A delightful companion in life and on the page The TimesDonna Leon has created a beautifully crafted looking glass into her world TLSIn a series of vignettes full of affection irony and good humor Donna Leon narrates a remarkable life she feels has rather more happened to her than been planned.From a childhood in the company of her New Jersey family with frequent visits to her grandfathers farm and its beloved animals and summers spent selling homegrown tomatoes by the roadside Leon has long been open to adventure. In 1976 she made the spontaneous decision to teach English in Iran before finding herself swept up in the early days of the 1979 Revolution. After teaching stints in China and Saudi Arabia she finally landed in Venice.