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The Waters of Eternal Youth
The Waters of Eternal Youth
The Waters of Eternal Youth
Audiobook9 hours

The Waters of Eternal Youth

Written by Donna Leon

Narrated by David Colacci

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

In Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti series, the Venetian inspector has been called on to investigate many things, from shocking to petty crimes. But in The Waters of Eternal Youth, the 25th novel in this celebrated series, Brunetti finds himself drawn into a case that may not be a case at all. Fifteen years ago, a teenage girl fell into a canal late at night. Unable to swim, she went under and started to drown, only surviving thanks to a nearby man, an alcoholic, who heard her splashes and pulled her out, though not before she suffered irreparable brain damage that left her in a state of permanent childhood, unable to learn or mature. The drunk man claimed he saw her thrown into the canal by another man, but the following day he couldn't remember a thing. Now, at a fundraising dinner for a Venetian charity, a wealthy and aristocratic patroness-the girl's grandmother-asks Brunetti if he will investigate. Brunetti's not sure what to do. If a crime was committed, it would surely have passed the statute of limitations. But out of a mixture of curiosity, pity, and a willingness to fulfill the wishes of a guilt-wracked older woman, who happens to be his mother-in-law's best friend, he agrees. Brunetti soon finds himself unable to let the case rest, if indeed there is a case. Awash in the rhythms and concerns of contemporary Venetian life, from historical preservation, to housing, to new waves of African migrants, and the haunting story of a woman trapped in a damaged perpetual childhood, The Waters of Eternal Youth is another wonderful addition to this series.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 8, 2016
ISBN9781501905186

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Reviews for The Waters of Eternal Youth

Rating: 4.057213929353233 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Waters of Eternal Youth. (Commissario Brunetti Book 25). Dona Leon. 2016. Leon’s books are great to read after you’ve read something heavy. Even though the plot always revolved around a crime Brunetti has to solve, he is a cheerful character and the descriptions of Venice always make you want to catch the first plane to that lovely city. And Brunetti is one of the few police characters who is happily married! In this title, Brunetti is asked to look into a crime that happened years ago. A beautiful teenage girl was pushed into the canal and as a result is brain damaged. Her grandmother asked Brunetti if he can find out what really happened to the girl and he does
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Venice’s Commissario Brunetti tackles a cold case in this installment of the long-running series. A good friend and fellow Contessa of Brunetti’s mother-in-law has a granddaughter who sustained brain damage from a near-drowning in a canal 15 years earlier. The Contessa suspects that it might not have been an accident. The only witness, an alcoholic, mentioned seeing another person at the scene, but the police didn’t take his claim seriously. First Brunetti has to figure out how to get his boss, Vice Questore Patta, to reopen the case. Another murder soon removes all doubt from Brunetti’s mind. Meanwhile, the cold war between Lieutenant Scarpa and Signorina Elettra edges closer to open battle.I’ve found the last couple of books in this series more satisfying than usual because in both instances a measure of justice was served. In most of the books in the series, Brunetti has to be content with identifying the guilty party, who rarely pays any penalty for their crime. Leon hasn’t quite figured out how to end a book where the criminal is brought to justice. I hope she’ll keep practicing this kind of ending!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A thirty-year-old woman remains trapped in the body of a seven-year-old girl following a tragic water incident some fifteen years earlier. Her grandmother asks Brunetti to investigate. Since things are slow at the Questura, he receive permission to look into the case from a magistrate. He and Griffoni meet barriers at almost every turn until a man linked to the case turns up dead. I loved this installment. We got to learn a lot more about Griffoni and Signorina Elettra's character is always wonderful.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a much more intriguing plot than an earlier Brunetti novel, which I just recently finished (Book 2). I followed another reader's suggestion to try jumping into a later book which would probably improve my enjoyment, and that was so right. The family dynamics were interesting and the events leading up to discovering the story of the original crime was an engaging, well written development. I particularly enjoyed more details about the supporting characters, Signorina Elettra especially. Talk about the power behind the throne! I was very amused.It was also not a let down for me to recognise who committed both the 10-year old crime and the subsequent murder, during the investigation. It was an adroit path to unravelling the complexities.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Indeed, a comfortable read as Brunelli collects the threads that link an old crime with a current one. I listened to this book while driving on a long trip. Just perfect for that.