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The Jewels of Paradise
A New York Times Bestselling Author -- Like so many native Venetians, Caterina Pellegrini has had to leave home to pursue her career. With a doctorate in baroque opera, she jumps at an unusual opportunity back home. Two locked trunks believed to contain the papers of a baroque composer have been discovered, and two descendants claim inheritance. Caterina's job is to discover the "testamentary disposition" of the composer. But the research takes her in unexpected directions. . .
407 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2012
950 people are currently reading
1362 people want to read
About the author
Donna Leon
108 books2,932 followersDonna 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 728 reviews
July 11, 2017
I don't know why I keep doing this, I really don't.
The sad truth is that I just don't like Donna Leon's books. It sucks to have to admit this, because I've read so many of her Guido Brunetti mystery series, plus one nonfiction book, and it feels like I wasted all of that time. In a way, I went into The Jewels of Paradise thinking that this would be the final, deciding factor that either convinced me to stick with Leon's books, or give them up as a lost cause. I thought that, because this is a standalone novel and not part of her detective series, maybe the things that bothered me about those books wouldn't be present here, and Leon would be able to branch out into something new. Sadly, this was not the case.
As with all Leon mysteries, it's a good setup: Caterina Pellegrini is musicologist specializing in Baroque opera, and is called back to her native Venice for a research job. It's an unusual assignment, to say the least - two men have discovered a pair of trunks, left behind by a shared ancestor, that have not been opened for centuries. The ancestor died without children, and the trunks are full of his personal papers, written in multiple languages. Caterina has two jobs: go through the documents and figure out if any of them are valuable (the ancestor, we learn, was the Baroque composer Antonio Stefani), and read his personal papers to see if Stefani ever expressed a preference for either of the men's ancestors - they will use this information to decide who gets the items in the trunks.
The books is sort of set up as a historical mystery, because Caterina finds out that the composer was involved in some murder scandal when he was working at the royal court in Germany, but the mystery itself gets figured out pretty quickly and with very little fanfare, so it ends up being kind of a nonstarter. Leon also tries to create some tension by having a mysterious man follow Caterina around for a bit, and it's such a pointless, stupid subplot because we eventually find out that
Basically, this is an entire book of teased intrigue that Leon either can't be bothered to develop fully, or just drops entirely. The men who hired Caterina have a lawyer representing him, and Leon teases us with the possibility of a romance, and then apparently got bored of that. We find out that the lawyer
There's also an extended subplot about Caterina's sister Christina, who is a nun and helps Caterina out with her research. She's also considering leaving the church, so valuable story space is wasted exploring that non-angle. She and Caterina communicate through email, and they also have a supremely irritating habit of calling each other cutesy nicknames - "Tina-Lina" and "Kitty-Cati." The audiobook reader's simpering delivery of this robbed the nicknames of any chance of being charming, and it just made me grate my teeth every time I heard it.
But mostly, I was irritated with this book because I thought of a great joke about it early on, and it distracted me for the rest of the book. Okay, so the composer was also heavily involved with the Church, and Caterina realizes early on that he was actually a castrato. There's a reference in one of his papers to his having received "the jewels of paradise," which is why everyone is convinced that the trunks contain treasure.
So we have a story about a woman whose hired by two men to research their ancestor, who was castrated, and left behind trunks that may contain "the jewels of paradise." So I guess you could say they're searching for....
...the family jewels.
The sad truth is that I just don't like Donna Leon's books. It sucks to have to admit this, because I've read so many of her Guido Brunetti mystery series, plus one nonfiction book, and it feels like I wasted all of that time. In a way, I went into The Jewels of Paradise thinking that this would be the final, deciding factor that either convinced me to stick with Leon's books, or give them up as a lost cause. I thought that, because this is a standalone novel and not part of her detective series, maybe the things that bothered me about those books wouldn't be present here, and Leon would be able to branch out into something new. Sadly, this was not the case.
As with all Leon mysteries, it's a good setup: Caterina Pellegrini is musicologist specializing in Baroque opera, and is called back to her native Venice for a research job. It's an unusual assignment, to say the least - two men have discovered a pair of trunks, left behind by a shared ancestor, that have not been opened for centuries. The ancestor died without children, and the trunks are full of his personal papers, written in multiple languages. Caterina has two jobs: go through the documents and figure out if any of them are valuable (the ancestor, we learn, was the Baroque composer Antonio Stefani), and read his personal papers to see if Stefani ever expressed a preference for either of the men's ancestors - they will use this information to decide who gets the items in the trunks.
The books is sort of set up as a historical mystery, because Caterina finds out that the composer was involved in some murder scandal when he was working at the royal court in Germany, but the mystery itself gets figured out pretty quickly and with very little fanfare, so it ends up being kind of a nonstarter. Leon also tries to create some tension by having a mysterious man follow Caterina around for a bit, and it's such a pointless, stupid subplot because we eventually find out that
Basically, this is an entire book of teased intrigue that Leon either can't be bothered to develop fully, or just drops entirely. The men who hired Caterina have a lawyer representing him, and Leon teases us with the possibility of a romance, and then apparently got bored of that. We find out that the lawyer
There's also an extended subplot about Caterina's sister Christina, who is a nun and helps Caterina out with her research. She's also considering leaving the church, so valuable story space is wasted exploring that non-angle. She and Caterina communicate through email, and they also have a supremely irritating habit of calling each other cutesy nicknames - "Tina-Lina" and "Kitty-Cati." The audiobook reader's simpering delivery of this robbed the nicknames of any chance of being charming, and it just made me grate my teeth every time I heard it.
But mostly, I was irritated with this book because I thought of a great joke about it early on, and it distracted me for the rest of the book. Okay, so the composer was also heavily involved with the Church, and Caterina realizes early on that he was actually a castrato. There's a reference in one of his papers to his having received "the jewels of paradise," which is why everyone is convinced that the trunks contain treasure.
So we have a story about a woman whose hired by two men to research their ancestor, who was castrated, and left behind trunks that may contain "the jewels of paradise." So I guess you could say they're searching for....
...the family jewels.
