Rating: 
Summary: Touchee
Review: Another great novel by one of Spain's best contemporary writers!Jaime Astarloa, the fencing master, an "elderly" man who lives by a strict code of honor, who makes his living by teaching the dieing art to a select number of pupils, finds his life turned around when Adela de Otero enters into his life. Adela de Otero, a "mysterious" young lady with violet eyes, and very skillful fencing artist herself, convinces Astarloa to take her on as a student, and to introduce her to El Marques de los Alumbres. El Marques de los Alumbres is a womanizer and member of the declining nobility. Set in Madrid Spain in 1868 - when Isabel II's monarchy is in decline, the noble class's power is declining, and the Republic is emerging. More than a novel of love, hate, deceipt and political turmoil, it is an expose of the Spain of the time, and each character symbolizing a different aspect of the period. Perez-Reverte readers will not be let down by this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: thin, wan, weak fluff
Review: This book was easy to read and follow, which is great for light reading on the way home or at bedtime. But I find the glowing reviews on quality of the content, style and translation astounding, considering how one-dimensional the characters were, and how flimsy the plot. For starters, sharing more specific intrigues of the political crisis would have made the novel and certainly the wrap-up more satisfying.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bit Disappointing
Review: Having read the terrific Club Dumas I was quite anxious to sink my teeth into another Perez-Reverte novel, and although this one has a number of good things to say for it, in the end I felt a little disappointed. It's the story of an aging fencing master, clinging to his traditions and to his dignity, in 1868 Madrid. He ekes out a living teaching his dying art to a very few wealthy children, and is mostly subsidized by a wealthy playboy. The backdrop is the political unrest in Spain at the time. Into this mixture comes a mysterious, young, beautiful woman, who demands that he give her fencing lessons. There's really three things going on here. The first and most successful is the character study of the protagonist. He is 56, has spent his life as a single man after only one brief and disastrous affair with a married woman, and defines himself by the rigid code of honor he developed in his youth, and which he recognizes as becoming outdated. He is clearly defined and an excellent character. I very much enjoyed the descriptions of his dress, and his dwelling also. His fencing room is golden-hued, with the sun shining on the wooden floor through floor-length windows, and is filled with ancient and deadly weaponry hanging from the walls. The second aspect is the mystery. The woman appears in his life, rekindling notions of love in his aging heart, then drops him for his benefactor. Shortly after, his benefactor turns up dead, from a deftly placed sword stroke, and the woman vanishes. This sounds more intriguing than it is. It begins rather belatedly, and for some reason never really catches fire with the reader. Perhaps the reason it never quite catches fire is because of the third and least successful aspect of the novel, which is the historical fiction. The events in Spain at the time are conveyed to us by a group of friends that our hero meets every day in a café. None of them are terribly interesting, and none of them ever do anything other than sit around and express their views. On top of this, the events which are being discussed are those which are occuring in 1868 Madrid, events which probably don't rank too high among the most significant of mankind. These café meetings occur often and are somewhat lengthy and really become a drag on the narrative. And that I think is the problem. The historical aspect is not conveyed creatively, but instead pedantically, and the whole novel suffers as a result. It just isn't quite what it could have been. Nevertheless, it's still entertaining--believe me, Mr. Perez-Reverte is a very gifted writer--and I will eagerly continue to read his other novels.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Author
Review: What strikes me about Perez-Reverte is his ability to make historical fiction real. Although some of his characters are quite ridiculous, they exude a lifelike quality that accentuate his story-lines to the highest possible extent. He is likewise a philosopher of a kind seldom seen in today's literature. Anything he writes, I will read. So should you.
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful read!
