Mit Brunetti durch Venedig

by Donna Leon, Toni Sepeda

Rare Book

Genres: Travel, Italy, Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Donna Leon (born September 29, 1942, in Montclair, New Jersey) is an American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice and featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti.

Donna Leon has lived in Venice for over twenty-five years. She has worked as a lecturer in English Literature for the University of Maryland University College - Europe (UMUC-Europe) in Italy, then as a Professor from 1981 to 1999 at the american military base of Vicenza (Italy) and a writer.

Her crime novels are all situated in or near Venice. They are written in English and translated into many foreign languages, although not, by her request, into Italian. Her ninth Brunetti novel, Friends in High Places, won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2000.

Series:
* Commissario Brunetti

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you plan a visit to Venice and want to see the places in Leon's Brunetti books, this volume might be a useful guide. Sepeda provides a dozen walks and a tour of the canal's islands along with snippets from the books showing Brunetti's activity along the way. However, if you are an armchair traveler like myself, you are likely to be disappointed. There are no photographs. Maps are included. Donna Leon wrote the introduction. It's a good companion to the books, but the book's lack of photographs likely limited the audience to only series fans who are going to Venice or to the few die-hard fans who will purchase everything connected to Brunetti.

[Mike Violano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I selected this book because I've loved being in Venice and walking the city and I'm a long time fan of Donna Leon's Venetian mysteries. The dozen walking tours skillfully blend the sights with passages from various novels featuring Brunetti, and other characters and settings from the mysteries.
Venice is by far my favorite walking city. You always get a bit lost but you're never truly lost. Part of the enchantment of the city is discovering the history and people in the buildings, the shops and life along and on the canals. Sunrise in Venice is a sight that shouldn't be missed.
The walking tours are terrific. The book loses half a star because there is no index. The book would also benefit, and be more enjoyable for the armchair traveler, from a few photographs of key sights along each walk.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donna Leon's series of Venice-set mystery novels starring Commissario Guido Brunetti provide an understanding of the unique community that is not available in any conventional travel book. Brunetti's (and Ms. Leon's) knowledge, appreciation, and criticism of all things Venetian provided us with a wider vision of what it was really like to live there and illuminated our most recent trip to the island city.

The 11 walks in Ms. Sepeda's book gave us even more insights, particularly as she juxtaposed paragraphs from 16 of the novels (with Leon's permission) with Sepeda's own knowledge and observations. We learn about the where and why of Brunetti's walks, about calle and campos that he visits, about restaurants and other stores that he frequents. Many of the restaurants and retail places actually exist, and Sepeda identifies their exact location.

Ms. Sepeda, a professor of literature and art history in northern Italy, is the only person authorized by Donna Leon to conduct Brunetti tours of Venice.

I highly recommend that anybody planning on a trip to Venice read some (all) of the Brunetti novels and this book to get a better understanding of the unique community and culture that is Venice.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever been to Venice, or just love Guido Brunetti mysteries, this guidebook to a series of walks around the city is a wonderful treat. Sepeda uses the plotlines of the first fifteen Brunetti mysteries to lead the reader on adventures throughout Venice. I learned so many things I didn't know from three previous trips there. Next time, I'm taking this book so that I can explore the non-touristy parts of town with more wisdom. Who knew I'd passed the Aldine Press building or art treasures hidden in obscure little churches without even noticing? I want to try a few of those restaurants she speaks of with gusto too.

[Toni NB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for walking around Venice and more so if you’re also a reader of Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series set in Venice.

Arranges 12 walks among the 6 neighborhoods (sestieri) of Venice and include tips and highlights, interesting bits of history and information. Folded in are passages from the various Brunetti novels set in the various sestieri.
The walks end at 82% on my kindle.
Followed by similar discussion of the Laguna and small islands. This ends at 92%.
The remaining pages are the first two chapters of La Fenice, book one of the Commissario series.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovered this on the shelves in Liberia Goldoni while I was having my 'extended time' in Venice - a great treat and so I was able to track through the book 'on the ground' as they say! Quite fun. Point is, I'm afraid I just don't say anything bad about a) Brunetti and b)Venice! If you, too, enjoy both, you'll have a happy time w/ this.

[Erlinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so far. Each "walk" follows fictional character Commissario Guido Brunetti as he travels through Venice's neighborhoods which are richly described by passages from Donna Leon's novels.

[Javier HG · Rating 4 out of 5]

El comisario Guido Brunetti es un personaje de ficción creado por la escritora estadounidense afincada en Venecia Donna Leon. Parte misterio, parte oda a la propia ciudad, las novelas de Leon mezclan a partes iguales la descripción de la trama y de la ciudad.

Esta guía complementa la anterior. Si "La Venecia secreta del Corto Maltés" habla de la historia de la ciudad, de sus ciudadanos ilustres y sus costumbres que vienen de siglos, "Paseos por Venecia" habla de la Venecia actual y de sus habitantes, en qué barrios viven, dónde compran, dónde van a comer o cenar o simplemente cómo viven los venecianos de hoy en día. Ésta guía da más consejos sobre dónde comer o tomarse esos magníficos cappuccinos, pero no esperéis consejos sobre hoteles o mapas de las líneas de vaporetto (aunque si tiene mapas muy completos de la ciudad).

Si tenéis que elegir, elegid "La Venecia secreta del Corto Maltés", pero si os podéis llevar las dos guías, llevároslas. Os harán disfrutar mucho más de vuestro viaje.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I told my husband in the midst of the COVID lock down, which hit Northern Italy very hard very early--just like the plague before it in medieval times--that Venice was the next city in Italy that I wanted to go to, he got me this book. We had a wonderful time the year before exploring the Perigord where Chief Bruno lived, and he hoped for the same for Venice. I didn't quite fall in love like I did in Bruno's part of France, but it was fun to read this book and reflect on the things I was walking by on the streets of Venice. The book leans quite heavily on exact passages from Donna Leon's books, which I ound to be not great, and less on the history, which is the authors area of expertise, but still, as a fan of the series, this was worth a read while actually on the streets of Venice.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read at least a few of Donna Leon's mysteries with the charming Guido Brunetti, and if you love Venice, this book will appeal to you. Since I have, and I do, I enjoyed this book.

It is NOT a travel guide. The walks are linked to Brunetti's travels around Venice as he solves crimes.

My rating of only three stars is because of a readability issue. The descriptions of the walks are interspersed with passages from Leon's books. I understand the need to differentiate between the two somehow. But the publishers chose to print the book excerpts in gray, making them darned hard to see. There were other choices, and I don't understand why they thought this was a good idea. It wasn't.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Venice is an enchanting little city to walk, and although I've only read one of Donna Leon's lovely mysteries, I thought this would be a nice read as I prepare for my second very brief visit. The maps and descriptions have given me new ideas for enjoying time away from the traditional tourist areas.

That said, each chapter quotes from the books heavily, making the book better suited to deep-cut fans for her novels who are going to spend more time lingering in Venice.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quirky look at Venice through the eyes of Donna Leon's fictional detective Commisario Brunetti, and takes the reader on walks around the city as described in the novels. Probably make more sense to read it in Venice and follow up on the hints. As a reader of Donna Leon I found it quite entertaining.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for exploring Venice away from the crowds. Maps are very detailed and the narrative interweaves the various book plots. A visit to La Fenice is a good starting point. Of course now I have to go back and reread the earlier books, but now am looking forward to recognizing many of the places and appreciating even more the Brunetti/ León sense of Venice.

[Jan Vranken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect guide to Venice and an invitation meet Donna Leon's commissario Brunetti. Very well written, makes you want to return straight to Venice.

[sharon denham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to visit Venice. Spent a great weekend following this book. Loved seeing actual settings really helps you get into the books and life of Venetians.

[LouLovesItaly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. It links with the Donna Leon books. Brunetti is a complex character, but extremely likeable.