January 6, 2013
I was disappointed by this novel. Having read and enjoyed all of Leon's Brunetti novels, I had hoped that this would be a nice change. Sadly, it fails in several ways and offers little in compensation for its failures.
A musicologist originally from Venice is working as a researcher in Manchester when she hears about a temporary research job in Venice. She applies for the job and is accepted, and gladly abandons her job in England to return to her birthplace. Her task is to analyze the contents of 2 trunks containing papers and perhaps personal belongings of an 18th century priest and composer named Steffani. Two descendants of Steffani, two unsavory cousins living in Venice, are convinced that Steffani had treasure, and the cousins want it, and hope that the trunks contain a will that will entitle them to recover the treasure.
From this premise Leon attempts to write a novel with historical depth, suspense, and intrigue, with modern Venice as the setting, and to create a new character, the researcher, that will engage and interest us. But the only success she achieves in this novel is to convey her love of the beauty of Venice. The historical aspects of the novel seem shallow or truncated. The suspense and intrigue are not fully developed. The character seems rough-edged rather than complex and fully defined, as though Leon were unable to find the right ways to have the character act.
If you are a fan of the Brunetti series, nothing I say here will dissuade you from reading Jewels of Paradise - and, by all means, read it. But if you have never read any Donna Leon, please, please!, read the Brunetti novels before you read this.
A musicologist originally from Venice is working as a researcher in Manchester when she hears about a temporary research job in Venice. She applies for the job and is accepted, and gladly abandons her job in England to return to her birthplace. Her task is to analyze the contents of 2 trunks containing papers and perhaps personal belongings of an 18th century priest and composer named Steffani. Two descendants of Steffani, two unsavory cousins living in Venice, are convinced that Steffani had treasure, and the cousins want it, and hope that the trunks contain a will that will entitle them to recover the treasure.
From this premise Leon attempts to write a novel with historical depth, suspense, and intrigue, with modern Venice as the setting, and to create a new character, the researcher, that will engage and interest us. But the only success she achieves in this novel is to convey her love of the beauty of Venice. The historical aspects of the novel seem shallow or truncated. The suspense and intrigue are not fully developed. The character seems rough-edged rather than complex and fully defined, as though Leon were unable to find the right ways to have the character act.
If you are a fan of the Brunetti series, nothing I say here will dissuade you from reading Jewels of Paradise - and, by all means, read it. But if you have never read any Donna Leon, please, please!, read the Brunetti novels before you read this.
May 15, 2020
3,50 sterren - afgerond 4 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Een heel ander boek als de inspecteur Brunetti reeks kun je rustig zeggen. Maar dat verwachte ik ook. Haar geliefde Venetië speelt wederom een van de hoofdrollen in dit boek. Catarina Pollegrini houdt van Muziek. Barok muziek. Als ze dan ook wordt benadert om twee kisten te onderzoeken, mogelijk gevuld met o.a. Het testament van een componist grijpt ze die met beide handen aan. Muziek en haar geboorte stad Venetië. Een combinatie die ze niet kan laten gaan. De spanning moet je niet zoeken in lijken ect. Het boek staat vol met kunst, historie en muziek. Heb dan ook regelmatig met de iPad en Google open, dit boek gelezen. Vele verwijzingen maakte dat de verhaallijn soms onduidelijk was. Ik vind het ook meer een literaire roman dan een thriller. De who done it is nauwelijks aan de orde. Historische Mystery roman. Ja, dat is de juiste bewoording voor mij. Door dat de tijdslijn voor mij soms zo onduidelijk was en de karakter ontplooiing van de hoofdpersoon helaas maar 3,5 ster.
Een heel ander boek als de inspecteur Brunetti reeks kun je rustig zeggen. Maar dat verwachte ik ook. Haar geliefde Venetië speelt wederom een van de hoofdrollen in dit boek. Catarina Pollegrini houdt van Muziek. Barok muziek. Als ze dan ook wordt benadert om twee kisten te onderzoeken, mogelijk gevuld met o.a. Het testament van een componist grijpt ze die met beide handen aan. Muziek en haar geboorte stad Venetië. Een combinatie die ze niet kan laten gaan. De spanning moet je niet zoeken in lijken ect. Het boek staat vol met kunst, historie en muziek. Heb dan ook regelmatig met de iPad en Google open, dit boek gelezen. Vele verwijzingen maakte dat de verhaallijn soms onduidelijk was. Ik vind het ook meer een literaire roman dan een thriller. De who done it is nauwelijks aan de orde. Historische Mystery roman. Ja, dat is de juiste bewoording voor mij. Door dat de tijdslijn voor mij soms zo onduidelijk was en de karakter ontplooiing van de hoofdpersoon helaas maar 3,5 ster.
August 14, 2019
Thirty-something musicologist Caterina Pellegrini is head-hunted from the University of Manchester and returns to Venice to research the papers sealed in two trunks belonging to eighteenth century Baroque composer, Bishop Agostino Steffani, by two of his descendants. Neither man is interested in music or religion, are suspicious of each other and of her, both chasing the reputed “treasure” in the will. Interceding is a lawyer Dottor Andrea Moretti, who Caterina finds herself attracted to.
Footsteps approached, and then Dottor Moretti was in the doorway. Just as she remembered him: dark grey suit with a faint stripe of of lighter grey, dark blue tie with a stripe so discreet as to reveal itself only under torture...
Working from a small office of a Foundation she delves into the papers (a dry affair), finding only one piece of music, and Caterina realises she needs to research the man himself, and contacts an old friend who works at the library.
It took her no more than ten minutes to get there; to pass in front of the two caryatids and into the lobby of the Marciana was to move from the constant crowding of the Piazza into the calm tranquility that thoughts and books that contained them were meant to give. She stood for a moment, as if she were a diver waiting to decompress...
Between the library and the foundation, Caterina catches up with her own family, feels she is being stalked, and has dinner with Moretti, who is not all that he seems. Much of the book is taken up by her research, hinting at scandal and a possible murder, with little pointing in the direction of any amassed wealth, and the Bishop was said to die in poverty..
