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A review by holly_keimig
Auntie Poldi and the Vineyards of Etna by Mario Giordano
4.0
Auntie Poldi stories are the perfect summer read. They are long, winding, and full of tasty details. There is love and heartache, morality and evil, hardship and fun afternoons. In this story, Poldi visits a winery, struggles to get her section of town's water turned back on, possibly tussles with the Mob, and falls in and out of love all while helping to solve a mystery of the poisoning of the neighbor's dog. (The dog part isn't graphic but it is sad and happens at the beginning.) The writing is rich and detailed and draws you in very quickly. It's a long book, but well worth the read. Can't wait to see what kind of adventures Poldi encounters in the next book!
A few of my favorite quotes below:
Page 335-""And I know a thing or two about getting stuck." Valerie laughed at her. "But also about starting afresh." "Because I had to," Poldi said with a sigh. "Letting go is the only thing I've ever mastered.""
Page 267-""There simply are people who can stretch time, space, and the truth to suit themselves. People with the talent to open up vistas for you. People who make you feel light and airy in their presence, and you can only be grateful for it.""
Page 113-""But things that annoy us, Poldi once told me, are simply messages sent us by life and ought to draw our attention to something.""
Page 19-""It's what's called a backstory wound... whether in life or in a novel, each of us is haunted by a shadow that keeps whispering, 'Don't become like me and you'll be better off!' You can't help this, and you certainly can't choose your own shadow.""
Page 17-"2 kinds of people: deliziosi and spaventosi
"The charming and the frightful. Rule of thumb: house guests, friends, and dogs are always deliziosi, the rest are spaventosi. At least until they prove otherwise.""
Page 12-""Imagine a superbrain functioning at full throttle and someone suddenly pulls the plug. It really can't be good... it's the same with detectives' brains when there's nothing to detect. They're like dogs with nothing to chase and worry to death.""
A few of my favorite quotes below:
Page 335-""And I know a thing or two about getting stuck." Valerie laughed at her. "But also about starting afresh." "Because I had to," Poldi said with a sigh. "Letting go is the only thing I've ever mastered.""
Page 267-""There simply are people who can stretch time, space, and the truth to suit themselves. People with the talent to open up vistas for you. People who make you feel light and airy in their presence, and you can only be grateful for it.""
Page 113-""But things that annoy us, Poldi once told me, are simply messages sent us by life and ought to draw our attention to something.""
Page 19-""It's what's called a backstory wound... whether in life or in a novel, each of us is haunted by a shadow that keeps whispering, 'Don't become like me and you'll be better off!' You can't help this, and you certainly can't choose your own shadow.""
Page 17-"2 kinds of people: deliziosi and spaventosi
"The charming and the frightful. Rule of thumb: house guests, friends, and dogs are always deliziosi, the rest are spaventosi. At least until they prove otherwise.""
Page 12-""Imagine a superbrain functioning at full throttle and someone suddenly pulls the plug. It really can't be good... it's the same with detectives' brains when there's nothing to detect. They're like dogs with nothing to chase and worry to death.""