Review: This is the second book by Arturo Perez-Reverte that I've read. Mr. Perez-Reverte is a superb writer. His stories grab you and won't let you go till the end. And then you are sad to see them over so soon. Mr. Perez-Reverte has a wonderful plot in "The Fencing Master", with great character development. The story set in 1866 Spain during the beginnings of the Spanish revolution. This makes a great backdrop for the story. The author has a good understanding of this time in history and explains it to the reader in terms that can be understood by all. The fencing is also explained very well too. This is not an area that I've had a lot of dealings with, but the author does a wonderful job explaining it to the reader so that it is understandable and exciting. The climax of this story is breathtaking and on the edge of your seat reading. If you have any hesitation in reading a book written in another language, Margaret Jull Costa does a superb job in translated this story to English. So rest assured that you would not even notice that this is a translated book. I highly recommend "The Fencing Master" to any one who enjoys reading. So have fun and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A REAL TREAT!
Review: I loved this book as a reader and a fencing master (I'm also the author of "The Art and Science of Fencing," "The Inner Game of Fencing," and "The Encyclopedia of the Sword"). One of the best fencing-related novels since Sabatini took up the pen. Buy this book even if you know nothing about fencing.
Rating:
Summary: History as mystery
Review: To my knowledge, I have read all of this author's works available in English, and have found them universally excellent. The author isn't interested in telling a "big story"; his plots tend to be slight, but it's the characters themselves, their inner thoughts and their reaction to people and things around them, that make these books. This work takes place in the 19th century, a new time period for the author, and one in which his characters navigate with aplomb. Once again, there's a mystery, but it's really only a plot device upon which the author hangs his character studies. It's a relatively short book, and you will keep turning pages long after you probably should have retired for the night, if you read in bed, as I do. The translator is to be especially commended, for the grace and poetry of the language in the book adds much to its appeal. It's so well-translated that at no time did I even have the slightest impression that this was originally written in another language, the highest compliment one can pay to a translator.
Rating: 
Summary: In Spanish it was an amazing mystery....
Review: Another great mystery by the Spaniard, Perez-Reverte. This tale, set in the 1860s in Madrid, when Spain was in great political turmoil (monarchists vs. republicans vs. socialists vs. anarchists), is a murder mystery. The protagonist is an unassuming, gallant, respectful, and somewhat naive great fencing master/teacher. Don Jaime Astarloa is drawn into the political intrigue by the death (murder) of one of his clients, a well-known, well-to-do Don Juan, who is a Marquis in fact. One day, a beautiful young woman approaches Jaime for fencing lessons - which he refuses ("But I cannot! She is a WOMAN!")... and from there the plot thickens. The descriptions of Don Jaime's fencing classes, the tidbits about his past (when fencing was an honorable means for settling a score), his manner, his daily afternoon "tertulias" with the old collection of men in the neighborhood - all make for not only a fascinating setting and set of personages, but a great mystery as well. I hope this book has been translated into English - as many of Perez-Reverte's other novels have.
Rating:
Summary: A dissappointment
Review: I fell in love with The Flanders Panel, enjoyed The Club Dumas and The Seville Communion, but the latest from this author has me scratching my head: was he forced by his publisher to quickly churn out another novel? Did he run out of ideas after writing several good novels in a row? While he accurately evokes the spirit of the times, I found the reading tedious, with no apparent plot until about 150 pages. Even then, the plot is very thin, and the politics that are described, and around which the plot centers, are described so sketchily that one doesn't really care what happens to these people. I found myself turning the page not because it was so good, but because I was hoping that any minute now it must be getting better. After turning the last page, I unfortunately realized that this would not be the case. This book will make me think twice about rushing out to buy the next book of Arturo Perez Reverte. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Fencing Master
Review: I love that one. Year 1868 in Madrid of Queen Isabella. A mysterious woman besets the old fencing master Jaime Astarloa. The beautiful unknown wears the finest clothes but her wrist is strong. Indefendable thrust. It's an extremely exciting thriller, a story about power, revenge and political decisions which are marked by the end of an European era. Because of the appearance of Adela de Otero who besets Don Jaime to tell him his secret of the indefensible thrust everything changes for him for one last time. Suddenly he's in the middle of a fight between live and death and he must use all his abilities to parry an intrigue which threatens to shatter a whole nation in its foundations. Well done. You won't get bored.
|
