The Jewels of Paradise

I love the Donna Leon series with Inspector Brunetti. I thought I was ordering a new one of that series, but as I started to read I realized I had made a mistake. It doesn't seem to matter though, because I am enjoying it.

Although Donna Leon's excellent writing style and intriguing descriptions of Venice are retained in this latest novel, I do not think it is as interesting as the Brunetti mysteries. One of the major problems, I believe, is that there is far too much repetition. The novel seems to drag in several places. I was anxious to get to the end -- something that never happens when I am reading a Brunetti novel.

This was an interesting book, but I was hoping that Brunetti was involved in the story. I was disappointed to find that the story was not a typical Donna Leon mystery. I hope she does not continue in this direction. I want more of the Commisario and his family.

An interesting story from the author of the Inspector Brunetti series. It does not meet the quality of that series, but is good nonetheless. The story moves rather slowly and has more personal detail about the main character than seems necessary; however, the ending is worth the wait.

I enjoyed the book and its insightful manner of discussing Venice inhabitants and families. The popular view of various religious groups and people with a religious bent were interesting and happily like mine. Maybe that's why I enjoy her books so much.

It's rare to find these two subjects combined, and if you love Venice and the music of Steffani, this book is fun. I wonder if Leon will continue with this protagonist? It's hard to imagine what similar plots she could weave with Caterina, but who knows? She's a wonderful writer. I look forward to seeing what's next.

Enjoyed Leon's writing style as usual. An interesting twist to a plot with a device that could have been opened much earlier. Almost intriguing story line spoilt a little by apparent padding - e.g. the "three bears". Or was it all about Caterina?

I can't believe that Donna Leon wrote this book. Her detective stories have wit, loving descriptions of the city of Venice, richly drawn characters, fast moving narrative, and mouth watering food scenes. This book drags, the characters are poorly drawn, there is no wit or irony, and one really doesn't care how the story ends. Jewels of Paradise is a dud. Stay with Guido, Donna.

Sooo bored and dissapointed. At first I thought this was an early esay by Leon, but, no, she mentioned emails and iPhones.
If this is a new veneer in her writing carreer she needs to take a pause and meditate for a while.
I am no book critic nor English is my first language but I have been reading Leone because of her good use of descriptions, the language and social and political issues.
All of that is missing here.
Aside from bored I was dissapointed

I had high hopes, but am bitterly disappointed.
1. there is no real story (as another review said: this book is only an outline)
2. the main character is a nobody (she is happy to leave the UK to come back to her beloved Venice but works almost all of the time, by herself, either in a dark office or in a library, speaks to almost no one, does not go out, seems to have no real friends, only eats organic candy bars and sandwiches. Her job might be academically OK but seems extremely boring..
3. she knows almost from the very beginning she is working for crooks. So much for her own integrity.
4. she works on a company laptop to which she knows/should know the crooks have access. The author needs this stupidity to keep the story going.
5. she emails with her brilliant sister who is a nun, but is thinking of leaving the order for all kinds of reasons.
Now that sister might make a much more interesting heroine ...........The Jewels of Paradise

I had high hopes, but am bitterly disappointed.
1. there is no real story (as another review said: this book is only an outline)
2. the main character is a nobody (she is happy to leave the UK to come back to her beloved Venice but works almost all of the time, by herself, either in a dark office or in a library, speaks to almost no one, does not go out, seems to have no real friends, only eats organic candy bars and sandwiches. Her job might be academically OK but seems extremely boring..
3. she knows almost from the very beginning she is working for crooks. So much for her own integrity.
4. she works on a company laptop to which she knows/should know the crooks have access. The author needs this stupidity to keep the story going.
5. she emails with her brilliant sister who is a nun, but is thinking of leaving the order for all kinds of reasons.
Now that sister might make a much more interesting heroine ...........The Jewels of Paradise

The Jewels of Paradise
I liked the plot, but I found the topics of religion and church hierarchies a bit difficult to grasp. I am not a native speaker of English, though, and this may be the reason for that.

