- Paperback: 528 pages
- Publisher: Picador; 3 edition (5 Aug 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330413147
- ISBN-13: 978-0330413145
- Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 4.2 x 19.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 165,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Queen of the South is the latest in an impressive line of quite mesmerising novels by Arturo Perez-Reverte in which he has refined and enriched a narrative tradition stretching back to his great forbears of the past. In books such as The Fencing Master and The Dumas Club, the author demonstrates that he is a master of finely-honed storytelling techniques, impatient with the thin gruel we are so often served up today, and eager to cram his books with the kind of fastidious detail and exuberant plotting that was once the norm. The latest book has all the panache of its predecessors, with a new ambition--apart from the trials of his beleaguered heroine, we are given the intriguing insights of her mysterious biographer.
Güero Dávila and his lover, the initially docile Teresa Mendoza, are caught up in the drug smuggling activities of the ruthless Mexican cartels. But when Dávila tries to play both ends against the middle, he ends up dead--and Teresa finds herself on the run, in mortal fear for her life. In Spain's sultry and dangerous city of Melilla, she encounters another man engaged in the drugs trade, the dispassionate Galicain Santiago Fisterta. He draws her into his activities, and Teresa is soon involved in the hashish trade. But her destiny is not to be the ugly, meaningless death of Dávila; she is a woman who will achieve a remarkable reputation--if she can stay alive.
It isn't just the impeccable scene-setting of this dangerous Latin world that makes The Queen of the South such an impressive read; it's also the perfectly judged dialogue (of which there is a great deal)--Perez-Reverte is a master of idiom, and everything here rings true. The compelling central narrative of Teresa is set against the perceptions of her anonymous narrator, and the result is a fascinating mélange; over-ornate, perhaps, but always utterly involving. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The Independent, 16 September 2005
Stylish adventure novel..relish the canny plotting, nail-shredding action sequences, the host of salty, pungent characters - and the splendid translation
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After carving out a solid niche for himself in the "intellectual thriller" genre by writing a number of entertainments (some good, some not) revolving around the arcane and esoteric, bestselling Spanish novelist Perez-Reverte shifts gears here with a book that is neither thriller nor obsessed with high culture paraphernalia. Quite the contrary, this is the tale of a poor, uneducated Mexican girl who, over the course of twelve years, manages to become a hugely wealthy narcotics transporter. The story of Theresa Mendoza is told partially from her perspective as events happen, and partially by an investigative reporter who is trying to write a book about her and is interviewing anyone once connected to her. Before becoming a novelist, Perez-Reverte was a well-known journalist, and his former profession informs the entire book as his fictional journalist connects the dots, from Sinaloa, Mexico to Morocco to Marbella, Spain. Some readers seem not to care for the alternating voices, but it adds much needed depth and texture to what is otherwise a fairly flat and straightforward rags to riches story.
However, unlike most gutter to penthouse tales, Theresa is not a character who always had large dreams and wanted to be "king of the world". Rather, her story shows her to be an emotionally dead soul who does whatever it takes to survive in the harsh environment she inhabits. While this is a nice change of pace from the usual Scarface hysterics, her cool reserve also means that there's no way for the reader to connect with her (unless you, too, have been on the run from hitmen). Which is not to say that she isn't believable, it's just that she's a character with a single motivation, survival, and this one track detachment gets kind of lame as she grows more and more powerful. While one can sympathize with her plight, she's not particularly sympathetic or unsympathetic--she's simply...present. Not that Perez-Reverte doesn't gamely try to make her sympathetic by showing her grant mercy more than once, and exhibit rather foolish loyalty, as well as refusing to transport heroin (since it's socially destructive, as opposed to hash and cocaine!), but this is all rather disingenuous. And contrary to what some reviewers have written, he definitely does play up her past: her dirt-poor childhood and alcoholic mother are alluded to more than once, as is her sexual abuse as a small girl. But none of this is really enough to make the reader care about a character who spends the entire story not understanding her own choices.
