Wandering Through Life: A Memoir -- Donna Leon, Hardcover

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 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.

Author: Donna Leon
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Published: 09/19/2023
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.50w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780802161581

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2023
Library Journal 08/01/2023 pg. 95
Booklist 08/01/2023 pg. 15
Publishers Weekly 09/18/2023