(Steffani) had passed most of his life in Germany, going back to Italy only occasionally and usually for fairly short periods. How much had he seen of his relatives and their children? Had he seen them, known them, tossed them in the air and played with them and sung his songs to them? And the cousins, these men who descended from the children’s children of his cousins, with what right did they stake a claim to his papers and estate, and where did the idea of a ‘treasure’ come from?
Caterina notes Steffani’s lack of success as a diplomat: he failed to prevent his former patron from getting mixed up in a war against England and Germany he had no chance of winning and he failed to arrange a marriage between Maximilian Emanuel and Sophie Charlotte, who turned him down, got an upgrade, and ended as Queen of Prussia...
This standalone novel is a slow-burner, and might not appeal to fans of the Commissario Brunetti series, but overall I enjoyed it. A complete departure from my usual reading fare. What I liked most, aside from her use of language and her love of Venice, is that I was drawn in by Caterina’s discoveries and had to remind myself that this was fiction, or a fictionalised account of people who lived three centuries ago. At one point Caterina wonders at the journeys undertaken back them, the writing with quill pens. Not quite a love story, and the ending was classic in the true sense of what people consider as “of value”.
Footsteps approached, and then Dottor Moretti was in the doorway. Just as she remembered him: dark grey suit with a faint stripe of of lighter grey, dark blue tie with a stripe so discreet as to reveal itself only under torture...
Working from a small office of a Foundation she delves into the papers (a dry affair), finding only one piece of music, and Caterina realises she needs to research the man himself, and contacts an old friend who works at the library.
It took her no more than ten minutes to get there; to pass in front of the two caryatids and into the lobby of the Marciana was to move from the constant crowding of the Piazza into the calm tranquility that thoughts and books that contained them were meant to give. She stood for a moment, as if she were a diver waiting to decompress...
Between the library and the foundation, Caterina catches up with her own family, feels she is being stalked, and has dinner with Moretti, who is not all that he seems. Much of the book is taken up by her research, hinting at scandal and a possible murder, with little pointing in the direction of any amassed wealth, and the Bishop was said to die in poverty..
(Steffani) had passed most of his life in Germany, going back to Italy only occasionally and usually for fairly short periods. How much had he seen of his relatives and their children? Had he seen them, known them, tossed them in the air and played with them and sung his songs to them? And the cousins, these men who descended from the children’s children of his cousins, with what right did they stake a claim to his papers and estate, and where did the idea of a ‘treasure’ come from?
Caterina notes Steffani’s lack of success as a diplomat: he failed to prevent his former patron from getting mixed up in a war against England and Germany he had no chance of winning and he failed to arrange a marriage between Maximilian Emanuel and Sophie Charlotte, who turned him down, got an upgrade, and ended as Queen of Prussia...
This standalone novel is a slow-burner, and might not appeal to fans of the Commissario Brunetti series, but overall I enjoyed it. A complete departure from my usual reading fare. What I liked most, aside from her use of language and her love of Venice, is that I was drawn in by Caterina’s discoveries and had to remind myself that this was fiction, or a fictionalised account of people who lived three centuries ago. At one point Caterina wonders at the journeys undertaken back them, the writing with quill pens. Not quite a love story, and the ending was classic in the true sense of what people consider as “of value”.
June 4, 2020
First Sentence: Caterina Pelligrini closed the door behind her and leaned her back and then her head against it.
Caterina Pelligrini has a degree in baroque opera and is Venetian by birth but working in Manchester, England. The offer of a job allows her to return home. Two locked trunks, centuries-old and thought to belong to a mostly forgotten composer, have been discovered. Although there are no direct descendants, two cousins claim an inheritance and are anxious to discover the rumored treasure thought to be contained within the trunks. With the support of Rosanna Salvi, acting director of the La Fondazione Musicale Italo-Tedesca, and Dottor Moretti, the intermediary between Caterina and the cousins, she searches for this treasure and finds a history she never expected.
This a book only a true opera lover can even begin to enjoy, and only for the opera aspect which is thin in itself. There is very little mystery. Italian phrases that are not translated and whose meaning is not always clear from their use, so you’re either left in the dark for feeling like an idiot. There are numerous characters who float in- and out- of the story but few have a real presence. There were times I enjoyed Caterina, and times she annoyed me beyond belief. There is little, to no suspense, and only a thin attraction to another character. The historical character, who is a real character, is, again, only really interesting to opera fans. The book is completely lacking Ms. Leon’s previously characteristic humor—except in the email communications with her sister--strong sense of place and wonderful descriptions of food.
“The Jewels of Paradise” really is an indulgence book; the author’s indulgence, not the readers. If you live, breathe and are somewhat of an expert on baroque opera; you might enjoy it. Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to wait, and desperately hope, for another book in Ms. Leon’s wonderful Brunetti series.
THE JEWELS OF PARADISE (Mystery-Caterina Pelligrini-Venice, Italy-Contemp) - Okay
Leon, Donna
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2012
Caterina Pelligrini has a degree in baroque opera and is Venetian by birth but working in Manchester, England. The offer of a job allows her to return home. Two locked trunks, centuries-old and thought to belong to a mostly forgotten composer, have been discovered. Although there are no direct descendants, two cousins claim an inheritance and are anxious to discover the rumored treasure thought to be contained within the trunks. With the support of Rosanna Salvi, acting director of the La Fondazione Musicale Italo-Tedesca, and Dottor Moretti, the intermediary between Caterina and the cousins, she searches for this treasure and finds a history she never expected.
This a book only a true opera lover can even begin to enjoy, and only for the opera aspect which is thin in itself. There is very little mystery. Italian phrases that are not translated and whose meaning is not always clear from their use, so you’re either left in the dark for feeling like an idiot. There are numerous characters who float in- and out- of the story but few have a real presence. There were times I enjoyed Caterina, and times she annoyed me beyond belief. There is little, to no suspense, and only a thin attraction to another character. The historical character, who is a real character, is, again, only really interesting to opera fans. The book is completely lacking Ms. Leon’s previously characteristic humor—except in the email communications with her sister--strong sense of place and wonderful descriptions of food.
“The Jewels of Paradise” really is an indulgence book; the author’s indulgence, not the readers. If you live, breathe and are somewhat of an expert on baroque opera; you might enjoy it. Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to wait, and desperately hope, for another book in Ms. Leon’s wonderful Brunetti series.