The book is at its best when it wallows in the details of the international drug trade, all the intricacies and logistics of getting drug A to point B--small planes, speedboats, customs helicopters, dummy ships--it all reeks of heavy research. And at the heart of it all is epic corruption on all sides. The various locales are also well rendered, from the Mexican state capital of Culiacan to the sleazy ports of Spain and Morocco, and finally the gleaming high life of Marbella. The supporting cast of characters is quite good, from Theresa's various boyfriends, to her stoic bodyguard, and the amiable Russian gangster who acts as mentor. But as in the movies, it's never a good thing when the bit players have more personality than the lead. Stylistically, Perez-Reverte does try a few tricks, such as weaving "The Count of Monte Cristo" into the plot, and making Mexican narcocorridos a recurring (and tiresome) element. (Those interested in narcocorridos should check out Elijah Wald's aptly titled book Narcocorridos.) So, there's a lot to like in the book, however the central character and storyline are flat and lifeless.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Best read of the year, engrossing and gripping. The fact that so much of the action takes place in a part of Spain most English know so well adds to the drama. The late night drug busting sea crossings did detract a little from the rythm of the story but over all I could not put the book down.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a big Perez-Reverte fan, and have read most if not all of his books that have been translated into English. So I was really looking forward to reading this big book (430 pages or so in hardback).
This is not however the Perez-Reverte of The Fencing Master or The Dumas Club, but clearly shows the author branching out into a different style. Whilst well-researched and elegantly written, the story of a Mexican woman who gets mixed up in the world of drugs and gangsters is told in a journalistic, slow-paced, semi-biographical style which one can admire without enjoying.
I gave up this novel half way through, and hope that Mr Perez-Reverte hasn't totally forsaken the style of his earlier work.
This is not however the Perez-Reverte of The Fencing Master or The Dumas Club, but clearly shows the author branching out into a different style. Whilst well-researched and elegantly written, the story of a Mexican woman who gets mixed up in the world of drugs and gangsters is told in a journalistic, slow-paced, semi-biographical style which one can admire without enjoying.
I gave up this novel half way through, and hope that Mr Perez-Reverte hasn't totally forsaken the style of his earlier work.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
queen of the south
A beautifully written text with characters rich in reality and depth. This is writing direct from the heart and that's where it ends up.
Published on 18 Mar 2010 by Mr. I. Walsh
The start carries everything away
The first fifty pages are so good that nothing else matters. First rate writing. Towards the end APR has fallen in love with his hero and wants her to live, as do we, but one cant... Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2010 by Andrew T. Wordsworth
One of my favourite books of all time
`The telephone rang, and she knew she was going to die. She knew it with such certainty that she froze, the razor motionless, her hair stuck to her face by the steam from the hot... Read more
Published on 23 May 2009 by Richard Kunzmann
Not worth the effort
This was the first book by this author that i had ever read and from the back cover i had high hopes for it. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2007 by Eternal Dark
My book of the year
This is my book of the year so far, much to my surprise, despite being quite different to Perez-Reverte's normal gentle intellectual thrillers. Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2006 by Ben W
Who cares?
Why on Earth am I supposed to care about this ghastly woman? I suppose she is trapped by destiny in some way, but since her often-referred-to intelligence is never once deployed... Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2005 by Mr. S. J. Garrett
"I think there are dreams that can kill you."
The drug trade throughout Mexico, Latin America, and the Mediterranean come alive in this Arturo Perez-Reverte novel, quite different from his intellectual mysteries. Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2005 by Mary Whipple
Worth reading
Not usually my type of book, but it was recommended to me. Superbly written, and a great tale. My one complaint is it is very hard to get used to the Spanish, Mexican and... Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2005 by Ms. K. Burton
"This is not happening to me, she thought"
I remember reading an article in the New York Times a little while ago in which a writer said that he decided whether or not to read a book based on the first sentence. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2005 by Sebastian Fernandez
"I think there are dreams that can kill you."
The drug trade throughout Mexico, Latin America, and the Mediterranean come alive in Arturo Perez-Reverte's latest novel, quite different from his intellectual mysteries. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2004 by Mary Whipple
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