{"product_id":"9780802161581","title":"Wandering through Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe\ninternationally bestselling author of the Guido Brunetti mysteries tells her\nown adventurous life story as she enters her eighties\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn a series of vignettes full of affection, irony, and good humor, Donna\nLeon narrates a remarkable life she feels has rather more happened to her than\nbeen planned. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFollowing a childhood in the company of her New Jersey family, with\nfrequent visits to her grandfather’s farm and its beloved animals, and summers\nspent selling homegrown tomatoes by the roadside, Leon got her first taste of\nthe classical music and opera that would enrich her life. She also developed a\nyen for adventure. In 1976, she made the spontaneous decision to teach English\nin Iran, before finding herself swept up in the early days of the 1979\nRevolution. After teaching stints in China and Saudi Arabia, she finally landed\nin Venice. Leon vividly animates her decades-long love affair with Italy, from\nher first magical dinner when serving as a chaperone to a friend, to the hunt\nfor the perfect cappuccino, to the warfare tactics of grandmothers doing their\ngrocery shopping at the Rialto Market. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSome 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\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ci\u003eEarthly Remains\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHaving recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, Leon poignantly\nconfronts the dual challenges and pleasures of aging. Complete with a brief letter dissuading\nthose hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused with\nmusic, food, and her sharp sense of humor, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWandering through Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\noffers Donna Leon at her most personal. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Donna Leon","offers":[{"title":"Grove\/Atlantic |  Hardback | With dust jacket |  2023-09-29","offer_id":44230061850879,"sku":"9780802161581","price":38.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_30fa4ce4-08f9-4612-9065-a4f16cd6bf06.jpg?v=1692997086","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9780802161581","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}