The original title ofA promise of adventure by Donna Leon, Wandering Through Life (which could be translated as “Wanderings through life”), gives a better idea of the content of these sympathetic “memories” which go in all directions… except below the surface of things (with a few exceptions). And who pay little attention to the literary career of the creator of Commissioner Brunetti and cantor of Venice. On the other hand, we discover his childhood on a farm in New Jersey, his cosmopolitan family tree, his first day of school, his complicity with an eccentric mother, his fascination with bees, his years of teaching in China, Iran and in Saudi Arabia, her love at first sight for the city of the Doges, where she will eventually settle down. More than the facts, it is the tone that gives the book its charm: Donna Leon’s humor sparkles like never before, to such an extent that, more than ever, we would like to count this young octogenarian among our friends.
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