Uncover Suffer The Little Children (Commissario Brunetti, #16) Crafted By Donna Leon Categorized In Printable Format

libro de la saga Brunetti, el tema vuelve a tener como eje la denuncia social al sistema social y político italiano, Una toma de conciencia a las adopciones ilegales, a las ventas de personas, al fraude farmacéutico y médico,
Y lo que más me gusta esos paseos por los barrios de Venecia, las comidas y bebidas locales, Muy entretenido. Suffer the Little Children Commissario Brunetti
Donna Leon

This has a different feel, compared to most other Commissario Brunetti novels, There is no 'bad guy' that Brunetti has to find and capture, Here we have a variety of smalltime, meanspirited, selfcentered individuals who do not seem to care who suffers, including children and loving, devoted parents,
Suffer the Little Children, theth book in the series and we are taken back to the sights, smells, sounds and the life warmhearted, insightful, and honorable Commissario Brunetti's beautiful and secretive city, Venice.


A story of the murky underworld of illegal adoption, where babies are bought for money by the rich and titled and the evil that permeates everyone involved.


The opening scene in this story is unforgettable and the book ends with the most unexpected twist,

A slow but compelling and rather sad story, From the shocking opening scene to the surprise conclusion, this is a police procedural that will entertain with an engrossing story exploring the pain or parental bonds, misguided morality, and issues regarding the privacy of medical records.
My first encounter with Commissario Brunetti revealed him to be an intelligent, compassionate, and introspective investigator who understands the need to balance the light and dark elements of existence.
While he may stop to enjoy a delicious lunch or indulge a bottle of wine over dinner, this doesn't mean he won't also spend a sleepless night mulling over the complexities of a case.

To her credit, although author Donna Leon portrays Brunetti as such a noble figure, she also does not shirk from exposing his mistakesregardless of how wellintentioned that culminate in tragedy.

Moreover, she provides Brunetti with a team that are equally skilled in their own right and who don't mind taking the initiative, This is further complemented with

Brunetti's appreciation of their talents, somewhat of a rarity in many detective series, It also merits mentioning the civil antagonism Leon emphasizes between the regular Italian police and the Carabinieri, a branch of the police that this reader was previously ignorant of.
Curiously, it also seems that the reputations of the Italian Press and social grapevine are both well founded as they repeatedly figure as sources of intel for Brunetti and his team.

Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read not only for a masterfully developed plot, but for the indelible images it imparted on its final page.

I read this book because it was a selection for my book club, many of whom had visited Venice or other parts of Italy during the past year.


I know there are a multitude of Donna Leon fans who will vehemently disagree with this review, However, this book did not deliver on the potential for the story's premise, I felt let down at the end of the book not because of the ending but because the book seemed shallow, the characters lapse into stereotypes.
If I'd not read at least one earlier book with these characters while they were still being developed, I would have been lost,

That said, there are some great discussion questions raised in this book, Stop reading here if you have not read the book, The children are taken from loving parents and put in orphanages is that moral What is the right thing to do that prevents the lawbreakers from benefitting but doesn't punish the children A pharmacist uses personal information from medical records to stop what he considers immoral behavior telling secrets to fiances, spouses, mothers.
The question: If you know a secret about someone, where is the line at which it's OK to share that secret because of its impact on someone else


