I'm a big Donna Leon fan and have read all the Brunetti books. This book is billed as a memoir but it more seems like notes on some parts of life and some observations. We learn (even though I already knew) that she was born and raised in New Jersey, went to college and never quite completed her PhD. She worked in New York City, taught English in Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia, and finally ending up teaching English at an American Air Force base north of Venice. She gives us observations on bees, on making up a fake board game, opera, and on the fact that she is getting older. Unfortunately, except for 2 comic pages on Brunetti and tourist expectations to meet him, there is little on Brunetti and his development. I suspect that the Brunetti mysteries ended up giving Leon a comfortable life. She lived in Venice for 30 years and left for Switzerland when the cruise ships and tourists became over-bearing. She has a home outside of Zurich and another in the Dolomites.
I you are not a Brunetti fan this book will be of little interest to you. If you, like me, are a Brunetti fan, this will be required reading as thin as it is.

What a fun read! The book is a memoir from the beloved author of Commissario Brunetti mystery series. Using her usual ironic tone, Donna Leon talks about her life in which she admits, "I had seen and done unusual things." So, the book does hold unexpected discoveries about Donna's live and her many careers. Do not expect much in a sense of traditional biography in a sequence of born, educated, career, marriage, children and retirement. Her memoir resembles a game of hopscotch. The collection of stories she put together stops at thirty but closing the book you wish she would tell you more. She says ‘I went through life never having a real job, never having a pension plan, never settling down in one place or at one job, but having an enormous amount of fun.” The impression after reading her book though is that in all her travels she was gathering her experiences to use them later in her writing. Like a good mystery writer, Donna leaves you clues to figure her out, what she likes and dislikes, and what matters to her. Readers would enjoy many funny stories in her book and stop to think over her more serious commentaries. Her description of shopping in Venice's Rialto Market using the classic manual of war written by Prussian general as a guide was especially hilarious. And her outlook on life and aging is contagious. Like she said in the book, "Looking good, babe."

As a huge Brunetti (et al) fan, I really really wanted to love this book, but it just fell flat for me. I did really enjoy the format being little anecdotes rather than a day by day memoir. A few stories were interesting, but most of them I felt were lacking in emotion/connection. I just had this vague sense of "so what" after them. It really hit a peak for me when Ms Leon tiptoed around her belief that, prior to her beginning to teach soldier, soldiers were stupid and uneducated. That whole section just really didn't seem very thought out in the message it conveyed vs what it meant to convey. With all that said, none of this changes my opinion of Ms Leon's brilliancy. I hope that this book isn't a bookend on her writing career and that we have many more years of Brunetti to come!

This is a rambling memoir by acclaimed mystery author Donna Leon. She goes into great detail about her early life in the United States than a more scattered approach to her various jobs, experiences and life abroad. It's not deep but its interesting.

"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."

You only can hope that one day you will be as cool as Donna Leon.

It is not very surprising that the author of the excellent Brunetti mystery series is a funny, thoughtful and smart writer. What was fascinating is the life she’s lead. From the revolution in Iran to Switzerland during the COVID confinement, Leon shares her memories, experiences, obsessions and her life in general. She is self-deprecating and some parts made me laugh out loud. Others were more poignant but everything is described so vividly, that it’s like being there with her. Other than a letter provided by the real Venice Questura to people who go looking for Brunetti (and that Leon wrote), there is little about the Commissario and his mysteries but reading this book it’s impossible not to think about him. The author’s own experiences have inspired Brunetti’s and I kept finding small references to the novels, including his and other characters’ interests. I am a big fan of the series and was shocked when I found out that Leon was not Italian, so it was fun to discover how she started her life-long affair with Venice and get some insights into her writing. This is a fun memoir.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press!

Although I love Donna Leon books, this was a disappointment. Wandering is the operative word. It was an easy read, but not sure I know much more about the author. So much was left unsaid.

I’ve been an avid reader of Donna Leon’s Venice based Commissario Brunetti mysteries for many years, reading all thirty two episodes and also passing many of them on to my late mum, who eagerly gobbled them up too. So when I spotted that she’d written a memoir, I was really keen to get hold of a copy at the earliest opportunity. But having read it, I’m not quite sure what to make of it. It certainly wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

What I was expecting - perhaps what I was hoping for – was something that would, at least in part, lead me through the journey the author went on whilst writing the Brunetti books: what inspired her, how she gathered information on how policing works in the city, what the catalyst for some of her stories was. In fact, there was only one short section that touched on these books, and this only in passing.

Does this make it a bad book? No, of course not. Instead, there are many pleasant surprises here as we learn of the author’s early life in America and the wanderlust that subsequently took her all over the world, often at the drop of a hat and with no real means of supporting a lengthy trip abroad. The early sections are anecdotes from her youth, with a particular light shining on her truly inspiring mother, and focus then moves to some memorable episodes from her travels. Later, there are sections focussing on her discovery of Italy, a country she formed a lifelong love affair with, and also her home in Switzerland. Her last piece is a reflection on ageing; Donna has now turned eighty and yet it’s clear she has adopted a constructive and pragmatic outlook in terms of where she is on her journey through life.

