Amazon.co.uk Review
Described as a "master of the intellectual thriller", Arturo Perez-Reverte has established himself as a major figure in European fiction. The English translation of
The Fencing Master, first published in Spanish in 1988, follows the critical success of
The Flanders Panel and
The Dumas Club.
Contemplative, skilful, and--in a quiet way--melancholy, The Fencing Master is a foray into historical fiction: Perez-Reverte draws his figures against the background of a Madrid sweltering on the eve of Spain's September Revolution in 1868. Each of its eight chapters begins with an epigraph to the art which emerges as a way of interpreting the world through this novel: fencing. Jaime Astarloa, the master, has made fencing his life and legacy, and it's through his eyes--the eyes of a man who wants to resist the vulgar progress of 19th-century politics and passions--that the mystery, and tragedy, of the book unfold. It begins with a woman who wants to learn fencing--"At that moment, someone knocked at the door, and nothing would ever again be the same in the fencing master's life"--a woman who draws Astarloa into a world of political and erotic intrigue which will test his art to the limit.--Vicky Lebeau
Amanda Craig, The Times
‘The author is in the best sense a romantic and to read him is to rediscover the delights of Dumas and Conan Doyle’
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Stephanie Merritt, Observer
‘As assured and elegant as Don Jaime’s sword thrusts’
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Omer Ali, Time Out
‘You will want to reach the book’s nearly perfect ending in a single sitting’
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
A brilliantly compelling historical mystery, set in nineteenth century Spain
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
On the eve of the Revolution of 1868, old-fashioned gentleman and master of fencing, Jaime Astarloa, is above the rumours of political exploit and the Queen's love life. But even he is distracted when mysterious, beautiful young Adela arrives at his door and asks him to take her on as a pupil.
About the Author
Arturo Perez-Reverte was born in Cartagena in 1951. Since the publication of
The Fencing Master, his first novel, Perez-Reverte has become one of Europe's bestselling authors.
The Flanders Panel was awarded the Grand Prix Annuel de Litterature Policiere in France. His novel,
The Dumas Club, has been made into the film The Ninth Gate by Roman Polanski and starring Johnny Depp. (20021018)
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
