- Mass Market Paperback: 652 pages
- Publisher: Pan Books; New edition edition (4 April 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330346261
- ISBN-13: 978-0330346269
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 109,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Acqua Alta
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Product Description
Product Description
Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Questura is shocked to hear that his friend Brett Lynch, lover of La Scala diva Flavia Petrelli, has been savagely beaten. Then a man's body is found and a terrible confrontation awaits Brett in the Capra family palazzo.
Book Description
Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Questura is shocked to hear that Brett Lynch, a friend since a murder case at La Fenice, has suffered a savage beating. The attack, in the beautiful palazzo home of Flavia Petrelli, reigning diva of La Scala, had come with a message: 'Don't keep that appointment with Dottor Semenzato.' Then, with the storm clouds gathering fast over the city, a man's body is found . . .
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've read quite a few books in this Inspector Brunetti series, all of which I've enjoyed. I haven't read them in chronological order, but that hasn't mattered: the only difference it makes is that Brunetti's two children vary in age. This particular book is early in 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 Venice in the winter adds a tremendous atmosphere to the book as the rising sea level of the Acqua Alta is anticipated and experienced by the characters as water ebbs and flows over the pavements of the city.
47 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
"Acqua Alta" is the fifth in Donna Leon's mesmerizing series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police and, as in the previous works, the author once again manages to capture not only the soul but the heart, literally, of modern day Venice. Reality lurkes behind every page, it seems, of a Leon novel, from the cold, creaking listings of ages-old buildings almost atop the famed canals to the musty, bone-chilling foggy days as the "high waters" begin to permeate the once Serene Republic's confines. And, of course, there's a murder or two lurking around some hidden corner of some fourteenth-century palazzo and, naturally, as in the other works, it is Brunetti's dedication, his loyalty, and, above all else, his honesty in seeking out the truth that eventually bring about the solution. Leon's conclusions, however, are not always the easiest, most convenient, or happiest, as she gallops away from the melodramatic and lets reality win again. She underscores the fact the there are evil people about, and, yes, ocasionally, they win. Sometimes, by the end of her books, not all the guilty are punished, but the cases are solved, nonetheless. To say Venice, or even Italy itself, is any more corrupt than any other place is not the question, but Leon, herself an American English professor at the University of Maryland extension campus at the U.S. Army's Vicenza (Italy) post, has spent quite a number of years in Italy, speaks the language, and captures the nuances of hte people and of their daily lives, it seems; indeed, quite an accomplishment for an outsider. "You don't want to keep Doctor Semenzato's appointment." With this warning, two men proceed to beat Brett Lynch within an inch of her life. Thus, the action really begins in this fast-paced book. Brett is a famed anthropologist, whom we'd met in "Death at La Fenice" and who is involved in an extensive dig in China where she has helped uncover, literally, a priceless "find." Enter the art thieves, murderers, and con men. Indeed, from this point on, murder and mayhem do follow and Brunetti is quick to pick up the case; indeed, he's quite eager for it. Guido had come to regard Brett and her lover, famed soprano Flavia Petrelli, as friends, if not suspects! Now, he is appalled at the brutality of the assault and fears for Brett's life. In the course of this investigation, more than one murder transpires, with art-world theft as the circulating theme. What has "high water" (Acqua Alta) to do with the book? Acqua Alta is the dread of every Venezian, as climatic changes cause the water in the canals to rise above their normal levls and a city ordinarily accustomed to much water anyway finds itself actually being inundated by even more of it! Thus, like Sandburg's fog in his Chicago poems, the water becomes another character, always looming, always rising, always threatening. But unlike Sandburg's fog, it doesn't creep in on little cat's feet. And it comes not to wash way the sins but to underscore them. The end comes with the usual "bang" and Brunetti is left to ponder the aftermath. His path of glory indeed leads but to the grave for his villains, as Thomas Gray might have written in his "Elegy." The book continues in true form to capture the Leon magic and is not one to miss.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First Sentence: Domestic tranquility prevailed.