[Eileen Gaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very ambitious project - interweaving walks in and around Venice with pertinent passages from the novels. It made me want to read again those I’d already enjoyed.

[Roger Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Useless for the reader of Donna Leon's books A better idea of what Venice is like can be had from Google Maps which has a streetside feature.

[Judith Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't really what I expected (although the clue is in the title and I was obviously just being dozy), as it's a number of suggested walks around Venice, in the footsteps of Brunetti. Each walk is described and is illustrated with both detailed maps and extracts from the novels. It's a pleasant enough read if you're a fan, but would mean a lot more if you either knew Venice well or, ideally, were actually IN Venice and could do the walks!

[Lothar Pawliczak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diese Brunetti-Präsentation (In deutscher Sprache in 7. Aufklage 2012 erschienen) ist gewissermaßen durch ein Vorwort von Donna Leon veredelt. Man beeilt sich auch, auf dem Rücktitel zu versichern, daß die Autorin die einzige sei, die von Donna Leon autorisierte Führungen auf den Spuren des Commissario leite. Was soll damit gesagt werden? Sind etwa Katharina Holtmann (Auf den Spuren von Donna Leons Romanen) und Elisabeth Hoffmann, Karl-L. Heinrich (www.brunettistadtplan.de) nicht auch hinreichend legitimiert, Brunetti-Führungen in Venedig anzubieten? Muß ich und alle, die in Venedig, im Internet oder sonst irgendwo Bemerkungen zu "Brunetti in Venedig" machen wollen, Donna Leon vorher um Erlaubnis fragen? Wie jede Dienstleistung beglaubigen sich Stadtführungen und Bücher - auch das sind Dienstleistungen als Medium indirekten Erzählens - allein durch ihre Qualität selbst! Ich weiß auch nicht, wie solch eine "Autorisierung" möglich ist, wenn ich dies aber zu Ende denke, dürften sich wohl in der Konsequenz auch nur jeweils diejenigen zu Büchern äußern, die vom betreffenden Autor ausdrücklich dazu ermächtigt worden sind. Das Bedürfnis, Befugnisse zu erteilen, wie auch die Tatsache, daß sich Donna Leon standhaft weigert, ihre Venedig-Bücher ins Italienische übersetzen zu lassen, scheint mir darauf hinzudeuten, daß sie mit Kritik an ihren Werken nicht umgehen kann. Ich will es damit aber lieber beim Ausdeuten belassen, und mich an den Text halten.
So sei der Text an im Vorwort formulierten Anspruch geprüft: "In meiner Vorstellung ist Brunetti jemand, dessen Bild von seiner Stadt sich aus lauter solchen Anekdoten und Episoden zusammensetzt... Das vorliegende Buch begleitet Brunetti durch die einzelnen sestieri und blickt mit seinen Augen und Sinnen auf Orte, die ihm ein Leben lang vertraut sind." (S. 9f) Das kann ich voll und ganz bestätigen. Zwölf Rundgänge und eine Inselrundfahrt führen zu Handlungsorten der Brunetti-Bücher. Szenen und Örtlichkeiten werden vorgestellt, Textpassagen zitiert. Ordentliche Karten und Signaltexte auf der Randleiste machen alles gut übersichtlich nachvollziehbar. Allerdings hätte man auf der Randleiste auch noch die genaue Adresse, bitteschön auch mit Hausnummer, der jeweiligen Lokalitäten angeben sollen. Übrigens: Es ist ein unter anderen auch von Donna Leon verbreitetes und durchaus unzutreffendes Klischee, daß die Nummerierung der Häuser in Venedig total verwirrend sei (Die Hausnummern sind in den Straßen stets fortlaufend.). Dieses und andere Donna-Leon-Klischees werden von Sepeda nicht hinterfragt, sondern imitiert.
Bei allem Lob - ich hatte ziemliche Mühen, mich durch die 361 Seiten durchzukämpfen. Wahrscheinlich muß man alle - bislang 16 - Brunetti-Bücher gelesen und parat haben, um an der Vorstellung Sepedas seine reine Freude zu haben. Damit kann ich leider nicht dienen. Mir wäre es auch schwer gefallen, die Texte von Sepeda von den Original-Brunetti-Texten zu unterscheiden, wenn die Donna-Leon-Zitate nicht in blauer Farbe gedruckt gewesen wären. Sepeda reproduziert quasi Donna Leon. Man könnte fast zu der Auffassung kommen, die Lektüre Sepedas ersetze die der Bücher, auf die sie sich bezieht. Das ist vielleicht Ansichtssache, ob man dies für gut oder schlecht hält. Man findet bei Sepeda wenig über Donna Leon hinausgehende Gedankengänge und keinerlei kritische Erwägungen, selbst nicht zu den abfälligen Gedanken über Touristen, die Brunetti untergeschoben werden, oder etwa zu den immer wiederkehrenden Mäkeleien am Wetter, das sich buchstäblich jeweils nach Brunettis Stimmungen richtet. Ist es z.B. wirklich so, daß "die Laguna veneta dem Venezianer so unnahbar fern vorkommt" (S. 329)? Ist die Lagune wirklich "für einen Venezianer wie Brunetti weitgehend unbekanntes Terrain" (S. 336) oder vielleicht nur für Brunetti-Leon? Im letzen Kapitel wird besonders deutlich, wie sehr Sepeda die Klischees und Irrtümer von Donnna Leon teilt. Ich vermute vornehmlich das ist es, was ihr deren ganze Sympathie sichert. Entschuldigung, jetzt bin ich doch wieder in Mutmaßungen verfallen.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming walking tour of "Brunetti's Venice." Commissario Guido Brunetti is the main character in Donna Leon's mystery series.