The book really feels like a random collection of memories and adventures, but laid out in chronological order. Beyond her early years in America, there is actually very little here about Donna’s personal life, other than references to a number of friendships she built up over the years. The picture it paints is that of a person who has taken chances and been expansive in how she’s chosen to lead her life - a very full life. But it’s a relatively short book and I just wish there had been more here about her writing. I enjoyed my time with it, but it does feel a bit like a meal that’s missing a course.

Wandering Through Life is aptly named. Leon refers numerous times to her lack of a life plan or higher purpose, her lack of ambition and her shiftless nature. She blames her nature on her mother, a carefree happy woman who passed her temperament on to Donna. Although I chuckled that someone that thinks of herself as lacking ambition has managed to write 32 books!
It’s not a typical memoir, more like a series of vignettes. Those who go in expecting a straightforward story of her life will be disappointed. Leon’s times teaching in Iran, China, Saudi Arabia and on an American army base in Italy lend themselves to some interesting points about the various countries and the differences in American societal classes.
Of course, what most readers will be interested in is how she came to write about Italy, specifically Venice. Her description of Italy on her first visit “It was a bit like Alice in Wonderland: I was in a place where I did not understand much except that I knew I liked it.” But she doesn’t really write about her books or how she got started on Brunetti. (I did chuckle that Leon wrote a letter for the Questore to hand out to tourists that come looking for Brunetti.) I, for one, would have appreciated a chapter on what drew her to try her hand at writing and how she created her iconic character, Guido Brunetti. I was interested in the chapter on her research, for which she uses bees as an example, and its effects on her social life.
I found the book uneven. Some parts were fascinating; others I found myself skimming from boredom. For example, several of the vignettes are about Venice. I was less than impressed by reading about her friend constructing a gondola. The story of Artu, the singing dachshund, was at least humorous. But I was fascinated by the pollution and the destruction that the cruise ships are causing.
My thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.

I love Donna Leon's novels yet I am unsatisfied by this book. It's supposed to be a memoir but the vignettes have no depth. By all means read it, just don't expect to find out much.

In a series of often humorous vignettes, the author of the beloved Guido Brunetti mysteries shares the stories of her childhood, including summers spent on her family’s New Jersey farm, and her youthful professional years teaching English in Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia. A stint teaching in Italy led to her love affair with that country, but those hoping to hear about how she got her start in Venice as an internationally best-selling author will be left wanting. No matter, I still hung on her every word and will now turn to her earlier collection of essays, "My Venice" for more insight into her time there.

Comissario Brunetti is one of my favorite mystery characters, and for years I enthusiastically followed him on the streets of Venice. So when I learned that Donna Leon wrote a memoir, I got excited to learn more about the woman who created not only Brunetti but also Paula, Signorina Elettra, Vianello, and Patta. I knew she was an American living in Venice, and she had been living my dream. Venice is one city that enchanted me the first time I went there. Even with crowds of tourists, I could easily imagine myself wandering the streets, drinking coffee, checking the hidden places, getting lost in narrow streets only to finally get to the Grand Canal and look at its beauty again. And then… the history. What can be told of a city that brought us Casanova?

Donna Leon starts her memoir fondly recalling one year when her family moved to a small house on the farm, then proceeds to the next phase of her life: the university years, first studying, then teaching. She was a curious, adventurous young woman who loved to exploring new places and new countries, not as a tourist but as a temporary resident. She spent almost four years living and teaching in Iran and then moved to China to teach English. And then, Donna happily agreed when her Italian-American friend Anita suggested she join her to go to Italy because she would study there. It's important to know that Donna Leon's roots are Irish, Latin American, and German. Her blood shows no trace of Italian heritage; her love for Italy is evident.

This is a memoir for people who don't want to read long, chronological stories about someone's life, no matter how interesting the person can be. "Wandering through Life" consists of essays, and such a format reads almost like a friendly conversation with the author. I especially enjoyed the story about the challenges of going to the Italian post office and another describing the older women at Italian stores "waiting" in a queue. They offered me a glimpse into everyday Italy and did it better than lengthy descriptions.

And then, after the charming and often touching pieces, Donna Leon addresses the subject of getting old at the end of her beautiful memoir. The last pages are filled with wisdom, as only "wandering through life" with one's eyes – and heart – open can bring.

I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed! Few exciting authors manage to stay that way into old age: John Irving, Stephen King, and the comparatively youthful Lee Child have all become unreadable in recent years, but Donna Leon has captivated me through THIRTY-TWO Commissario Brunetti procedurals over the same number of years. So I looked forward to her memoir. Alas, it turned out to be a hodgepodge of mostly short pieces, mostly celebrating the fact that she never settled down, though in real life she apparently spent 30 years in Venice and now seems thoroughly settled in Switzerland, even to adopting Swiss citizenship.