Donna Leons charming, evocative, and addictive Commissario Guido Brunetti series continues with Suffer the Little Children.
When Commissario Brunetti is summoned in the middle of the night to the hospital bed of a senior pediatrician, he is confronted with more questions than answers.
Three mena young Carabiniere captain and two privates from out of townhave burst into the doctor's apartment in the middle of the night, attacked him and taken away his eighteenthmonth old baby boy.
What could have motivated an assault by the forces of the state so violent it has left the doctor mute Who would have authorized such an alarming operation At the same time, Brunettis colleague Inspector Vianello discovers a moneymaking scam between pharmacists and doctors in the city.
But it appears as if one of the pharmacists is after more than money, Donna Leon's new novel is as subtle and fascinating as ever, set in a beautifullyrealized Venice, a glorious city seething with smalltown vice, I tagged this one as one of my favorites among Donna Leon's Brunetti series, as much for his inner voice as he works and walks around his city as for the solving of the crime more, really.
She hasn't disappointed me yet, Ok!! Weird book, not bad, but not good, Some parts were very interesting, Other than that . just ok Its been way too long since Ive been in the company of Guido Brunetti, his family and coworkers, Id forgotten how enjoyable their company was,
Guido has been awoken in the middle of the night about a group of carabinieri busting into a doctors house, assaulting him and taking hismonth old son.
The doctor is accused of having “adopted” the child illegally,
While Guido investigates, the women in his life are up in arms, How could a child have been taken from his family and placed in an orphanage
The trademark Leon humor is here, Shes no fan of politics or government bureaucracy, I liked that this isnt the typical murder mystery, There are two investigations the child trafficking and another that involves possible money making scam involving pharmacists,
This isnt a fast paced, high action story, Like a good meal, its meant to be savored, The storys ending was heartbreaking,
I listened to this and I adore David Colucci as the narrator,
Donna Leons Venetian mysteries are generally more about the societal issues of modern Italy than they are about the mystery itself, and this is no exception.
Here she sensitively and skilfully deals with the tricky issue of infertility, and desperate people who buy children from poor immigrants to satisfy their craving for a baby of their own.
This plot is linked to Brunettis investigation of a possible scam involving pharmacists in the city,

Leon writes with perception and skill, and her descriptions of Venice are one of the delights of this series, There are the usual features of the books a clash between Brunetti and his scheming boss Patta, the warm relationship between Brunetti and Vianello, and a stunning performance by Signorina Elettra.
We also have the usual glimpses of Brunettis home life and their delicious meals,

This was a rather tame mystery but wrapped up in some hefty issues of morality and corruption, and a very good addition to this excellent series.
Pleased this library audio came available via overdrive as David Colacci's narration makes the story take on a life of its own, Truly enjoyable hours spent today in Venice as Guido
Brunetti pursues solutions and unravels political knots surrounding adoptions, . . It is nice to read a mystery where the detective is smart, imperfect, lives a family life, and has friends, coworkers, and bosses who are all deep individual characters.
The philosophical musings are even interesting, This disturbing mystery starts with a Carabinieri raid on a pediatrician's house and issues of fatherhood, Italian politics, fraud, sexism, morality, and more swirl around the truth revealed, not by the detecting actions of the detective so much as the inadvertent information he gives a suspect.


While this is well written and appeals beyond a genre audience, I think I will read these only occasionally, Not graphic or gratuitous, this novel nonetheless offers a realistically dark portrayal of humanity, and needs to be taken in measured doses, This was a first for me in many regards, My first Donna Leon book by extension my first Brunetti, my first foray into the mystery genre, my first police protagonist, my first story set in the realworld, and so on.
Ergo, I expect the following to smack a little of the kind of delight only to be found in naivety and ignorance, so take it with a pinch of salt or a few sachets, whatever suits your taste.

I'll get this out of the way first this is an intelligent read, The option of jumping a few lines, even if by accident, carries the inevitable snare of dooming oneself to turn back, pages sometimes even chapters later, scanning for what was missed.
The narrative is dense, adhering well to Vonnegut's Fourth Rule, yet at the same time feels no urge to take the reader by the hand and guide their every footstep instead trusting that, like Commissario Brunetti, you will figure it out by yourself.
While this may seem like high expectations, given the man's profession, his accessibility as a character allows one to quite easily walk in his shoes, and see the world through his eyes.

The plot itself, without giving spoilers, is an autonomous machine, It spends the entire book gathering bits and pieces of itself, and then only later begins to weld them together, with the final rivet going in at the final line of the final chapter.
There is no added drama, no embellishment, no mention of any of the characters celebrating or congratulating each other an echo of the realworld, I would hazard all of this is in the subtext.
Leon does not insult the reader's intellect by spoonfeeding how the characters feel, as you the reader are doing all the feeling for them,
I recommend this book to anyone with a reasonable IQ and two working hands, but I myself will be taking a break from this genre for the present.
As I've made clear above, this is not the fault of Leon, but after finishing this story set in what I presume is a faithful depiction of Venice, I find myself craving something a little more.
. . escapist. Still, for those who have had their fill of such things, if only for the moment, go out there, and pick this up, Like any good story, it takes its time, and is all the more satisfying in its conclusion for it, .