced by the characters as water ebbs & flows over the pavements of the city.
A Case That Can Be Solved Amid Flood Waters in Winter - By: Donald Mitchell, 11 Oct 2007 Among the first four booksin the Guido Brunetti series, I was annoyed by the tendency to create mysteries whose solution led to powerful patrons who were able to cover up for themselves so that there was essentially no justice done. I was very pleased to see that Ms. Leon downplayed that theme morein Acqua Alta thanin the prior four books. Here, at least, there's some poetic justice.
Venice is always a major characterin these novels, butin Acqua Alta it would be fair to say that Venice becomes the main character. If you have only been to Venice during the sunny summer days when the tourists flock there, you'll learn about a Venice you didn't know existed -- one where floods make planning the simplest trip quite a challenge. But flooding isn't merely there for background texture; it's a critical element of the story.
The actual mystery is pretty straightforward: Brett Lynch answers the door to her homein Venice & is beaten by two men who order her not to keep an appointment with the head of Venice's main museum. Since Brett is wealthy, the police assume the motive is robbery . . . even though nothing is taken. Because Brett is a lesbian makes the police less interested. But the all-seeing Signorina Elletra tips off Commissario Guido Brunetti that this "robbery" needs his personal touch.
Brunetti learns that Brett had contacted the museum head about three ceramic fakes that had been sent back to China after an exhibition of ancient Chinese artifacts. He promises to snoop around. Vice-Questore Patta first orders Brunetti off the case . . . until the mayor calls to say that he wants answers for his friend, Brett.
Two of the most interesting aspects of the case involve a background look at the worlds of obsessive collectors & of opera divas.
The investigation proceeds pretty quickly & easily, much facilitated by Signorina Elletra's remarkable ability to gain information that shouldn't be available to her. In this book, we also find out a little more of why she left a great job to work for the police.
You'll also get an inside look at some of the stresses & strains of a lesbian relationship where the two lovers are pulledin different directions by their careers & interests.
The weakest part of the story comes at the end when Brunetti finds himself needing to ride to the rescue. His willingness to cut corners seems a little far fetched.
In addition, this book involves a little more violence against women than is to my taste. If that sort of thing bothers you, you won't like this book as much as I did.
The good news is that the mystery of who beat up Brett & why aren't the main appeals of this story: The lives of those under siege from the winter floods are.
Enjoy!
Not the best of this series. - By: A. Cioccarelli, 17 Sep 2007 
I'll start off by saying that I'm not the biggest fan of this series but on the other hand they are pleasant enough to read on holidays by the beach! However this one wasn't. It was fairly slow, well padded & not very interesting. Donna Leon's stereotype of southern Italians, & her stereotype of northerner's attitudes to them, is becoming a bit grating. Also for someone who livesin Italy she makes a lot of mistakes with the names of magazines for example. Not to mention having characters say buon giornoin the evening! Maybe she's just getting lazy. At least that's how it seems after reading this book.
fantastic - By: love to read, 26 Aug 2004 All of the series of books by Donna Leon are unbelievably good reading. The mystery is very intriguing. The family of Officer Brunetti is amazing. The cooking of his wife makes you want an Italian meal. And the stories of the city of Venice are informative