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Synopsis: Brunetti is asked to investigate the case of a young girl who met with an 'accident' some 15 years ago. He follows the clues that lead to a drunkard and a wealthy man.Review: Although I knew about two-thirds of the way through the book who did it, this was a good story with an excellent ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Brunetti and associates investigate a 15 year old case of a young woman who is rescued from drowning in a canal. Excellent, satisfying plot. One of the best in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not much of a mystery--figured out pretty early who the bad guy was--but Leon's description of life in Venice makes even a ho hum plot enjoyable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Endlich wieder ein Brunetti mit einer guten und nachvollziehbaren Story, nachdem es ziemlich viel 08/15 gab.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A comfortable, but tired read. We know the characters—how many Brunetti books has Donna Leon written anyway. His clan lives peaceably, no real challenges, no changes. Even the crime is old and mostly forgotten. The cops and their vain, strutting boss have learned to live together. The plot is predictable—only one possibility for the villain and he does not disappoint. The book does touch on the evils of our time: eco-trashing, macho women-bashing, political corruption, right wing resurgence, immigrant suspicions, but in a low-pitched voice. The book barely holds your attention, and you can nod off without fear of missing anything. A late night, pre-sleep book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Donna Leon is a master at mystery stories that give the reader a sense of place, a magnificent character who continues to grow with each new book in the series, and a variety of crimes to solve. In this latest story, Commissario Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy widow to look into her grandaughter's near drowning over 15 years ago. The girl was left with permanent brain damage and the grandmother wants to blame someone.Brunetti isn't sure there's a crime to investigate, but his curiosity (and his innate politeness toward elderly women) drive him to look into what facts are still available. Throughout the book, the story of Venice spreads its cover - the corruption, the pollution, and the current socio-economic problems associated with an influx of immigrants. In he end, Brunetti and company don't disappoint.I received this audiobook through participation in the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. Like all previous books in the series, David Colacci handles the various accents and dialects of the area and gives us a reading that is easy to follow and perfect for the characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My today's standards this is a very "quiet & gentle" crime novel. Leon writes in a very fluid and understated style - very easy to follow and get involved in. The only disconnect is my lack of familiarity with Venice - it's geography & culture - but that is my weakness not the author's.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The case of a young girl nearly drowned in the waters of Venice was never solved. Fifteen years later the girl's grandmother is convinced there was foul play involved and enlists the assistance of a dear friend's son-in-law, Commissario Brunetti. Although this is my first exposure to Leon's writing, she is clearly an accomplished writer. The characters are easily relatable and interesting. I love the intelligent banter among his family members. This gives the reader a sense of realism to the Commissario's character. The dead ends and possible connections play out throughout the story with different bits revealed occasionally that keep the reader engaged and emotionally invested in the characters for better or worse.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a review of the audio version of this work.Donna Leon writes excellent mysteries, twisting and turning and keeping you guessing, but the real strength of her work is to make the reader feel that he or she is actually a resident of Venice. There are long stretches when not much happens with the mystery under investigation, but you learn about the culture, the social structure, and the daily life of Venetians.The mystery involves the near drowning of a teenage girl many years ago in a canal. The girl has grown into womanhood, but her near-death experience has left her mentally incapable of progressing past what would be normal for a young girl. Commissario Guido Brunetti investigates this cold case as a favor to the girl's grandmother. The cold case suddenly turns "hot" again, as the only witness to the crime is murdered. Guido solves the mystery and wraps things up satisfactorily.It is the setting, however, that will stay with you long after you finish this novel. It is a work that allows you to escape from your everyday life and life, for a while at least, in the rarefied air of one of the world's most romantic cities.