THE JEWELS OF PARADISE (Mystery-Caterina Pelligrini-Venice, Italy-Contemp) - Okay
Leon, Donna
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2012
November 24, 2012
Though I had not read a book by this author before, I can tell she knows how to write. So why has she presented us with this mishmash of meaningless (and sometimes downright boring) narrative? There were some glimpses of what the author is capable of in the letters between the main character and her sister. But most of the book leads you on to expect things you never get--such as an understanding of the lawyer, why he is involved and what motivates him. Furthermore, there were times when the main character behaves in ways that seemed either at odds with her personality or utterly nonsensical. For example, what careful researcher would be found eating chocolates in a library and not just once? And when she realizes she is being followed, she goes down a narrow alley? She is so terrified by being followed that she throws up but then feels no concern about her safety while alone in her apartment? I just didn't get this woman. The ending of the book--and by that I mean the final paragraph or two --struck me as completely unbelievable. Was the author as sick of this story as I was, so she tacked this on hurriedly because she really didn't care enough to write a real ending? I could say a lot more about the problems I had with this book, but why should I invest anymore time in something even the author seems to care so little about?
February 19, 2013
It is said that Agatha Christie tired of Poirot, and that Conan Doyle wanted, after a time, to kill off Sherlock Holmes. I cannot imagine what induced Donna Leon to write this long winded and meandering novel, The Jewels of Paradise, except perhaps boredom with her highly successful series featuring Venetian detective, Guido Brunetti.
Let me say at the onset that Leon is incapable of writing anything but highly literate, beautifully thought-out prose. That is as true of The Jewels of Paradise as of any other of her previous many books. But a book about a musicologist whose special field is little known composers of Baroque opera? I’m a musician and an opera lover of many years, but even I had trouble caring what happened in this book about said musicologist’s investigation into the life and work of a composer long, for good reason, forgotten.
Ms. Leon seems to have used this book, The Jewels of Paradise, principally as a soap box from which once again to attack her favourite nemeses, the Church and the State. She often takes pot shots at Italy’s institutions through her characters in the Brunetti series, which I applaud when such shots have relevance to the plot. But her opinions have never appeared to be the sole raison-d’être in any of her previous works.
Not that I don’t enjoy her remarks. I do. I enjoyed her cutting comments about politics and religion and food and opera audiences who cheer wildly at bad performances. But this is not sufficient substance for a book. I cannot in good faith give this book less than three stars, because Leon is a brilliant writer who could probably create some interest even in a rewrite of the phone book. But I expect more from her. That’s what happens when an author places the bar so high.
Let me say at the onset that Leon is incapable of writing anything but highly literate, beautifully thought-out prose. That is as true of The Jewels of Paradise as of any other of her previous many books. But a book about a musicologist whose special field is little known composers of Baroque opera? I’m a musician and an opera lover of many years, but even I had trouble caring what happened in this book about said musicologist’s investigation into the life and work of a composer long, for good reason, forgotten.
Ms. Leon seems to have used this book, The Jewels of Paradise, principally as a soap box from which once again to attack her favourite nemeses, the Church and the State. She often takes pot shots at Italy’s institutions through her characters in the Brunetti series, which I applaud when such shots have relevance to the plot. But her opinions have never appeared to be the sole raison-d’être in any of her previous works.
Not that I don’t enjoy her remarks. I do. I enjoyed her cutting comments about politics and religion and food and opera audiences who cheer wildly at bad performances. But this is not sufficient substance for a book. I cannot in good faith give this book less than three stars, because Leon is a brilliant writer who could probably create some interest even in a rewrite of the phone book. But I expect more from her. That’s what happens when an author places the bar so high.
November 16, 2012
Donna Leon is best known for her Inspector Brunetti series. However, she has apparently always been a serious student of music. In this novel we are treated to an interesting mystery about the inheritance left by an obscure Baroque musician. His papers are contained in two trunks which are being fought over by two cousins, both of whom are trying to lay claim to whatever "treasure" is in the trunks. They have employed an attorney who hires Caterina, a young Italian woman who is a professor of musicology at Manchester University. She misses being in her beloved Venice, and when she learns that a little known foundation is looking for a researcher, she jumps at the chance to return home. This is not a standard mystery with murder and some romance. It is a little on the dry side with lots of historical detail. The nerd in me really enjoyed this one even though it was challenging in spots. According to a book review by the UK Independent, the composer in the book referred to as Steffani, is based on a little known Italian composer Agostino Steffano whom Leon apparently has researched extensively. This is not light reading, but I enjoyed it a lot. The ending is especially delicious and ironic.
October 27, 2012
Disappointment! This novel lacks everything that her Brunetti series has--warm, intelligent, interesting characters that the reader can care about, a good plot to follow, plenty of comments on Venice, Italy, and fabulous descriptionsof good food. These characters remained mostly a mystery to me and I did not care about them! Darn! I just love Brunetti, his family, the secretary, his coworkers (even his ridiculous, pompous superiors) and sometimes even the evildoers. The plot in Jewels of Paradise was slow, which is not something I usually complain about, and the depiction of the life of a researcher so lacked appeal, life, color, excitement that it struck me as repellent. Better to be a sales person in a Venetian tourist trinket shop! The climax and wrap up of the story did not infuse this reader with the slightest interest. To me, it seemed the author simply got bored with the subject and quickly brought the tale to an end. I have great respect for Leon's gentle humor and despair at what is happening to Venice, and her ability to give me a sense of what is being lost when the rest of the world loves a place so much that it is in danger of becoming a mere Disneylike shell of what was loved. To me, the plots in the Brunetti series are very much secondary to the characters and to what I learn about Venice. I am sure she must feel a need to develop new characters and new stories but I think her greatest contribution to readers will always be that picture of Venice. Thank goodness I still have not read some of her other novels. I have some left to look forward to reading. I'm still glad I read this, just for the occasional glimpse of Leon humor and cleverness.
