Books & Lunch @ the Auburn Library

Here is a brief description of Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon and following that is a frew questions to help in our discussion of the novel:

From Booklist: Leon's Guido Brunetti novels have been justly celebrated for their nuanced portrayal of Venice and their character-driven emphasis on human relationships. Both of those attributes are displayed nicely in her latest effort, the fifteenth in this long-running and much-loved series. When police commissario Brunetti and his assistant, Vianello, help out one of Vianello's friends, who has been arrested in an environmental protest, they find themselves embroiled in a family feud involving the friend's wife and her father, the owner of a centuries-old glass factory on the nearby island of Murano. No actual crime takes place until the novel is nearly half over, and even then, the death of a night watchman at the glass factory appears accidental. More than ever in this series, the emphasis here is not on mystery--the bad guy is obvious from the beginning--but on ambience and character. Leon delves deeply into the fascinating world of Murano glassmakers, and as always, she lingers lovingly over Brunetti's family life and the commissario's abiding empathy with everyone he encounters. Satisfying as always, but the lack of an engaging mystery plot leaves a bit of a hole this time. Bill Ott Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Discussion Questions of Through a Glass, Darkly:

1. Does this book make you want to travel to Venice? Have you been to Venice? Would Venice be a place that you would want to move to?
2. In many of Donna Leon's books featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti, she points to the different ways things work in Venice from the police, to the building codes, to medical establishment, and other aspects of life in Venice. What do you think of this and is it something you could put up with if you could live in Venice?
3. What do you think of Burnetti's relationship with his wife and family?
4. Do you have any thoughts about the Murano glass business and culture?

For further reading about Venice and the island of Morano's glassblowering culture:
City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt. In the tradition the author set with his first book, In the Garden of Good and Evil, Berendt gives the reader his first person observations of the city of Venice including exploring one of the great families of Murano glassblowing and watching the effect the burning down of the Fenice Opera Theater had on the city.

New Book Discussion Series At Auburn Library

Books and Lunch will begin on October 15th from Noon to 1 p.m. (1ish--if you can stay longer...so can I).

Our first book will be a mystery novel set in Venice, Italy. It is by author, Donna Leon, called Through the Glass, Darkly. The library will have a few more copies within a couple of weeks.

Join us on Oct. 15th or if you can't, post your comments about the book here.

Great Discussion of Three Cups of Tea!

Thanks to all who attended Auburn Library's discussion of Three Cups of Tea. It was enjoyable by all including me! There were a few comments that this discussion is a great forum for the discussion of important issues facing our world wide society. It is also a springboard for building community here in Auburn.

If anyone agrees with this and is interested in forming a discussion group via the library, I would be happy to organized a place and time. Write your comment here or call me at the library: Terri at 530-886-4512.