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Title details for Wandering through Life by Donna Leon - Available

Wandering through Life

by Donna Leon
Suzanne Toren
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
The internationally bestselling author of the Guido Brunetti mysteries tells her own adventurous life story as she enters her eighties
In a series of vignettes full of affection, irony, and good humor, Donna Leon narrates a remarkable life she feels has rather more happened to her than been planned.
Following a childhood in the company of her New Jersey family, with frequent visits to her grandfather's farm and its beloved animals, and summers spent selling homegrown tomatoes by the roadside, Leon got her first taste of the classical music and opera that would enrich
her life. She also developed a yen for adventure. In 1976, she made the spontaneous decision to teach English in Iran, before finding herself swept up in the early days of the 1979 Revolution. After teaching stints in China and Saudi Arabia, she finally landed in Venice. Leon vividly
animates her decades-long love affair with Italy, from her first magical dinner when serving as a chaperone to a friend, to the hunt for the perfect cappuccino, to the warfare tactics of grandmothers doing their grocery shopping at the Rialto Market.
Some things remain constant throughout the decades: her adoration of opera, especially Handel's vocal music, and her advocacy for the environment, embodied in her passion for bees—which informs the surprising crux of the Brunetti mystery Earthly Remains. Even as mass tourism
takes its toll on the patience of residents,Leon's passion for Venice also remains unchanged: its outrageous beauty and magic still captivate her.
Having recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, Leon poignantly confronts the dual challenges and pleasures of aging. Complete with a brief letter dissuading those hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused with music, food, and her sharp sense of humor,
Wandering through Life offers Donna Leon at her most personal.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 19, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9798889567127
      • File size: 147380 KB
      • Duration: 05:07:02

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Suzanne Toren gives an exemplary performance of this memoir by Donna Leon, author of the Commissario Brunetti mystery series. Leon, who is in her 80s, shares illuminating vignettes of her family; her love of reading, tennis, and opera; her travels and her life in Venice; and her peripatetic career path in a life she describes as "unplanned." Toren's rich, elegant voice helps listeners settle into Leon's reminiscences, which blend into a magnificent tapestry of her life. Toren perfectly paces the narrative, pausing to highlight moments of joy or difficulty, and bringing forth the humor sprinkled throughout. While Leon's fans will appreciate learning of her personal history, this audiobook will also be of interest to a general audience as a testament to an adventurous and spirited life. M.J. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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