Wandering through Life: A Memoir

Theinternationally bestselling author of the Guido Brunetti mysteries tells herown adventurous life story as she enters her eighties

In a series of vignettes full of affection, irony, and good humor, DonnaLeon narrates a remarkable life she feels has rather more happened to her thanbeen planned.

Following a childhood in the company of her New Jersey family, withfrequent visits to her grandfather's farm and its beloved animals, and summersspent selling homegrown tomatoes by the roadside, Leon got her first taste ofthe classical music and opera that would enrich her life. She also developed ayen for adventure. In 1976, she made the spontaneous decision to teach Englishin Iran, before finding herself swept up in the early days of the 1979Revolution. After teaching stints in China and Saudi Arabia, she finally landedin Venice. Leon vividly animates her decades-long love affair with Italy, fromher first magical dinner when serving as a chaperone to a friend, to the huntfor the perfect cappuccino, to the warfare tactics of grandmothers doing theirgrocery shopping at the Rialto Market. 

Some 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 Earthly Remains. 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.

Having recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, Leon poignantlyconfronts the dual challenges and pleasures of aging. Complete with a brief letter dissuadingthose hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused withmusic, food, and her sharp sense of humor, Wandering through Lifeoffers Donna Leon at her most personal.