March 28, 2020
1.5/5; 2 stars
I bumped this from 1 to 2 stars because I really enjoyed the narrator but the story was just Ok. I liked the setting and the world of the historian researcher but that is it. I recently listened to one of the Great Courses on the subject of listening to and understanding great music. Professor Greenberg did a fantastic job of making these artists come to life and helping the listener to have some insight into their lives. That was the only aspect of this book that appealed to me. The main character was trying to unravel the story of an obscure composer in order to figure out what to do with the remnants of his estate. The characters were interesting but not completely formed and there were plot lines left dangling and incomplete; then the book was over. I was left scratching my head and feeling disappointed. Like I said at the beginning, the narrator, Cassandra Campbell had a lovely voice and narrated really well, In English and Italian.
I bumped this from 1 to 2 stars because I really enjoyed the narrator but the story was just Ok. I liked the setting and the world of the historian researcher but that is it. I recently listened to one of the Great Courses on the subject of listening to and understanding great music. Professor Greenberg did a fantastic job of making these artists come to life and helping the listener to have some insight into their lives. That was the only aspect of this book that appealed to me. The main character was trying to unravel the story of an obscure composer in order to figure out what to do with the remnants of his estate. The characters were interesting but not completely formed and there were plot lines left dangling and incomplete; then the book was over. I was left scratching my head and feeling disappointed. Like I said at the beginning, the narrator, Cassandra Campbell had a lovely voice and narrated really well, In English and Italian.
March 13, 2025
I enjoy reading about Venice – it’s a place I’ve never been and although I want to go on a visit I fear that I will not find the same Venice I find in books especially Leon’s books, where Venice is home.
I’m not an opera buff but still I enjoyed this and found the ending very very apt.
I’m not an opera buff but still I enjoyed this and found the ending very very apt.
October 19, 2016
I’ve read and enjoyed all of Dona Leon’s previous books featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti and have been eagerly anticipating her latest book, THE JEWELS OF PARADISE. Had it been written by an author I didn’t know, I would have given up on in after the first few chapters.
The story is set in Venice where Caterina Pellegrini has just come home from England to decipher two trunks of documents which have been untouched since the early 1700s. The trunks belonged to an Italian Baroque composer and have recently been discovered. Two descendants of two of his cousins want to find out what treasures are in the trunk. The two of them don’t get along and a lawyer arranges to hire someone to go through them to determine the contents to find out which one has the greater claim so they won’t have to share the bounty.
The composer was a real person who also was active in the Catholic church. The book tells about his works--musical, religious, and political–as well as offering some information about the convoluted lives of some of the prominent people of his time. The central part of that story is the disappearance of a Count with ties to the rulers in 1694.
I would have liked to get a final report on his disappearance (interweaving fact with fiction) and didn’t like having the issue unresolved.
The book focuses on the research Caterina conducts to learn about the composer. Subplots include the attorney involved with the cousins, Caterina’s relationship with her sister who is a nun researching the Catholic Church (one of the best parts of the book), and the hunt for the jewels which are believed to be hidden in the trunk.
I also didn’t like the use of untranslated Italian words and phrases; I don’t think they were necessary to set the tone.
I hope Donna Leon’s next book is back to her high standards.
The story is set in Venice where Caterina Pellegrini has just come home from England to decipher two trunks of documents which have been untouched since the early 1700s. The trunks belonged to an Italian Baroque composer and have recently been discovered. Two descendants of two of his cousins want to find out what treasures are in the trunk. The two of them don’t get along and a lawyer arranges to hire someone to go through them to determine the contents to find out which one has the greater claim so they won’t have to share the bounty.
The composer was a real person who also was active in the Catholic church. The book tells about his works--musical, religious, and political–as well as offering some information about the convoluted lives of some of the prominent people of his time. The central part of that story is the disappearance of a Count with ties to the rulers in 1694.
I would have liked to get a final report on his disappearance (interweaving fact with fiction) and didn’t like having the issue unresolved.
The book focuses on the research Caterina conducts to learn about the composer. Subplots include the attorney involved with the cousins, Caterina’s relationship with her sister who is a nun researching the Catholic Church (one of the best parts of the book), and the hunt for the jewels which are believed to be hidden in the trunk.
I also didn’t like the use of untranslated Italian words and phrases; I don’t think they were necessary to set the tone.
I hope Donna Leon’s next book is back to her high standards.
May 9, 2019
I usually enjoy the books of Donna Leon, but this one was not interesting. The story was not interest8ng unless for specialists in componists maybe, the characters were very superficial and flat. The only good thing is the setting Venice and the comments on the Italian way of life.
September 4, 2012
" It's a gentle cerebral mystery", I stole this quote from someone else, though I have to say that it was very much on the gentle side, barely a mystery, more of a tale about researching Baroque music.
Leon really didn't flesh out any of the secondary characters, all except a drunken romanian seemed pretty lost in two dimensionality. There really wasn't much to the mystery, she could have made more out of the secondary mysteries, like was the lawyer really what he seemed? Who was he REALLY working for? I could have seen more of that and found the book more enjoyable. To me, the mystery was more about what the Jewels of Paradise actually were, for most of the book, I thought they were one thing, but at the end, one finds that Agostino Steffani, the baroque composer may have considered them something else. The two trunks, supposedly the focus of the mystery really were blah, Caterina, the researcher, seemed to find more in the library than in the trunks.
I don't know, I waffle on this book, was it horrible or just way too subtle for the likes of me? I don't need high action and blood and gore or drama to make me like a book, but this was almost 'gentle' to the point of being unimportant. It was a pleasant read, but I would find it more enjoyable if I got it from the library and don't pay for it, sort of book.
If Leon does another book like this, I hope she focuses more on the mystery and less on the atmosphere, or at least give them equal importance.
Leon really didn't flesh out any of the secondary characters, all except a drunken romanian seemed pretty lost in two dimensionality. There really wasn't much to the mystery, she could have made more out of the secondary mysteries, like was the lawyer really what he seemed? Who was he REALLY working for? I could have seen more of that and found the book more enjoyable. To me, the mystery was more about what the Jewels of Paradise actually were, for most of the book, I thought they were one thing, but at the end, one finds that Agostino Steffani, the baroque composer may have considered them something else. The two trunks, supposedly the focus of the mystery really were blah, Caterina, the researcher, seemed to find more in the library than in the trunks.
