Tomorrow in the Battle Think On Me

Rating:
Summary: The ultimate existential novel of our time
Review: "Nadie piensa nunca que pueda ir a encontrarse con una muerta entre los brazos y que ya no verá más su rostro cuyo nombre recuerda." De principio a fin, la lectura de esta novela es fascinante. Con Marías se inaugura una nueva era en la narrativa contemporánea: va hilando hechos, pensamientos, diálogos, en un torbellino de palabras que brotan tal y como se las piensa. Reflexiones sobre la muerte y la vida, tratados de un magistral e irónico modo. Contenido y forma se funden en una espectacular obra. Aún joven, Javier Marías es ya candidato al Premio Nobel de Literatura.

Rating:
Summary: Not enough stars
Review: At the beginning i thought this book was difficult to follow, and even a bit boring. My first impression is that the author was abusing the 'stream of consciousness' technique, just lost in his thoughts. But i continued reading and soon realized that there was a reason to the apparent 'madness'. This book is a concert of thoughts, all centered in a common point. The tangents or stories in the periphery were designed so skillfully that they complement the story without seeming superfluous: Ruibérriz, Celia/Victoria, el Único, all well defined and colorful characters, and the literary quotes mixed in with the text, the movie scenes, all contributing to enhance a plot already captivating. The main character struggles between decisions already taken or assumed, and the dialogs he has with himself are among the best i have read in Spanish literature in a long time.

The ending is unforeseen. When i thought i knew how things were developing, at the last moment i was surprised. Life can be so ironic, and laugh so much at our expense (or at Deán's expense, in this case).

The additional notes (another surprise i did not discover till the end) are very interesting, and if i had any doubts about the exceptional writer that Javier Marías is, i lost them completely after reading them. This novel cannot be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Not Marias at his best but still well worth reading
Review: Even when Javier Marias is not in top form, he remains a compelling storyteller and analyst of the human condition. Compared to A Heart So White, this book is quite flawed, and yet, it contains many fascinating scenes and interesting insights into personality, identity, who and what we know or think we know. The encounter between Victor and the woman who may or may not be his ex-wife is one of the most chilling and thought-provoking that I have ever read. This book lacks the humour as well as the rich and multi-layered characterizations of A Heart So White; even the protaganist is rather sketchily drawn. I was also disappointed by the ending which seemed contrived and too sudden. A note on the Kirkus Reviews summary: It contains some inaccuracies about the plot. For example, Marta was not Victor's mistress. They had met shortly before the night she died and their first and only prelude to lovemaking was interrupted when she was suddenly taken ill.

Rating:
Summary: it will stick with your forever!
Review: I read this book because of the title. The author tells us a story about death and unexpected moments in life. After I read this book I've found myself thinking "tomorrow in the battle think on me" very often! Also this book changed my views on death, on dealing with it, and what happens to those left behind after someone's gone.
Great book about thoughts and ideas not so much about events.

Rating:
Summary: a great book by a superb writer
Review: In this book we follow in the footsteps and the thoughts of a man who experiences the worst: his (firts-time) lover dies in his arms and leaves him in a house he does not know with a two-year-old. Nevertheless, Marias succeeds in writing a rather light-hearted book. You could call this a psychological novel, or a stream-of-consciousness novel. It is both, and it is more: it is a book about life lived to its fullest and about thinking about life. A superb read!