Rating: 
Summary: Breaks his mold
Review: This is Perez-Reverte's best book since the Flanders Panel. He finally manages that which he attempted previously and breaks away from the strictures of plotting and mystery to produce an engrossing meditation on life, love, and the sea.I loved this book-- I've liked his others, but this one was great. Having said that, the translation did seem stitled at times. However, the book is good enough-- intriguing enough-- that I'll be trying to read it in the original spanish.
Rating: 
Summary: A great Sea novel .
Review: I have read on other reviews this text seems to suffer by a poor translation, I do not know for sure as I have read the original in spanish!. So I am just talking about the plot&writting and can not vouch for the english text. Sorry about that.
I must admit I prefer to read novels on the original language, and I can understand the difficulties of translators (all of them!), but I guess it's imposible to have a complete understanding of so many languages as to really get the context and rich references in any case (that's why you must read P.C. Wren in english, as Bernard Cornwell, Conan Doyle & similar, but also DUMAS in French, I guess with Perez-Reverte it's really a pity if you do not understand spanish (or castilian as himself critizies/derides the silly disputes over the name of Spain's (or should I say España) most common language (and main tool of common understanding between other nationalities inside Spain borders...).
Arturo Perez-Reverte is a great writer (specially in his own language!) if you love the translation of his works and have a minimum understanding of spanish have a go to another of his works on the original you won't be dissapointed.
A part from that the novel is just great as usual, Corto Maltes fans(Hugo Pratt's creation) will simply love it.
Rating:
Summary: Good and Interesting
Review: I am a big fan of Perez-Reverte. While at first I did not think the idea of the sea, a lonely sailor, the femme fatale in need of help, and the lost treasure was going to interest me, I ordered the book and read it because I love the author. Well, I was very pleasantly surprised. The trip was enjoyable and intelligently told. While this is not my favorite Perez-Reverte book, I do recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A great read about the ocean and treasure hunting
Review: I loved this book its smart, mysterious, and well written. I couldn't put it down. Perez-Reverte continues to paint a beautiful picture of Spain in my mind.
Rating:
Summary: A sailor, the sea, and a mystery
Review: I always look forward to books written by this author, because I find them well-written, with a literary quality so often missing in modern fiction. This new book is no exception, for the language and the writing are, as usual, first rate. My one caveat is that this is an extremely slow plot, and you keep wanting to say to the author, "Get on with the story!". Once he advances the plot, everything is fine. The characters are always well-drawn, even those who don't have a lot to do with the story. The writing covers a lot of literary ground, and if you're not "up" on writers about the sea for the last 150 years or so, you're going to feel a little lost. The plot, once it gets moving, is quite absorbing, and held my interest. I just wish the author would "get to the point" a bit more swiftly, which I feel he can do without sacrificing any of the good qualities which make his books so anticipated by myself, and many others of his "faithful readers".
Rating:
Summary: Adventure under Spanish Sun
Review: A beautiful tapestry of images tells the story of Manuel Coy, an unemployed Sailor passing hard times in Barcelona Spain. Attending a nautical goods auction (because he has nothing better to do), Coy is captivated by the enchanting Tánger Soto, a freckle-speckled blond who's snapped up a priceless 18th-century nautical atlas. A few minutes later, outside the auction house, Coy rushes to the rescue of Soto when she is threatened by thugs. Little could he imagine that right at that moment, he was exactly what the mysterious woman needed. Coy will provide the brawn to Tánger's brain, as she puts together a clandestine expedition to hunt the treasure of a lost Spanish ship. Displaying his usual gift for atmospherics, Pérez Reverte will lead us through the scenic sights of Barcelona, Madrid, Gibraltar and Cádiz before setting us up for intrigue on the high seas. Greedy treasure hunter Nino Palermo and his sadistic hunchman Horacio Kiscoros try to beat our heroes to the prize. Coy is used to reacting to anything he can't understand with his fists, and this short-sightedness maybe what leads him into the saddest kind of love, hoping love, as he lets himself wish he will be more than an employee to Tánger. Beautifully imagined "clues" to the treasure are a major asset of the book, as are its settings which unusually for this writer, involve more sunshine than shadows - this time! Definitely I recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book? Poor translation?
Review: Someone once said of Peter DeVries, "I love his book. I read it every time he writes it." Arturo Perez-Reverte has cemented his claim to such backhanded praise with this release, "The Nautical Chart". This book follows the standard Perez-Reverte formula, one that became almost tiresome after "The Flanders Panel" was released. Here we are offered Coy, a down-on-his-luck sailor with barely enough knowledge to get the job done, a man who thinks and acts with his fists as opposed to his wits, Tanger Soto, a single-minded femme fatale who echoes Hammett's Bridget O'Shaughnessy (from "The Maltese Falcon", which this book references and echoes) and a pair of villains as cruel and unlikely as Gutman and Joel Cairo. These separate elements as all in search of a vast treasure buried beneath the sea centuries ago. That's pretty much all there is to the story. It's not the repeat of the old formula that bothers me so, rather it is the change in writing style that seems to have sucked the joy out of my reading of Perez-Reverte, and I don't know whether to blame this on the author or his translater. Former translator Sonia Soto had a flair for language and helped ease The Club Dumas and The Flanders Panel into the American consciousness by imbuing these books with a fluid formality that seemed just right for the content. New translator Margaret Sayers Peden has a wooden ear, seemingly translating some sections exactly as written (which makes them seem odd and flat to an English speaker) and others by trying to inject modern slang and make the book sound more contemporary. It is a fact that, unless we read the original language, we are at the mercy of the translator when reading foreign literature. A good one can make the work sing and a bad one will make it squawk. Sadly, without a strong, fresh framework from Perez-Reverte, this translation merely squawks.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I am a big fan of Perez-Reverte and have read all his books - I wish my Spanish were good enough to read them in the original. However, I was very disappointed at this latest book, which has an interesting premise and is obviously thoroughly researched. But the characters are flat and the plot obvious. What happened to all the exciting twists and shocks?
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Having read Perez-Reverte's other novels (my favorite still is Flanders Panel), I was rather disappointed with his newest novel. Yes, the story is interesting and research amazing. However, the characters were too flat and the plot too obvious. What happened to the great plot, twist, shock? I am sorry to say that I was disappointed with this book - but do highly recommend his other books!
Rating:
Summary: slow
Review: After reading La Piel del Tambor, I couldn't wait to read another book by this author. I'm halfway through reading this book and feel like it hasn't started yet. I'm finding it incredibly slow. Plus all the nautical terminology is quite hard to understand by a 'lay' person.
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