"Backstage" is Donna Leon's second memoir, following her excellent "Wandering Through Life." In it, we get another glimpse into the author's life, this time in a shorter, less structured way. This is not a profound, highbrow autobiography, but rather a conversation over a cup of coffee, where you listen to your friend's stories.

It is an enjoyable book, and at the same time, it contains wisdom, for example, when Donna Leon describes her walk with Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  I also appreciated the writer's discussion of her research methods for her books. Instead of turning to Google – and some of her novels date back to the pre-Google era - the author tries to find people who are experts in the area and meets with them. When writing "Blood from a Stone," she spent time conversing with a diamond dealer, Filippo, a fascinating man. Similarly, when in "Death and Judgement," one of the characters was a prostitute; Donna Leon got in touch with Regina, a sex worker, and listened to her terrifying account of meeting and escaping a serial killer.

We learn about Donna Leon's favorite operas and about writers whose work she admires. There is a lighthearted story about her attending a famous Frank Zappa concert when the fire broke out – and she was in charge of a group of teenagers.  All those stories are something you look forward to reading over your relaxing Sunday breakfast when you just want the world to slow down.  Commissario Brunetti and his wife, Paola, would undoubtedly appreciate this book — and I also enjoyed it.

This beautiful, heartfelt book consists of essays and reflections on Opera, Classic and Contemporary Literature, on the trials and rewards of teaching English in places as diverse as Switzerland and Iran, on life in mystical Venice, on the difficulties of being a writer, the psyche and the relationship between a writer and their audience.

Beautifully written, with an elegant mixture of directness and literary commentary, Donna Leion has created an exciting memoir that respects the reader.

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Je me suis perdue dans ce livre. C'est un mélange de biographie, d'un peu de conseils d'écriture, d'anecdotes sur la vie à Venise et sur les rencontres faites autour de l'écriture des romans. Mais c'est surtout beaucoup d'analyse d'oeuvres qu'a lu l'autrice et je n'y ai pas trouvé beaucoup d'intérêt. Alors je savais que je n'étais pas érudite comme l'autrice ni fan d'Opera mais je pensais que cette lecture me parlerait un peu du fait que j'ai écrit également, que j'ai aimé ses livres sur Venise mais rien du tout. Après, peut-être que la barrière de la langue y est pour quelque chose (je lis l'anglais mais je n'ai pas toute les subtilités de la langue) mais je pense que ce livre est vraiment pour les fans de l'autrice, pour les personnes qui veulent lire des réflexions plus poussées sur certaines oeuvres que l'autrice aime.

Donna Leon, Backstage Stories of a Writing Life, Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Monthly Press, August 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Donna Leon’s Wandering through Life: A Memoir was a satisfying enough collection, particularly where she reflects upon her teaching English in Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia. Although this experience is also recalled in Backstage, I found the whole of this collection far more engaging. Here, another part of Donna Leon’s world is revealed, in sharper recall, more wholly reflecting her fictional work. Like Wanderings her welcome into this further world is open and honest. However, the attention it commands and, at times, background knowledge to fully appreciate it adds a valuable dimension. This world is introduced through opera, her own writing, others’ writing, her love for Venice and her work that seems so remote from Brunetti’s Venetian world but is indeed hers too.

Referring to her own writing, Leon provides enlightening information about her research – both prostitution (Death and Judgement) and diamonds (Blood from a Stone) feature here. She dwells almost devotedly on Ruth Rendell’s work, drawing attention to the immensely valuable role of the first sentence of A Judgement in Stone, written as Barbara Vine. Although a reader of Ruth Rendall/Barbara Vine, and familiar with the other writers she extols, Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald and Patrick O’Brian, Leon’s appraisal makes the works sound so absorbing it is hard to avoid the temptation to put aside other writers and become more closely acquainted with them.

