My Venice and Other Essays [Paperback]

Donna Leon’s wildly popular novels starring Venetian Commissario Guido Brunetti have been praised for their intricate plots and gripping narratives, but also for their insight into the culture, politics, family life, and history of Venice, one of the world’s most treasured cities and Leon’s home for over thirty years. Leon’s books open the doors to a private Venice, beyond the reach of the millions of international travelers who delight in the city’s canals, food, and art every year.

My Venice and Other Essaysis a treat for lovers of Italy andLa Serenissima. Collected here are over fifty funny, charming, passionate, and insightful essays that range from battles over garbage in the canals to troubles with rehabbing Venetian real estate. Leon shares episodes from her life in Venice, explores her love of opera, and recounts tales from in and around her country house in the mountains. With poignant observations and humor, she also explores her family history and former life in New Jersey, and the idea of the Italian man.

Donna Leonis the author of the internationally bestselling Commissario Guido Brunetti series. The winner of the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, among other awards, Leon was born in New Jersey and has lived in Venice for thirty years.

“Leon . . . takes both loving and jaundiced looks at Italy and the United States, music, men and many other subjects inMy Venice.”—New York Times Book Review

“Entertaining [and] unapologetically opinionated.”—New York Times

“Cheerfully opinionated. . . . An intriguing glimpse at the strong views of an exceptionally interesting and entertaining novelist.”—Seattle Times

“So keenly observed that they almost make me homesick for a city I’ve only visited . . . [Leon’s essays] have the kind of friendly intimacy of a letter flӟ