Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions
3 journalers for this copy...
I got this softcover at Barnes and Noble. It's from a mystery series set in Sicily, where the title character, a 60-something woman, hopes for a tranquil retirement...
And this was fun! Auntie Poldi seems to be a mix of Auntie Mame and a late-life Elizabeth Taylor, battling ennui and depression with a Sicilian house with an ocean view and with lots and lots of booze. Oh, and a photo collection of policemen around the world. She also offers guest room to her wanna-be-author nephew, who narrates the story (and is an expy of the author himself). When Poldi gets worried about the handsome young man who's been doing household work for her, after he's gone missing for several days, she sets out to find what's become of him - and then his body turns up on the beach, shotgunned in the face... Poldi has some investigative chops that she puts to work, despite being warned off by the world-weary but very, very hunky police inspector Vito Montana, and between them they dig up old secrets, current-day rivalries, and a desperate criminal.
Since the story unfolds via Poldi's narration to her "Watson"-role nephew, we know she's going to survive her more perilous trials, but it also adds a nice dry humor to the narrative. And the descriptions of life in her little town - not at all the most luxurious of the tourist villages - are very entertaining, even with the disadvantages of tourist season and the dankness of the winter months highlighted.
By the end of the book, Poldi has a new lease on life and, just perhaps, a new beau - though she may not be able to stop with just one!
And this was fun! Auntie Poldi seems to be a mix of Auntie Mame and a late-life Elizabeth Taylor, battling ennui and depression with a Sicilian house with an ocean view and with lots and lots of booze. Oh, and a photo collection of policemen around the world. She also offers guest room to her wanna-be-author nephew, who narrates the story (and is an expy of the author himself). When Poldi gets worried about the handsome young man who's been doing household work for her, after he's gone missing for several days, she sets out to find what's become of him - and then his body turns up on the beach, shotgunned in the face... Poldi has some investigative chops that she puts to work, despite being warned off by the world-weary but very, very hunky police inspector Vito Montana, and between them they dig up old secrets, current-day rivalries, and a desperate criminal.
Since the story unfolds via Poldi's narration to her "Watson"-role nephew, we know she's going to survive her more perilous trials, but it also adds a nice dry humor to the narrative. And the descriptions of life in her little town - not at all the most luxurious of the tourist villages - are very entertaining, even with the disadvantages of tourist season and the dankness of the winter months highlighted.
By the end of the book, Poldi has a new lease on life and, just perhaps, a new beau - though she may not be able to stop with just one!
I'm adding this to the Armchair Travels to Italy bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Hope someone enjoys it!
*** Released for the 2021 Tick Tock challenge, for the embedded "old" in the title. ***
*** Released for the 2021 Tick Tock challenge, for the embedded "old" in the title. ***
This is a series I've been intending to read. I'm very happy to have found this one in My Armchair Travels to Italy bookbox.
Important reasons for reading a book and how this book fared:
Excellent writing? No. Rather tedious writing.
Fascinating characters? Nope, a main character who does little except drink.
Learning great truths about life? Sorry, but no.
That leaves little but a delightful setting? Surely, this book had a delightful setting? Okay, a weak yes for this one...thus, the two-star rating.
It's time to pass this book on, via Mt. TBR Bookbox. I hope this turns out to be a book you enjoy.
Excellent writing? No. Rather tedious writing.
Fascinating characters? Nope, a main character who does little except drink.
Learning great truths about life? Sorry, but no.
That leaves little but a delightful setting? Surely, this book had a delightful setting? Okay, a weak yes for this one...thus, the two-star rating.
It's time to pass this book on, via Mt. TBR Bookbox. I hope this turns out to be a book you enjoy.
Chosen from the Swap Up Mt. TBR Bookbox.