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the 25th novel in the Guido Brunetti series, and unlike most of the others, it features a case that may or may not really be a case. The background is that 15 years ago, the granddaughter of a patroness of a wealthy charity was pushed into a local canal. She did not swim, went under and began to drown. A local alcoholic man pulled her out, but not before she had suffered irreparable brain damage. This left her with the mental capacity of a young child of six or seven. The police investigated but found no sign that pointed toward a crime being committed, mainly because her savior claimed not to remember anything about the incident. Her grandmother never believed this and begs Guido to open a new investigation. He promises to look into but finds little to no indication to indicate that a crime was committed, until people related to the investigation start dying in suspicious ways. While not really the most suspenseful of the Guido books, series fans will not want to miss it. I listened to the Recorded Books version, and it measured up to their usual excellent production standards. The advantage to listening is knowing the correct pronunciation of all of the Italian proper names!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have not read many books of this series but I have loved what I have and always wonder why I haven't gone back for more.In this episode featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti, he is asked to look into an event that occurred 15 years earlier. A wealthy woman's granddaughter had nearly drowned in a canal in Venice and was left brain damaged due to the lack of oxygen. She now has an IQ of a 7-year old and cannot remember what happened to her. Her mother is exhausted from having to care for her daughter and is uninterested in raising old memories. In Brunetti's slow and deliberate style, he learns there is much more to what happened and he enlists the help of his coworker, Claudia Griffoni, he gently lifts up rocks to find what has been hiding under them all these years.Not only is the setting among the palacios and canals delicious, but Brunetti has a wonderful low-key attitude that manages to get things done without blood shed. He alsohas a most wonderful relationship with his wife, Paola, something that is rare in a genre that generally features dysfunction in many forms.The audio version of the book was a delight to listen to. David Colacci does a reasonable job of giving an Italian accent to the characters.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Donna Leon is another one of those authors who will always have a place on my reading lists. Sadly I don't always manage to keep up with her virtually annual publications.At first glance THE WATERS OF ETERNAL YOUTH appears to be a departure from usual Brunetti cases, in that the initial case that Brunetti investigates is a cold case. He does it as a favour to a friend of his mother-in-law who wants to be reassured that she has done all that she can to find out what happened to her granddaughter who was nearly drowned 15 years earlier.The title has ironic overtones but I'll leave you to work that out for yourself. Brunetti's investigation gets official sanction when he slyly suggests to Vice-Questore Patta that some social doors will open for his wife as a result.However Brunetti sets a ball rolling when he contacts the man who rescued Manuela from the canal 15 years earlier. Brunetti also discovers that there were elements in the original medical report that should have sparked further investigation. There is a murder with just enough DNA evidence to identify the murderer if the police could establish a match, but there is no-one on their records. Identification of the culprit comes from a chance meeting, but there were a couple of coincidences that the author let slip which enabled me to identify the murderer one step ahead of Brunetti.And in the background? Some references to Venice's current problems. A satisfying read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This series has been on my to-get-to list for a long time, but I had still not gotten to it, when I received this free audio edition of the newest from LibraryThing, the 25th addition to this story of a detective in Venice. I enjoyed this one, telling of Brunetti's delving into an old case, that wasn't even really ever a case. A young girl fell into a canal, and although rescued, was left with significant brain damage and impairment. Or did she fall, her grandmother wants answers, and persuades Brunetti to investigate, even though the incident happened 15 years ago. Brunetti becomes more convinced that a crime was committed, and slowly begins to suspect what actually happened, confirming his suspicions with dogged inquiry. I liked the characters here, and want to read more, this has prompted me to want to go back and begin this series at the beginning.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I've read a few of Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti books, and they all strike me the same way. The characterizations are excellent, the local feel is superb, but little mystery is involved. “The Waters of Eternal Youth,” which I received on CD as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers, is no exception. The culprit was easily spotted – Brunetti seems a lot slower putting the pieces together than he should have been, it seemed to me. As in the other Leon books I've read, government incompetence and corruption and police in-fighting play a prominent role in the story. So does Brunetti's private life. Those who have enjoyed her earlier works will probably enjoy this installment. For me, ora basta.