Aside from being an interesting and educational read, it can be used as a guidebook for ones own tour of Venice, and/or a companion to the first seventeen mysteries written in this series (there are 18 right now with #19 due out in April 2010).

At the beginning of each chapter is a map of the region covered. Inside each chapter the author lays out where we are, including the history, followed by excerpts from the novels which show Brunetti's experiences, thoughts, observations, and his intense love for his city.

Being a big fan of Commissario Guido Brunetti and his mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Both my husband and I are big fans of Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti; we love his descriptions of Venice as he walks the streets and takes the vaporetto, we love his love of his family, and home, and the meals they eat. We love that one of the recurring main characters is Venice, the city itself, with all the charm, and all the corruption of daily life. We will be in Venice later in the year, and wanted to see it through Brunetti's eyes. This book has a series of walks Brunetti takes, with important sights listed, and restaurants and coffee shops where he stops. It quotes directly from the books, and focuses on those places Brunetti prefers.

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I didn't give this five stars, actually, other than it really helps to have read all the novels. But for fans who visit Venice, this is a fantastic series of six journeys, each of which take the walker into places he/she would simply never find without guidance. If you've never been to Venice, you can't understand how easy it is (a) to get lost and (b) to be unable to find what you were looking for. This book helps you avoid that.

Read the novels. Go and visit Venice. Take this with you, for goodness' sake.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a disappointment. Leon's introduction was very good, but the following chapter was dry and somewhat like a tour guide's recitation. I would take it with me on a visit to Venice, but it doesn't work for me as an armchair traveller (I've been to Venice several times and love Leon's authentic atmosphere).

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a prior student of Dr. Toni Sepeda, the author, and luck recipient of several of her walking tour experiences, as well as a huge Donna Leon fan, this book was a wonderful opportunity to go back to Venice and enjoy them all over again! The walks are interesting as is, but are truly a must read/do for any Brunnetti fan!

[Christiane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm no fan of the Brunetti mysteries (finding them a bit on the lame side) but the walks suggested in this book based on the Commissario's itineraries in Venice are very good and there is a lot of insider information on the city.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Walk in Brunetti's footsteps through Venice.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting if you have been to Venice and are a Donna Leon fan, but hard to picture nevertheless.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expected these walks would revive memories of Venice, but unfortunately for me , not so much.

[Cyndy]

Looking forward to reading this one.