Review
At the end of “Enemies At Home” I’d started to warm to Falco’s daughter, Flavia Albia, a little, if only because she finally seemed human: vulnerable and willing to open up to others.
I’d hoped that “Deadly Election” would help me understand Flavia Albia a bit more and finally enjoy this series as much as I enjoyed the Falco series.
I listened to two hours of an eleven hour book before finally giving up.
I admit it. I don’t like Flavia Albia.
The success of the book depends on seeing Flavia Albia as a witty, brave, and intelligent confidante, who guides me through the streets of Rome and amuses me with her insights into people and places while filling me with admiration for the daring and tenacious way she goes about solving mysteries.
In the first two hours of the audiobook version of “Deadly Election” I listened to her slag off politicians, give cynical descriptions of almost everyone she met, describe her ambivalence about being Roman, investigate the death of a man as if he were a jigsaw puzzle and show a muckraker’s zeal for digging up sleaze on political candidates.
I decided that Faliva Albia is someone I would try to avoid being seated next to at a dinner party and that I have no further interest in what happens to her. So this becomes the third book this year that I didn’t finish.
I’ve decided that, instead of persevering with Flavia Albia, I’ll return to the original Falco series. It’s more than twenty-five years since I read “The Silver Pigs”. I think it’s time to go back and see if I still enjoy it.
I’d hoped that “Deadly Election” would help me understand Flavia Albia a bit more and finally enjoy this series as much as I enjoyed the Falco series.
I listened to two hours of an eleven hour book before finally giving up.
I admit it. I don’t like Flavia Albia.
The success of the book depends on seeing Flavia Albia as a witty, brave, and intelligent confidante, who guides me through the streets of Rome and amuses me with her insights into people and places while filling me with admiration for the daring and tenacious way she goes about solving mysteries.
In the first two hours of the audiobook version of “Deadly Election” I listened to her slag off politicians, give cynical descriptions of almost everyone she met, describe her ambivalence about being Roman, investigate the death of a man as if he were a jigsaw puzzle and show a muckraker’s zeal for digging up sleaze on political candidates.
I decided that Faliva Albia is someone I would try to avoid being seated next to at a dinner party and that I have no further interest in what happens to her. So this becomes the third book this year that I didn’t finish.
I’ve decided that, instead of persevering with Flavia Albia, I’ll return to the original Falco series. It’s more than twenty-five years since I read “The Silver Pigs”. I think it’s time to go back and see if I still enjoy it.
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