- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Arrow; New edition edition (14 Jan 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0099269295
- ISBN-13: 978-0099269298
- Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 1.9 x 17.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 309,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Noble Radiance (Guido Brunetti, No 7)
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Product Description
Mail on Sunday
‘Donna Leon can paralyse the reader with a joyful suspense...’
Sunday Times
‘...almost every detail on every page forms part of a succession of clues, planted with exquisite precision, to unravelling the mystery of Roberto’s death’
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As I close this book there are a handful of reviews here which all have something relevant to say. Among the disappointed are those who complain of slow pace and a plot which is often virtually static. True, but they bought the wrong book. Donna Leon doesn't aspire to write another Italian Job; she is, as others have observed, interested in moral issues, in personal relationships, in truth and justice and corruption. For example, she can deal perceptively with the fur trade in a couple of paragraphs, leave the reader thoughtful before turning the page. Her novels tend to have texture rather than line, and it is easy to believe that to be true of police work.
Devotees may regret that in A Noble Radiance there is less of Venice itself than in the earlier books, but that is compensated by further insights into the character or the Brunetti family. They feel more and more like real people who cook, worry about children, squabble and make up within the context of a family whose lives are touched by the Commissario's often unpleasant job.
Plotwise, the noble Lorenzoni's push the boundaries of credibility but just about survive. The coincidence of the role played by Brunetti's brother is crucial and artfully planted early; many a mystery story has relied on the device but it leaves a faint feeling of cheating. And not for the first time, Signorina Ellettra, with her contacts and her computer, proves to be the most capable detective in the Questura. But she is a secretary - and one whose generous disposal of public funds at the florists might one day merit a thought or two from Brunetti himself.
A Noble Radiance is a good book which, read with the right expectations, will entertain and provoke.
Devotees may regret that in A Noble Radiance there is less of Venice itself than in the earlier books, but that is compensated by further insights into the character or the Brunetti family. They feel more and more like real people who cook, worry about children, squabble and make up within the context of a family whose lives are touched by the Commissario's often unpleasant job.
Plotwise, the noble Lorenzoni's push the boundaries of credibility but just about survive. The coincidence of the role played by Brunetti's brother is crucial and artfully planted early; many a mystery story has relied on the device but it leaves a faint feeling of cheating. And not for the first time, Signorina Ellettra, with her contacts and her computer, proves to be the most capable detective in the Questura. But she is a secretary - and one whose generous disposal of public funds at the florists might one day merit a thought or two from Brunetti himself.
A Noble Radiance is a good book which, read with the right expectations, will entertain and provoke.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
First Sentence: There was nothing much to notice about the field, a hundred-metre square of dry grass below a small village in the foothills of the Dolomites.
On the recently purchased property of a doctor near the Italian Dolomites is found the much decomposed body of a young man. Near it is a ring bearing the crest of the Lorenzonis, one of Italy's most aristocratic families, whose son had been abducted two years ago. Comm. Guido Brunetti reviews the file and decides to unofficially re-investigate the case. The more he learns, the more he questions whether the kidnapping was as it appeared.
Leon writes some of my favorite characters. Guido Brunetti has a strong moral and ethical code as well as a need to seek out what is just. He has a strong marriage and a close relationship with his children, although these were relatively absent from this book, and is developing a closer relationship with his wife's parents. Then there is the remarkable Signorina Elettra, of whom each reader should have the pleasure of discovering on their own. I particularly like that, in this book, we learn more of Guido's own family and his past. I also appreciate that we see the principal characters grow and develop with each book in the series.
The book is so well written and I love her use of language. There is a classicism to it that reflects the characters and the author and makes her books such a pleasure to read.
Leon creates a very strong sense of place that takes the reader along with the characters. I've not visited Venice, but nearly forget that when I read her books. Her descriptions of food always leave me heading for the kitchen.
The plot was very well done. In essence, it is a story of families and the impact they can have upon us. It is also a story of greed; for money, prestige and false respect. I've always respected that we see the progress of the investigation as Brunetti does, rather than everything revealed at the end. Within the story are scenes that are touching, suspenseful and tragic.
This was a very good book. I am delighted to know I have many more books in the series ahead of me.
A NOBLE RADIANCE (Pol Proc-Comm. Guido Brunetti-No. Italy-Cont) - VG+
Leon, Donna - 7th in series
Penguin Books, 1998, US Paperback - ISBN: 0142003190
On the recently purchased property of a doctor near the Italian Dolomites is found the much decomposed body of a young man. Near it is a ring bearing the crest of the Lorenzonis, one of Italy's most aristocratic families, whose son had been abducted two years ago. Comm. Guido Brunetti reviews the file and decides to unofficially re-investigate the case. The more he learns, the more he questions whether the kidnapping was as it appeared.