Commissario Guido Brunetti sees the report of an assault on a woman he'd met during a previous case. Art historian Dotoressa Brett Lynch, staying with her lover, opera diva Flavia Petrelli, is in Venice to meet museum curator, Dottor Semenzati regarding ancient Chinese pots that had been on display in his museum but, when they arrive back in China, Brett finds some of them to be fake.
The men who assaulted her warn her not to meet with Semenzati. Later, Semenzati is found murdered at the museum and Brunetti's case has escalated.
From the opening page, I was completely hooked into this story. There is very good action and suspense, with an unforgettable climax.
Leon's depiction of the characters and their relationships is so well done. I love Brunetti's interactions with his family, his boss, Patta, and the remarkably resourceful Signorina Elettia.
Leon's descriptions of people and places gave me the feeling of being there, particularly during the scenes of "acqua alta," the high tide during the winter rains that causes Venice to flood.
The story includes information on art history and authentication which informs without detracting from the story. This may be my favorite book of the series, so far.
Commissario Guido Brunetti sees the report of an assault on a woman he'd met during a previous case. Art historian Dotoressa Brett Lynch, staying with her lover, opera diva Flavia Petrelli, is in Venice to meet museum curator, Dottor Semenzati regarding ancient Chinese pots that had been on display in his museum but, when they arrive back in China, Brett finds some of them to be fake.
The men who assaulted her warn her not to meet with Semenzati. Later, Semenzati is found murdered at the museum and Brunetti's case has escalated.
From the opening page, I was completely hooked into this story. There is very good action and suspense, with an unforgettable climax.
Leon's depiction of the characters and their relationships is so well done. I love Brunetti's interactions with his family, his boss, Patta, and the remarkably resourceful Signorina Elettia.
Leon's descriptions of people and places gave me the feeling of being there, particularly during the scenes of "acqua alta," the high tide during the winter rains that causes Venice to flood.
The story includes information on art history and authentication which informs without detracting from the story. This may be my favorite book of the series, so far.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Acqua Alta
Again Donna Leon writes with such good knowledge of the area and people who live there. I will be sorry when I get to the last book
Published 1 month ago by Deonigi
Leon's brilliance is reflected once again!
"Acqua Alta" is the fifth in Donna Leon's mesmerizing series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police and, as in the previous works, the author once again manages... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Billy J. Hobbs
Not impressed!
The story itself is up to Donna Leon's usual high standards, but the Kindle ebook copy is not! This is the second review I have posted and duplicates that of Quietly in Their Sleep... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Malbec
A good buy
The novel came quickly, & was in good condition, just as the seller described. I rarely have any complaints when I buy through Amazon.
Published 7 months ago by P. M. Creamer
Donna Leon gets out of her Depth
Commissario Brunetti, his family and the workers in his office have been a pleasure to get to know in a series of books. But Acqua Alta is a let-down. Read more
Published on 12 May 2010 by G. M. Sinstadt
Uncomplicated crime for once!
I think I liked this book more than the others since this book did not have the usual corrupt government organizations in it, nor the politicians that law can not touch. Read more
Published on 5 April 2010 by Luthien Arnatuile
One of Donna Leon's finest...
This is one of my favorite books in the Brunetti series. Read Death at La Fenice first, though, as it is interesting to meet the lesbian couple from the first book. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2010 by Marti Purull Urrea
The other side of Venice
Stumbled originally across Donna Leon whilst browsing through a bookshop in an airport. Being a lover of Venice, and thrillers, I immediately became hooked and am now working my... Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2009 by C. Rand
"It was the siren at San Marco, calling out to the sleeping city"
"It was the siren at San Marco, calling out to the sleeping city the news that the waters were rising: acqua alta had begun. Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2008 by Nicholas Casley
A Case That Can Be Solved Amid Flood Waters in Winter
Among the first four books in 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... Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2007 by Donald Mitchell
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