Similarly, her love of opera is quite beguiling, not only because of her enthusiasm, but because what is almost pedagogy is so adroit. Venice, a known love through her novels, becomes another lure as its past and present glances through the collection.

The collection is grouped around the tiles Early in Life, Heroes, String-Pulling in Venice, Mortal Danger, Trips, Behind the Scene, Amorality, Love Moment of Truth, and Ends. Together the pieces in each, of varying lengths and intensity make Backstage an engrossing work of affection for other writers, opera, Venice and her own flawed Commissario Brunetti.

I loved this. I find writer’s diaries, notebooks, thoughts, fascinating and Donna Leon has produced an essay collection/biographical notebook that achieves all I need. We get glimpses into her early life (I loved the story with Cedric), teaching in Iraq, her writing process, her friendships and love of Brunetti.

The work comprises short little diversions, like you’re chatting with her over a cappuccino, and she’s determined to keep you entertained. I especially enjoyed her ‘fangirling’ over other writers as I believe that’s where authors show their true colours. And I do agree that Ruth Rendell is amazing.

I wish I knew Ms Leon as I’d love to chat writing and life with her.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

Enjoyable collection of stories about her life, especially her writing.

Would recommend to any fan of Donna Leon.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC.

I found this to be an interesting but uneven essay collection. Many of the essays were very short in length and felt slapdash.

For me, the chapters on Leon's early teaching in Iran and notes on writing the Brunetti novels were by far the most interesting and I would have liked to have seen more memoir material included.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy. I will not be reviewing this for print.

I, like thousands if not millions, of readers world wide am a fan of the 33 Brunetti/Venice mystery novels. Written by Donna Leon. I barely read in this genre anymore. Leon's Brunetti is a rare exception to a mystery world filled with drudge characters and less -than-sparkling writing. Being such a fan of these books makes me want to know more about their author. Donna Leon is an American ex-pat, currently living in Zurich (?) and formerly living in Venice. In this book Leon spends a fair amount of time writing about her love of baroque opera, her 4-5 years teaching English in Iran, her admiration for Ruth Rendell especially, but also for Ross Macdonald, Raymond Chandler, and Tolstoy"s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. She talks a little bit about other things, like where she grew up. She spends at best one-half a page on Guido Brunetti. If you are a fan of Leon then you can decide whether to read this book of not. If you aren't a fan, don't bother.
I once had the pleasure of hearing Leon speak, and a couple of things I remember: Leon's general good humor and decency and the fact that she had no idea of what Brunetti looked like. She also acknowledged at the time (probably around book 28) that Brunetti's children, his wife, and himself had probably aged about 7 years over a 28 year period.
My favorite bit from this book: Much of academic life is spent reading the unreadable and then, worse, talking about it, and then, worse still, writing about it.

Essay collections like this are always a bit hit and miss but this one did keep my attention. The essays focusing on Venice and Venetians particularly held my attention, and the city shines through Leon’s writing, as always; the one about the diamond dealer was probably my favourite. I also really liked the essays on reading and Leon has a talent for being able to provide a fresh and insightful perspective on a book like Pride and Prejudice that has been discussed endlessly. Overall, there is much to recommend here, to readers of course and particularly to those interested in the craft of writing.

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

As a long time fan of the Inspector Brunetti novels, I was eager to read this book of essays from the author and was not disappointed. The short essays focus on various aspects of her life and the sources of inspiration for her books. There are accounts of the challenges of living in Venice, the colourful characters she meets in the course of doing research for her novels. She recounts on episodes in her life including a dramatic time as an English teacher in Iran around the time of the revolution, and reflects what she has learnt from them.

The details in each of her stories make them satisfying to read and the touches of humour add to the pleasure. We learn about her love of baroque opera, the writers she admires (Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Ruth Rendell amongst others) as well as her thoughts on writing and what has motivated her own work.

It was an easy and enjoyable read and felt like a couple of hours spent in the company of an compassionate, erudite and thoughtful person.