I don't know, I waffle on this book, was it horrible or just way too subtle for the likes of me? I don't need high action and blood and gore or drama to make me like a book, but this was almost 'gentle' to the point of being unimportant. It was a pleasant read, but I would find it more enjoyable if I got it from the library and don't pay for it, sort of book.
If Leon does another book like this, I hope she focuses more on the mystery and less on the atmosphere, or at least give them equal importance.
February 10, 2013
I'm a great fan of Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti mysteries and I'm reading my way through them slowly as I don't want to face the day when there are no more of them. So I was pleased when recently I was checking the library database to determine if there is a new Brunetti novel when I spotted The Jewels of Paradise, a stand-alone published in 2012.
Unlike the Brunetti books, this is not a mystery, at least not the kind where somebody is murdered and the hero has to figure out who did it. The Jewels of Paradise of the title are a treasure purported to have been left by a Baroque composer, Agostino Steffani to his cousins. The greedy descendents of those original cousins each wants the treasure for himself (if it exists.) . . .
To read the rest of this review go to my blog at
http://maryslibrary.typepad.com/my_we...
Unlike the Brunetti books, this is not a mystery, at least not the kind where somebody is murdered and the hero has to figure out who did it. The Jewels of Paradise of the title are a treasure purported to have been left by a Baroque composer, Agostino Steffani to his cousins. The greedy descendents of those original cousins each wants the treasure for himself (if it exists.) . . .
To read the rest of this review go to my blog at
http://maryslibrary.typepad.com/my_we...
January 11, 2013
I admit I am not a mystery reader unless there is a psychological twist. I was assured this would take me to Venice, where I would be able to explore its geography, rituals, quirks, music...and through a page turner! I think Venice is a strange city and I really do want to learn more about it. I should have purchased a travel book. All I gleaned from this narrative was that Caterina, protagonist, had a huge appetite and was always distracted by her rumbling tummy! And she was thin! Unfair...
May 3, 2014
Donna Leon's writing is always easy to read. I was made aware of that in this novel, when the heroine went to lunch with the lawyer and launched into a tedious treatise on music, and I was jolted out of the narrative. I discovered I'd got half-way through the book without noticing.
Unfortunately that boring lunch scene was the turning point for me. Up to that point, nothing much had happened but there was a hint of mystery in the air. After that point, the heroine got stuck into her historical research - and so did we. It turned out that nothing of any excitement was going to happen in the real world - all the intrigue was in the past. If Leon had written about that intrigue as a historical novel, with fleshed-out characters and settings, it might have been worth reading. However, instead it's told as excerpts from the documents Caterina finds - and as with any academic research, the result is rather dry and devoid of character. It's obvious Leon found it fascinating but the mistake she makes is assuming her readers will too. Researching a mystery is exciting when you're the one doing the discovery, but just reading a report of it isn't nearly as involving!
There was a nice twist at the end where the cousins got their come-uppance but it wasn't a satisfying read.
I am so glad I discovered the Brunetti series before I read this book as it might've put me off reading any more Donna Leon, and that would've been a tragedy!
Unfortunately that boring lunch scene was the turning point for me. Up to that point, nothing much had happened but there was a hint of mystery in the air. After that point, the heroine got stuck into her historical research - and so did we. It turned out that nothing of any excitement was going to happen in the real world - all the intrigue was in the past. If Leon had written about that intrigue as a historical novel, with fleshed-out characters and settings, it might have been worth reading. However, instead it's told as excerpts from the documents Caterina finds - and as with any academic research, the result is rather dry and devoid of character. It's obvious Leon found it fascinating but the mistake she makes is assuming her readers will too. Researching a mystery is exciting when you're the one doing the discovery, but just reading a report of it isn't nearly as involving!
There was a nice twist at the end where the cousins got their come-uppance but it wasn't a satisfying read.
I am so glad I discovered the Brunetti series before I read this book as it might've put me off reading any more Donna Leon, and that would've been a tragedy!
November 16, 2012
As a thriller, the story is not very thrilling. Much space is devoted to the main character's historical research and the resulting hypotheses, which are only marginally relevant to the eventual (unexciting) outcome, but which are cleverly developed as the pieces of the puzzle are gathered by painstaking searches in libraries and through privileged contacts. As a Venetian novel, Donna Leon has already done better in the creation of atmosphere. There is an attempt at romance which falls flat, none of the warmth, affection and good food so characteristic of the Brunetti novels, and very little mystery and fear; though quite a bit of mean stinginess and greed. Nor does the novel offer much of a discovery of Steffani's music other than in manuscript form. In this respect, it is fortunate that Cecilia Bartoli's magnificent CD *Mission* (which was released on the same day as the novel) allows one to actually hear Steffani's arias referred to in the book, and to share Catherine's excitement. Don't let me spoil the suspense and surprise by revealing what and where are the Jewels of Paradise.
April 28, 2013
Donna Leon traded Commisario Guido Brunetti for Dottoressa Caterina Pellegrini. As it happens many times when writers of series novels and characters strike out to write a stand-alone, their fans are disappointed. This was the case for me with Donna Leon’s The Jewels of Paradise.
The plot is good--actually two plots--what is happening in the novel and the investigation into a Baroque composer the dottoressa is undertaking. But she lacked Brunetti’s charm. Again, Venice is the big protagonist in this novel. However, the book’s structure was strange. A chapter is supposed to begin with a change, or continuation from the previous chapter. In this book, it seems as if someone counted the pages and decided, “We need a chapter here” and split ongoing scenes in two, very disconcerting. This happens more than once. We do not get a physical description of the dottoressa until page 170?
I hope she is not bored with Brunnetti and this is a temporary break. The Jewels of Paradise was an entertaining read, but not quite to the standard Leon has accustomed us to.
The plot is good--actually two plots--what is happening in the novel and the investigation into a Baroque composer the dottoressa is undertaking. But she lacked Brunetti’s charm. Again, Venice is the big protagonist in this novel. However, the book’s structure was strange. A chapter is supposed to begin with a change, or continuation from the previous chapter. In this book, it seems as if someone counted the pages and decided, “We need a chapter here” and split ongoing scenes in two, very disconcerting. This happens more than once. We do not get a physical description of the dottoressa until page 170?