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    After 24 previous novels, a reader knows what to expect from a Brunetti novel - a calm mystery, a main character in Venice and its people, corrupted police and administration and a detective with a happy family life. And this novel contains all that. The main difference is that this time there is no body - instead one of Guido's mother-in-law friends asks Brunetti to find out what happened with her granddaughter 15 years earlier - when the girl, Manuela, fell in a canal and emerged with a brain damage. It starts as a favor but the more he looks into it, the more he realizes that something is wrong. And there is Venice and Commissario Claudia Griffoni, Signorina Elettra and Vianello, Paola and the kids. They are as much a part of the story as is the crime. And that is the charm of the story - as all the Brunetti's novel - it all is a part of the whole. The resolution of the story was a bit weird - relying on a coincidence. Brunetti was well on his way to solving the case - and the meeting that led to the ultimate resolution was unnecessary - even if it sped the solution a bit. And then came the very end of story broke my heart. If only someone had done that earlier, maybe Manuela would have had a better life. Maybe not - but it did make think about choices and what makes people happy. I am not sure if the story will work for someone that had not read the older stories - the relationships are just sketched, the older books provide the details. But for fans of the series, it is a very good installment. Now the long wait until the next one gets out...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Past, present and future, family and strangers all play roles in Donna Leon's latest Commissario Guido Brunetti novel, The Waters of Eternal Youth, working together for a subtly enriching, always engaging reading experience.Brunetti is roped along with his wife to a formal dinner for a Venetian preservation charity dear to the heart of a friend of her family. The aristocratic patroness commands his presence for a later interview. She is old and there is something from the past she wishes to have settled. Many years ago, a beautiful teenage girl -- a Venetian afraid of the water -- fell into a canal one night. She was starting to drown but was saved by a passerby. The man who saved her, an alcoholic, thinks she was pushed but can remember nothing specific. Who he was is unclear. The girl was the aristocrat's granddaughter, and she has been trapped in a child's mind ever since. Before the grandmother dies, she wants to know the truth.What can Brunetti find out? Was a crime committed? Is there any way to go back 15 years to find out? If so, is there any way to bring anyone responsible to justice?Reluctantly drawn to the older woman's story, Brunetti will see what he can find out. This includes seeing what the ever-resourceful Elettra can find out. This most remarkable woman is on a quest of her own regarding electronic goings-on. Brunetti also enlists the aid of another policewoman with previously unknown skills of her own, Griffoni, who plays a key role in moving things along.At the same time, Brunetti is disturbed to discover new refugees are starting to bother the girls outside school, including his daughter. They're far too aggressive for his taste. It's a small part of the story that echoes when, for example, during one of Brunetti's classic musings, he notes why other people's prejudices sound far more worse than our own. And the realization disturbs him. He and Paola have serious discussions, there is serious cooking, the children are nearly grown and definitely their own people, and, as ever, Venice is an integral part of each character and the story itself.The kind of a person someone is, despite status, career or goals reached, is part of the characteristic climax of the novel. Donna Leon excels at carving out small, significant moments of grace and dignity in addition to a clear-eyed look at political and personal corruption and other failings.The Waters of Eternal Youth, as Brunetti looks into what happened to a teenage girl years ago, uses those small moments to create an enormously satisfying ending. And because it's Donna Leon, the ending is handled just right. What a marvelous book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another delightful read with characters we have come to know and love! I especially appreciate her subtle humor and descriptions of the crazy but true bureaucracy of the Italian way of life!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After attending a dinner party at his mother-in-law's home, Commissario Brunetti is enlisted to scrutinize a likely assault and near drowning of a teenage girl that happened 15 years ago. The girl, Manuela, has grown up but because of the time she was without oxygen, mentally she is only a child without a memory what happened. Her aging grandmother wants to know the truth. Brunetti cannot re-open the case, which was ruled an accident but starts a private investigation delving into this long ago event. The twists and turns of what happened and who had information, why the police didn't, and how eventually everything came to light was cleverly crafted keeping the reader searching along with Brunetti. I have read every one of the books in this series, so far, I'm hoping that a new one will be coming in the future. I would be terribly disappointed if this was the end of Commissario Brunetti and his adventures in Venice.