Rating: 
Summary: Knowledgable and Fun - what more can you ask for?
Review: Picked this up as an airplane book. You know the type, an easy read, nothing to taxing, yet interesting enough to keep you reading. I am happy to report that the nautical chart met all of these criteria.I do not read Perez- Reverte for the "mystery" element of his writing, because it is usually not that strong. Instead I read his novels for the aspects of the world that he shows me. In this case he concentrates on the sea. And this is the novels greatest virtue its portrayl of life at sea, its joys, its tedium and its dangers and those people who are drawn to it and feel at home no where else. I also found myself liking the central hero Coy, who is a typical Perez-Reverte character - the man approaching middle age, beaten down by his experience of the world, hard bitten, cynical and at heart still dreaming for something better. As highlighted previously the plot is the weakest element of the story. At its best it is a simple treasure hunt story with a twist in the tail, which serves as a framework for the author to regale us with his knowledge of nautical law and to introduce a range of unusual and amusing characters. So to sum up - a fun atmospheric book which will likely increase your knowledge of things maritime.
Rating: 
Summary: It could have been a contender
Review: Some years ago I read Arturo Pérez-Reverte's `The Club Dumas' and I enjoyed it a lot --despite finding it too easy and predictably a page-turner. (If you want something depper and brainny try Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum )
What I liked most about it was the way the author developed the situations, making it a non-stop thriller about books. Now, when I started reading `The Nautical Chart', I was expecting something more or less in this way --something that at least kept me interested me in. Little did I know that the two books share only the same author in common. `Chart' is much more boring and less interesting than `Club'. Supposedly this book takes you to place where many others have taken you before, such as `Moby Dick', `Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World', `Old Man and the Sea' etc. It is about the SEA and the relationship that MAN can have with it. It feels like this link is to be a metaphor, or something like it. It could have been a contender, but it is not. I believe the main fault are the main characters, Coy and Tanger. Question about Coy, like `what's up with this man?' floated in my mind all the time. And about Tanger, the clear vision I had of her is a spoiled little brat. Not forgetting to mention the `bad guys'. They couldn't be more cliched. Another thing that spoils the reading is the abundance of details --moreover, useless details. You keep waiting for the story to come, and when it does, you're too tired of reading the details of ships, and sailors' way of life. But, I still have some faith on Perez-Reverte. Yes, I do. I had so much fun with `The Club Dumas' that I can't start hating this guy. One of these days I will try another of his books. I only recommend this one to his die-hard fans.
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