I hope she is not bored with Brunnetti and this is a temporary break. The Jewels of Paradise was an entertaining read, but not quite to the standard Leon has accustomed us to.
December 27, 2012
What intrigued me about this book was the theme: greed vs. respect for a life. What triumphs is intellect at the service of such respect and admiration of a life discovered 300 years gone. And as subtle as Donna Leon can be in her mystery novels with the discoveries and thoughtful realizations of Guido Brunetti and his wife, she hones that subtleness in the characters of this story. Particularly Caterina and Moretti. What can be more crude than the degrading disregard and insensitivity of Stievani and Scapinelli to their ancestor Agostino Steffani's life of struggle and musical genius. And their greed for only the spoils of his worldly life. This story, its characters, and its counterpoint in theme are sublime. Donna Leon has shown me her higher self. She is not only a very accomplished writer but a sublime observer of mankind.
February 17, 2016
Difficult read and clever karma exercise! This novel is a puzzle within a maze of introspections. It is not a book for action readers. Patience is required to reach a reveal for the main characters' core desires. And for their moods for vengeance OR NOT. And one of the characters has been dead for more than 300 years. It's a pile of nesting dolls. Or closer to this tale- it's more of the case of a box within a box.
Very Italian in connotation and in language.
Very Italian in connotation and in language.
July 5, 2022
So far - I am loving Donna Leon and her protagonist, Caterina Pellegrini getting the lay of the land among the small world of baroque opera history, professors and long held sociopolitical structures that don’t like change and like to keep secrets.
Very fascinating as we toggle back and forth over historical references that tie together presumptive relationships and how the balance of power is delicately dispersed to uncover a mystery.
Finished this and have to say it felt like the first in a series in the way it ended. Being Leon’s first stand alone novel I expected her characters to have more of a flourishing send off rather than a light switch (off) moment. Considering her ensemble characters- they too felt detached as of they were just thrown together for this one project and once it ended their relationships, Leon spent building this whole time, was just as easily jettisoned as her ending. Personally, I like my characters to hang around like sloths in a tree after I put the book down. I listened to this novel narrated by Cassandra Campbell, who is spectacular in her versatility that gives the characters shape, weight really. Love her! What I’m learning about voiceover artists is that they may bring a book into the room like listening to a radio does, unlike reading to oneself, but if the writing falls flat …
5 stars for Cassandra Campbell but for this novel, Donna Leon earns 3.6 stars from me for the lack of follow through or connection between me & her characters.
Having said that, I may pick up one of her series to see how or if she manages her endings differently knowing what I know now.
Very fascinating as we toggle back and forth over historical references that tie together presumptive relationships and how the balance of power is delicately dispersed to uncover a mystery.
Finished this and have to say it felt like the first in a series in the way it ended. Being Leon’s first stand alone novel I expected her characters to have more of a flourishing send off rather than a light switch (off) moment. Considering her ensemble characters- they too felt detached as of they were just thrown together for this one project and once it ended their relationships, Leon spent building this whole time, was just as easily jettisoned as her ending. Personally, I like my characters to hang around like sloths in a tree after I put the book down. I listened to this novel narrated by Cassandra Campbell, who is spectacular in her versatility that gives the characters shape, weight really. Love her! What I’m learning about voiceover artists is that they may bring a book into the room like listening to a radio does, unlike reading to oneself, but if the writing falls flat …
5 stars for Cassandra Campbell but for this novel, Donna Leon earns 3.6 stars from me for the lack of follow through or connection between me & her characters.
Having said that, I may pick up one of her series to see how or if she manages her endings differently knowing what I know now.
September 24, 2021
Slow.... Way too slow and verbose.
Atmospheric and, possibly, historic but maybe pure fiction.
The mystery book s not worth slogging through unending bla bla bla....
Atmospheric and, possibly, historic but maybe pure fiction.
The mystery book s not worth slogging through unending bla bla bla....
April 13, 2013
Donna Leon has taken the life of Agostino Steffani (1654 – 1728), Italian abbé, composer, and diplomat, and constructed a riff on Venetian faith and cupidity, seen through the eyes of Caterina, a skeptical Venetian musicologist hired to go through his effects for items of value. Steffani composed numerous successful operas while he was Kapellmeister at the court of Hanover, working for the Elector Ernst Augustus who became King George I of England in 1714. The history involved in explaining his life and the complicated court relationships, marital and extramarital, tended to make my eyes glaze over, but after much repetition the main plot sank into my brain. Unfortunately Caterina's research got a lot more attention than its contemporary Venetian setting, but thanks to Leon's interweaving of the two, I managed to keep going to the end.
Steffani fulfilled important diplomatic missions for Pope Innocent XI, a role which got in the way of his musical career, but would have been rewarding service to a sincere believer. Leon leaves the question of the sincerity of his belief up for grabs (was he just an ecclesiastical politician or did he really believe all that stuff?), making the final scene more effective. This scene gets a 5 but the process, more like a 3.5.
You can find some Steffani on YouTube if you're interested...his instrumental music may have influenced Handel in his formative years in Hanover, and Cecilia Bartoli has released a recording of his arias entitled Mission.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4fbNt...
Here's a film made at Versailles by Bartoli and friends...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGGDSa...
And now I discover on Amazon that Leon got the idea for the book from Bartoli's project. That makes sense!
Steffani fulfilled important diplomatic missions for Pope Innocent XI, a role which got in the way of his musical career, but would have been rewarding service to a sincere believer. Leon leaves the question of the sincerity of his belief up for grabs (was he just an ecclesiastical politician or did he really believe all that stuff?), making the final scene more effective. This scene gets a 5 but the process, more like a 3.5.
You can find some Steffani on YouTube if you're interested...his instrumental music may have influenced Handel in his formative years in Hanover, and Cecilia Bartoli has released a recording of his arias entitled Mission.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4fbNt...
Here's a film made at Versailles by Bartoli and friends...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGGDSa...
