Donna Leon is the bestselling author of the Commissario Guido Brunetti novels, one of the world’s most beloved and enduring crime series, set in the wondrous city of Venice, Italy.

Now Leon has penned a memoir, WANDERING THROUGH LIFE, that is put together in a very original way. It is told chronologically but is unpacked in the form of mini-vignettes. Fans of her work finally will get a glimpse behind her persona to see what makes her tick and the journey that drew her to crime fiction. Now in her 80s, Leon felt the need to look backwards, and it is a pleasant trip down memory lane.

"WANDERING THROUGH LIFE is an eye-opening read that truly fills in the blanks of Leon's life while maintaining enough of a distance so that readers still will have plenty to learn about her."

One theme that clearly jumps off the page is her love of reading and literature, as the book is filled with plenty of literary references. She begins the discussion about her family with a quote from ANNA KARENINA: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Leon refers to the relatives on the outskirts of her immediate family as being similar to the obscure characters who have been known to inhabit the work of Charles Dickens, such as the infamous Uriah Heep. Her childhood was a happy one, and she remembers learning the joy of reading at an early age. Her personal favorites included THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF and LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.

Leon’s love of Italy and all things Italian can be traced to the opera "Tosca," which she caught in New York whenever she could. She also remembers the time spent north of New York City on a family farm much like the one where her mother was raised. Leon enjoyed the bucolic life but also recalls going to the library with her mother, who enjoyed reading books by such authors as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, Ross Macdonald and Ruth Rendell. It’s easy to see where she got her influences for her own work.

As a young woman, Leon taught English abroad in places like the Middle East and China. She delighted in experiencing foreign cultures, which gave her the desire to travel regularly and explore the world around her. It was when she accompanied her friend on a trip to Naples, Italy, that she felt truly at home and did not want to leave. This led to further exploration of the country and falling in love with the very same Venice where she eventually relocated and set her iconic series.

While in Venice, Leon became enamored of the gondola as a form of transportation. It’s no coincidence that Guido Brunetti often finds himself on a gondola when traveling from the Questura to various crime scenes. Leon wrote an amusing letter that is still posted at the local Questura to travelers hoping to meet her fictional detective. I would give anything to be able to experience this!

WANDERING THROUGH LIFE is an eye-opening read that truly fills in the blanks of Leon's life while maintaining enough of a distance so that readers still will have plenty to learn about her. Most of all, it makes me eagerly await her next Brunetti novel, which cannot come fast enough.