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've read all of Leon's Brunetti books and this is one of the best. I heard Donna Leon speak once. She was asked where she got her ideas and said it was from newspaper stories which makes me wonder exactly what this story was. The central figure, victim, is a 30 something year old woman who as a 16 year old had been pushed into a canal in Venice. She was rescued, but not before she suffered brain damage which left her with the capacity of a seven year old. Leon portrays her with great compassion. Her grandmother wants to know what really happened and Brunetti sets out to find the truth. As in all of her books we are treated to life at the Brunetti house and as well as in Venice. I highly recommend this book even this for people who normally don't read mysteries.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Donna Leon mysteries aren't for everyone. In some ways it is a bit odd that I like them so much. They are wordy and slow-moving and a far cry from the terse and funny Elmore Leonard-style I most prefer.But Commissario Guido Brunetti is such an attractive character and Venice such an appealing locale that I can't help but be charmed by this series. Maybe it is just mysteries set in Italy, I like Aurelio Zen too.Here, Commissario Brunetti is asked to look into a near drowning of a teenage girl, a possible assault 15 years ago that damaged the girl's brain, thus the eternal youth of the title. The girl is a grown woman now and her aging grandmother wants to know the truth. It's a very strange scenario, one that makes no logical sense. Why wait till now to ask these questions?Reluctant yet curious, Brunetti maneuvers to have the case reopened and, as always, it is the investigation, set in the distinctive Italian culture, that fascinates.I received a review copy of "The Waters of Eternal Youth" by Donna Leon (Grove Atlantic) through NetGalley.com.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of the things I like about Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti books is that the stories move at a gentle pace. No car chases, violence, vulgarity, rage, gore, or sex scenes. The plot and characters don’t need any forced excitement; They carry the reader along a on their own.In THE WATERS OF ETERNAL YOUTH, Brunetti and his wife, Paola, attend a dinner party hosted by elderly Countessa Lando-Continui but held at Paola’s mother’s home. The Countessa tells Brunetti she would like to speak with him and, when he meets her at her home, she tells him about her granddaughter. Fifteen years previously, Manuela, a beautiful teenager, fell into a canal and almost drowned. A man, Pietro Cavanis, pulled her out and another one gave her artificial respiration. The first man originally said he saw a man push her in but the next day, when he had sobered up, he said he couldn’t remember anything about it. The police called it an accident and moved on. Manuela suffered brain damage from being underwater for so long and now has the mind of a seven-year-old. The Countess insists her granddaughter was terrified of water and would never have gone anywhere close enough to fall in. Before she dies, she wants to find out what really happened to Manuela.With much of the evidence no longer accessible and many people involved at the time of the incident no longer alive, redoing the case is not easy but, with the help of some trustworthy and helpful co-workers, Brunetti sets out to fulfill the grandmother’s request. As in all the books in the series, Leon devotes space to seeing Brunetti at home with his family as well as on the job. She also includes some side issues, in this case immigrants, housing, and changes in Venice. Leon has a delightful, tongue-in-cheek way of describing people and events:Trying to entice him to attend a formal dinner: “His mother-in-law, however, using the Border Collie tactics he had observed in her for a quarter of a century, had circled his heels, yipping and yapping, until she had finally herded him to the place where she wanted him to be.”The dinner was a way for potential foreign donors to meet some Venetians. “Come to the zoo and meet the animals that your donations help survive in their native habitat. Come at feeding time.”“A German journalist who had arrived at a point of such cynicism as to almost make him an Italian..”After first denying that he had pillaged any money intended for a city project, one high official conceded “that perhaps some of the money had...found its way into his election campaign. But...he had never touched a euro of it for his personal use, apparently of the belief that buying an election was less reprehensible than buying a Brioni suit.”After tasted a wonderful drink, Brunetti “thought he’s sell up everything and move to Scotland. Paola could find a job teaching, and the children would find something to do with themselves. Beg, for example.”She also understands what motivates people:“Only someone who knows us well knows how to flatter us, knows which virtues we’d like to have attributed to us and which not.”“In logic,...appeal to fear. Make people afraid of something and you can make them do what you want.”THE WATERS OF ETERNAL YOUTH is an excellent read, The story moves smoothly and the characters seem genuine. The end is a little too tidy. Some of the chapters are unnecessarily short. I think that insults the reader’s intelligence, implying that they cannot focus very long, and always deduct one star for that.