Las joyas del Paraíso
Donna Leon
Publicado: 2012 | 232 páginas
Novela Intriga

Caterina Pellegrini, experta en ópera del Barroco, rastrea la existencia de una valiosa herencia en unos documentos hallados por los descendientes de un genial compositor vinculado a la Iglesia católica. Caterina se adentra en la Venecia de finales del siglo XVII, investigando, sin proponérselo, la supuesta implicación del músico en el crimen más famoso de la época. En Las joyas del Paraíso, Donna Leon reúne sus tres grandes pasiones: la novela negra, la ciudad de Venecia y la música barroca. Una trama magistral, como la mejor aria, la partitura perfecta, aquella en la que cada nota, cada protagonista, esconde su propio secreto. Las joyas del paraíso, sobre la vida del compositor del siglo XVII Agostino Steffani. Proyecto en común con la mezzosoprano Cecilia Bartoli, que grabó a su vez el disco «Mission».

Caterina Pellegrini, experta en ópera del Barroco, no duda en abandonar su puesto en la universidad de Manchester cuando se le presenta la oportunidad de regresar a su Venecia natal. Contratada por los descendientes de un genial cantante y compositor muy vinculado a la Iglesia católica, Caterina inicia una investigación para descubrir si las cartas y manuscritos que han llegado a sus manos esconden alguna valiosa herencia.
Mientras investiga, Caterina se adentra en la Venecia del siglo XVII y en la vida del músico, rastreando su supuesta implicación en el crimen más famoso de la época.

A compelling, yet weird, no-body mystery that reminds me in many ways of Josephine Tey’s Daughter of Time. Set in modern Venice, Italy with our MC researching the recently discovered papers of Baroque composer and bishop Agostino Steffani, in an attempt to settle a centuries old dispute over who inherited.

So much of this book is research, which was sometimes interesting but never what you’d call fast-paced, and while I love classical music, I dislike opera (no singing please, just the music), so at the beginning I worried for my attention span. It soon becomes clear that the letters have very little to do with his ‘side’ career as composer and more to do with his diplomatic mission for the Vatican. Even that sounds more exciting that what you get, but it is interesting.

The writing is good but the structure is wobbly and the characters all fail to set and feel half-formed or as though Leon couldn’t commit. Leon obviously has issues about her own faith that bleed out through the pages. The book remains an academic exercise until just past the mid-way point, when suddenly Leon throws connections to Opus Dei in, but never explains them, nor develops them. Morretti’s motivations are never explained; we’re supposed to believe he’s a ‘bad guy’ but with no tangible reason or proof. But she also seems unable to commit to whether this was going to be a suspenseful mystery, or an academic one. A scene of menace is jarring and effective for its psychological impact, but nothing ever becomes of it and its eventual explanation is ineffective, at best.

I loved the ending though – such a perfect twist on importance between the secular and the religious. The ending was almost perfect.

It was a good read, though as a standalone, it left too many threads dangling, and the author was too transparent about her own feelings about faith in my opinion; I thought it was good, but had it been better balanced and better executed it could have been amazing. ( )

Donna Leon is best known for her Commissario Guido Brunetti series of mysteries. This is not one, but instead a stand-alone tale.

Caterina Pellegrini is a native Venetian who has been working abroad. When she hears of a position in Venice, she sees it as a chance to go back home.

The job is to examine papers left by a famous Italian baroque composer. Two people, claiming to be distant descendants, have gained access to two trunks full of papers from around 300 years ago. They are looking for a storied treasure that they may claim.

Caterina’s reading of the papers takes her on a research foray into the history of the composer and the era. She also finds an attraction between herself and the attorney who hired her is developing. She also learns of the greed of the two cousins who hope there truly is a treasure waiting. Their idea has nothing to do with history but only of gold, Jewellery and items of that kind.

It is a bit of a mystery, but also a study of personality that can be obvious and hidden in people. Leon’s writing portrays it well. ( )

I think the fact that I went and read another whole book about 30 pages from the end of this one shows how little interest this historical investigation held for me. Reading about someone reading old documents was very boring and I cared very little about either the current or the historical characters. Quite disappointing especially when Brunetti didn't turn up! ( )