Leon writes some of my favorite characters. Guido Brunetti has a strong moral and ethical code as well as a need to seek out what is just. He has a strong marriage and a close relationship with his children, although these were relatively absent from this book, and is developing a closer relationship with his wife's parents. Then there is the remarkable Signorina Elettra, of whom each reader should have the pleasure of discovering on their own. I particularly like that, in this book, we learn more of Guido's own family and his past. I also appreciate that we see the principal characters grow and develop with each book in the series.
The book is so well written and I love her use of language. There is a classicism to it that reflects the characters and the author and makes her books such a pleasure to read.
Leon creates a very strong sense of place that takes the reader along with the characters. I've not visited Venice, but nearly forget that when I read her books. Her descriptions of food always leave me heading for the kitchen.
The plot was very well done. In essence, it is a story of families and the impact they can have upon us. It is also a story of greed; for money, prestige and false respect. I've always respected that we see the progress of the investigation as Brunetti does, rather than everything revealed at the end. Within the story are scenes that are touching, suspenseful and tragic.
This was a very good book. I am delighted to know I have many more books in the series ahead of me.
A NOBLE RADIANCE (Pol Proc-Comm. Guido Brunetti-No. Italy-Cont) - VG+
Leon, Donna - 7th in series
Penguin Books, 1998, US Paperback - ISBN: 0142003190
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Very difficult to review this novel. From start to finish, it left me indifferent, but I don't think that makes it a bad book, or one to be avoided.
The pace is modest. There are some good lines. The plot is best not examined too closely. Brunetti, by now in his seventh novel, should really be a fuller, better-defined character but he left me indifferent. All I picked up was that he liked food, his family and possessed a high sense of moral duty.
The ensemble cast were notable by their fleeting appearances although, like Brunetti, it is easy to have a soft spot for his secretary Elettra. Mrs Leon's style is untaxing and undemanding.
If you want an introduction to Brunetti and like a good whodunnit I would not start here. The 'suspect' list is very short. There are a lot of fans who read more into this author's work than is merited but that doesn't make this a bad book. It's just indifferent.
The pace is modest. There are some good lines. The plot is best not examined too closely. Brunetti, by now in his seventh novel, should really be a fuller, better-defined character but he left me indifferent. All I picked up was that he liked food, his family and possessed a high sense of moral duty.
The ensemble cast were notable by their fleeting appearances although, like Brunetti, it is easy to have a soft spot for his secretary Elettra. Mrs Leon's style is untaxing and undemanding.
If you want an introduction to Brunetti and like a good whodunnit I would not start here. The 'suspect' list is very short. There are a lot of fans who read more into this author's work than is merited but that doesn't make this a bad book. It's just indifferent.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
great read
A great read - as ever -I was back in Venice, really brought to life cannot wait for Donna Leon's next work. A real favourite of mine.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. P. Glover
NEEDS MUST WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES
Ploughed up in a field, the remains of Roberto Lorenzoni - two years after abduction and a ransom demanded. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. L. Rees
A very good Read
This was the first Donna Leon book I've read. I took it to Italy as a holiday read, and I'm glad I did. It has a good plot, is fast moving and holds your attention. Read more
Published 8 months ago by W. Tegner
Dona Leon book
I enjoy reading this author. The one difficulty I have experienced is that a story is sometimes published under more than one title, which has resulted in my purchasing a book... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Vron
Old kidnap case solved when radiant nobleman's bones found.
I did enjoy this seventh book in the series about Commissario Brunetti in Venice. Much more so than the sixth one that really was a waste of time. Read more
Published on 15 May 2010 by Luthien Arnatuile
"Ambiguity might well be said to be the defining characteristic of...
The title of this review is a direct quote from this, the seventh of Donna Leon's brilliant series of Brunetti novels. It continues in much the same vein as the previous six. Read more
Published on 12 July 2009 by Nicholas Casley
Lassitude, headache and general malaise
Through her redoubtable hero Commissario Brunetti, Donna Leon unwittingly makes an interesting observation about A Noble Radiance itself: "... Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2008 by O. Buxton
Vintage Leon
What I love best about Donna Leon's books is not the actual story, but the description of Venice and especially of the inspector and his family. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2008 by Love Books
Slow-Paced Mystery with a Solution That's Hard to Swallow
It's a shame that A Noble Radiance is cast as a mystery. Take the need to solve the mystery out, and this would be an above-average novel about contemporary families in... Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2007 by Donald Mitchell
Slow-Paced Mystery with a Solution That's Hard to Swallow
It's a shame that A Noble Radiance is cast as a mystery. Take the need to solve the mystery out, and this would be an above-average novel about contemporary families in... Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2007 by Donald Mitchell
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