I came to Venice for the first time in 1968 and was lucky enough to make the acquaintanceship, and then the friendship, of two Venetians, Roberta and Franco, who remain my best friends here after almost 50 years. — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a book because I wanted to see if I could write a mystery. Someone nagged me into sending it to a contest, which it won, after which I was offered a two-book contract, thus… — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
“Vianello had the knack of getting people to talk. Especially if they were Venetians, the people he interviewed invariably warmed to this large, sweet-tempered… — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
This is a fallen world. People lie, the truth gets distorted, and that's the way it is. What's for dinner ? — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
“even the worst men wanted to be perceived as better than they were. How else could hypocrisy have risen to such delirious levels?” — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
“And will knowing what she reads make you know who she is?” “Can you think of a better way to tell?” — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
I never wanted to be rich or successful or famous. I just wanted to be happy and have fun. — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
“Helmut thought himself above common morality. Or perhaps he thought he’d managed to create his own, different from ours, better.” — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
“Once, walking with him, Paola had stopped and asked him what he was thinking about, and the fact that she was the only person… — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
“..if you put people on a diet, they start thinking about food. Or if you make someone stop smoking, all they think about is… — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
And off in the far distance, the gold on the wings of the angel atop the bell tower of San Marco flashed in the… — Donna Leon Copy Share Image