And now I discover on Amazon that Leon got the idea for the book from Bartoli's project. That makes sense!
December 26, 2012
I love the Commissario Brunetti books by Donna Leon so when I say The Jewels of Paradise audio CD on a recent trip to the library I immediately picked it up. I was not disappointed.
The book is filled with wonderful characters. Caterian is the main character but there are other scattered in the story that add to the richness of the tale. I only met Caterian’s sister, a nun, through their emails but she comes across fully developed. The Romanian, a scholar who is seldom sober, is a very nice touch. The lawyer is one thing one time and another later. The cousins are about what I expected. Then there are the historical characters that are exposed as Caterian does her research. Leon uses them to draw some insightful parallels between today and the past.
Then there is the story. I am not that familiar with the world of baroque music but that did not keep me from enjoying the book. The past and the present are woven together in a way that keeps the story moving. There were plenty of surprises as I listened. For me finding out what the Jewels of Paradise actually were was a biggest surprise. I did love how that fact helped bring a very nice end to the story.
I was left sadden that this is a stand-alone book. I would love to meet the characters in a future novel.
The book is filled with wonderful characters. Caterian is the main character but there are other scattered in the story that add to the richness of the tale. I only met Caterian’s sister, a nun, through their emails but she comes across fully developed. The Romanian, a scholar who is seldom sober, is a very nice touch. The lawyer is one thing one time and another later. The cousins are about what I expected. Then there are the historical characters that are exposed as Caterian does her research. Leon uses them to draw some insightful parallels between today and the past.
Then there is the story. I am not that familiar with the world of baroque music but that did not keep me from enjoying the book. The past and the present are woven together in a way that keeps the story moving. There were plenty of surprises as I listened. For me finding out what the Jewels of Paradise actually were was a biggest surprise. I did love how that fact helped bring a very nice end to the story.
I was left sadden that this is a stand-alone book. I would love to meet the characters in a future novel.
November 4, 2013
Donna Leon, an author I enjoyed for a long time. My error, not checking before purchasing that this book didn't include my favorite Italian sleuth, Detective or in Italian, Commissario Brunetti mystery. Try as I am finding interest in "The Jewels of Paradise" is beyond - yawn - are we there yet? I hate to say this, really, because Ms. Leon has entertained me, albeit some thin plots, for a many a read. I feel as though I'm in a history class that I just have no interest. The protagonist, Caterina Pellegrini, a native Venetian, returns home for an employment. She is a scholar of Baroque composers and the new job is about what jewels, if any, can be found in old letters in two trunks. If only I could find pleasure reaping through these papers, something really interesting, maybe it's coming, maybe I fell asleep and missed it, maybe, maybe after more than halfway through I should count this book as a loss, and find another book.
Caterina, you do nothing for me. I don't even really like you so why share any more bed space and the rest of the characters, meh....
Please see my reviews, a two star is a rarity for me to ever give...I vow I won't, but sigh, I did. Ms. Leon, not sure if I'll be back.
Caterina, you do nothing for me. I don't even really like you so why share any more bed space and the rest of the characters, meh....
Please see my reviews, a two star is a rarity for me to ever give...I vow I won't, but sigh, I did. Ms. Leon, not sure if I'll be back.
April 6, 2013
As I have so often said lately, I received this book as part of the GoodReads FirstReads program. Despite the fact that I didn't pay a farthing for this novel I will endeavor to review it with baldfaced honesty.
Leon, from all I can tell is a widely acclaimed author and you can see shadows of her skill in this offering but sadly, they are just shadows. "The Jewels" is erudite as it demonstrates the author's research into Baroque music and she does a good job of education but I think most readers will find her actual story line rather sparse. She goes to a great deal of trouble to paint the background and it's a rich tapestry but when the final curtain finally drops the result we're left with is predictable and not really all that interesting. This book is cut from the pattern of a thousand other books. The only difference is the motif she has chosen and even that is rather a niche interest.
On the up side, the book is educational and can be finished in an extended sitting even during a weeknight. While Leon's latest doesn't offer much, at least it offers it in a hurry allowing the reader to plod on to something more entertaining.
Leon, from all I can tell is a widely acclaimed author and you can see shadows of her skill in this offering but sadly, they are just shadows. "The Jewels" is erudite as it demonstrates the author's research into Baroque music and she does a good job of education but I think most readers will find her actual story line rather sparse. She goes to a great deal of trouble to paint the background and it's a rich tapestry but when the final curtain finally drops the result we're left with is predictable and not really all that interesting. This book is cut from the pattern of a thousand other books. The only difference is the motif she has chosen and even that is rather a niche interest.
On the up side, the book is educational and can be finished in an extended sitting even during a weeknight. While Leon's latest doesn't offer much, at least it offers it in a hurry allowing the reader to plod on to something more entertaining.
August 22, 2015
This book was awful! Dull, dry, confusing, and pointless. Never have I read a book where the author could make a character being pursued down a dark alley boring and uneventful. The main character was so full of herself and treated the reader like they were stupid, to the point that you wanted her to fail or be the victim. The use of Italian was not well placed and useless because it wasn't explained and didn't have any context. I also still have no idea what the mystery was in this book. For someone who has lived in Venice for 40 years the author did an awful job of painting an image of that amazing city. The whole thing is so disappointing because the premise for the story is good, her other series is supposed o be excellent and almost all of the reviews were glowing. Unless forced I will not be reading anything by this author again.
September 1, 2018
Donna Leon's writing/prose is quite beautiful, however this story was b-o-r-i-n-g. It went no where throughout the whole book, only to have an amusing ending 5 minutes at the end of the story. It was the first novel I've read by this author and probably will be the last. Basically the heroine is a musicologist employed by a bunch of "cousins" to research some old documents with the hope of them inheriting the jewels of paradise once the researcher deciphers and uncovers the legalities of the documents.
September 15, 2021
I picked this book up again and this time I actually enjoyed it. It just goes to show that sometimes the time just isn't right.
I love the Guido Brunetti series but I had to DNF this book. I never knew there were so many obscure classical composers.
I love the Guido Brunetti series but I had to DNF this book. I never knew there were so many obscure classical composers.
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