Her autobiography tells us little about Venice, except to rant a bit about the cruise ships that have literally shaken its foundations. But about Venetians she says almost nothing, nor how she came about to write Death at La Fenice, her first Brunetti book and the best novel about opera I have ever read. As for the Commissario, she quotes a letter she apparently wrote for the Questura where he works, explaining to the tourists why neither he nor any of his colleagues happen to be available for interviews that day. That's nice for the tourists but does nothing for me. Please, Signora (or Frau, it you now prefer that salutation), where did Brunetti and his family come from? I'm glad to know about your various enchantments with grand opera, but what about your evenings (there must have been some!) at La Fenice? And above all, what did your Venetian friends say about the way you have characterized their city? There must be a story there, given the fact that you have never allowed your novels to be translated into Italian!

Glad that Donna Leon wrote her Wandering Through Life book. It allows us to have a humorous glimpse into her unusual life. And at the same time, she shared some past experiences that may have been some what similar to the reader.

I felt that her “wandering” was like a conversation with a past acquaintance, for instance all issues of her life were not covered such as the creation of the Guido Brunetti series. Despite this omission, the book is a worthwhile read since it gives a somewhat limited view of the world’s cultures covering 80 years ago to the present.

A charming memoir by a writer told in a series of vignettes about her life adventures from spending time as a child at her grandfather's farm, to teaching English in Iran in the late 1970s, to finally settling in Venice. Leon's voice shines throughout the book, talking about her friends, including a stray cat, and her love of opera including those of Handel. She gives the reader only a few hints about the creation of Commissario Guido Brunetti, the lead fictional character whose existential angst leads him to read Greek and Roman classics. in more than 30 books.

As a long time fan of Brunetti, I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir. .

Sometimes it's hard to decide whether a book is a memoir or an autobiography. This time it's easy, it's right in the subtitle -- A Memoir. Aside from that obvious clue, there's the fact that Leon stays close to the amusing vignette lane, never venturing into difficult or revealing territory. She had a happy childhood and a series of adventures abroad in adulthood, but despite stays in Iran at the outset of the Revolution, an American military base in Italy at the end of the Cold War, and stints in China and Saudi Arabia teaching English, her life, as told in this book, has been a series of lucky breaks. There is little about her relationships with other people other than her mother and brother. She tells us about her love of opera and her fascination with bees. For fans of Donna Leon who want some pleasant after-dinner stories told by a favorite author, this will fill the bill. Those hoping to find insight into the person or a glimpse into the working life of a writer, may be disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for a digital review copy.

Wandering through Life: A Memoir by Donna Leon, published by Atlantic Grove is an interesting read. Normally I don't read memoirs, but the author's Comissar Brunetti Series, yes that I'm a fan of. So I thought why not give it a try. And I was glad I did.
Highly entertaing, well written, a great read.

Donna Leon has my respect as the author of the Inspector Brunetti stories set in glorious Venice. But I am sorry to say that her memoir, Wandering Through life, is pretty much a bore. For one, there is just too much detail on things that hardly seem relevant. The book does not have the charm of the Brunetti novels. I would suggest tighter editing as there are those of us who might be interested in a streamlined tale of her life. But that's not this book.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I do not typically read memoirs. However, I LOVE Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti police procedurals/mysteries set in Venice. I have read all thirty two of them. Naturally, I just had to read her memoir.

Written in her 80th year, and told through a series of vignettes, Leon recalls her very colorful history in the United States, teaching in Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia, and settling in Italy. A short book, I’m not going to try to detail the various accounts as I couldn’t possibly do them justice. Just know that she writes with humor and warmth about her quirky family (aren’t they all?), friends, and life in her adopted countries.

As in her novels, there are wonderful characterizations and sharp observations of life that are right on target.
Even if you have never read any of her books, you may well enjoy these slices of Leon’s life, specific to her, but also many that can be generalized to others.

On a personal level, I was particularly amused by the letter she has had to write for the Questura in Venice to hand to visitors who stop there wanting to see Brunetti and his colorful associates. I have to admit that the last time I was in Venice I spent an afternoon on my own Brunetti tour, visiting places that were scenes in the various novels and some of his favorite haunts. I didn’t invade the Questura, but stood on a nearby bridge for photos and, of course, stopped for a coffee and tramezzini.

Wandering through Life: A Memoir
by Donna Leon
2482547
Beverly's reviewJul 16, 2023 · edit
really liked it

A series of fascinating vignettes, told in a sort-of chronological order about author Leon's life in the various countries and professions she has inhabited. Her observations from childhood to her current age were relatable, although a few of the essays seemed randomly placed, not really following any sort of pattern. AN interesting read, but don't expect much on her beloved Brunetti...she chooses not to divulge anything.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.