Enjoyed all the Brunetti books but found 'The Jewels of Paradise' a waste of my time and money. Repetitive mundane actions. Weak cental character. Cringe-making email dialogue with sister. A no-no from beginning to end.

First 50 % of book preamble, surprisingly slow and dull read for a usually spritely write. Maybe she has trouble getting much beyond her usual characters tough i have found her situations and history around Venice delightful, this one didn't have the charm.

If you love Baroque opera, Italian, and slow plots this is the book for you. It is full of references to obscure composers and operas that display Leon's knowledge and love of the subject but don't advance the story. More irritating are the phases and sentences in Italian on almost every page which seem important but can't be understood without having a translator app by my side. The plot itself is so tediously slow I gave up reading around page 80 and put it in the donation bin. I'm a huge fan of the Brunetti series, but this one is a pass.

Caterina, the main character has the potential to become as engaging as Brunetti. She helped me stumble through this new to me work of music history. I trust Donna Leon to develop another likeable and captivating hero

I ordered this ebook in advance, purely because it was written by Donna Leon. I love reading her intelligent crime novels and descriptions of Venetian life. But Jewels of Paradise was not the Inspector Brunelli story I'd expected. Instead it was a different protagonist, a young scholar, and a fascinating story line about unravelling a mystery about long-lost documents and music. I enjoyed it every bit as much as I have the other Leon novels.

the intriguing story is barely barely noticed.
I've read all of author Leon's books and have
NEVER been disappointed. Each book is an
education in a moral or philosophical dilemma.
This book provides an educational experience
in the art of art history research, and history
explained. That's what I enjoyed the most.
The ending felt a little hurried flat, but all that
came before is DYNAMITE. It ended too quickly.

Disappointed that there was no Comissiario Brunnetti.
Very difficult to follow if you don't speak Italian and not well versed in music.
I will read a summary before I buy another Donna Leon book.
I hope she goes back to Brunnetti.

A good look at Italian governmental bumbling -- probably a little hyped up. But, an excellent story by a master story-teller. However, there is a distraction: overuse of italian language phrases with no glossary for those of us who are not polymaths. Or, perhaps, if a revision is in order, a translation in parens following each use, especially since there are colloquialisms and idioms throughout.

If you have no interest in the history of baroque music in the church, this novel will likely be an uphill pull for you. I am interested in it, and I still found the book dry and slow moving, not at all warm and lively like the Brunetti books.

What a disappointment! Donna should stick with Guido and Paola. Full disclosure: I stopped about 65% through the book, it was so boring and repetitious. It's a diatribe against Italian Catholic clergy cloaked in a novel. If Donna wants to bash the Church, bash it in a blog or an article not in something pretending to be a novel. I'm eagerly awaiting the next Brunetti novel but will never again follow Caterina even if we share the name!

This latest work of Donna Leon is a disappointment. It does not measure up to her greatly successful Guido Brunetti mystery series. Same Venetian setting, same canals and laguna, same underworld corruption, but a slower pace and less intrigue.

"The Jewels of Paradise,' a novel by Donna Leon lacked the quality of writing (and editing) I had come to expect from reading several of her series novels. It was, unfortunately, a great disappointment. It even lacked her usual sparkling descriptions of Venice.

Boring and silly. Been in Venice too long. This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time, Can not compete with Mankell or Camillieri nor Jo Nesbo nor Steig Larsson. Who cares about that religious treasure-the finger. Will send it to some dunce for Christmas.

I love Donna Leon, but this is a boring, tedious, and pointless plot. It goes nowhere; the main character evokes no interest or sympathy. Ms. Leon loves opera, but she could have incorporated the theme in a much more interesting story.

This is the first book of Donna Leon that disappointed me. I found it a chore to finish. Although it was crammed with information on composers and historians, I found it boring and was glad to get to the end.

This seemed like an exercise in self-indulgence - the device of the historical thriller promised much but failed to deliver. The erudition of the author is unquestioned, but the plot was weak. And Opus Dei.....?