I can’t lie. I am really excited to read this book. Arturo Perez-Reverte is a favorite of my as is Dumas. Have I ever mentioned that I have a giant grey cat name d’Artagnan? (Yes, I am a dork.)
I’m with you, Bookdwarf. Back In January, I wrote the following, “I slowly read and savored every bit of The Queen of the South, by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I’ve loved him forever it seems – the only book of his I haven’t read is The Fencing Master and that’s because I saw the lush film before the book was ever released here; the only book I didn’t love was The Nautical Chart – but I’ve never tried to analyze why. Here goes: I read something about the ancient Greeks once about how when a man dies they don’t ask what his accomplishments were; they ask if he lived with passion. These novels drip passion – and I’m not talking sex, although the sex is fine – but there is so much joy, so much sheer aliveness contained within these covers. And then I realized what else I love about these novels: their author loves women and in a way like no other writer I know of. Women here are not peripheral to the story, not appendages, not secondary; they are the story. And I love that. And I am pathetically grateful for that: books – written by a man of all things! – where the woman is the strongest, smartest creation going. For those who have not read this author, I strongly recommend starting with The Flanders Panel, a triptych of a novel featuring a current mystery, a mystery within a painting, and a murder mystery from 500 years before.” And now I’d like to add one other thing I love: Whenever Perez-Reverte is photographed with a cigarette in his hand, he never looks conflicted about it.
That’s good commentary Lauren. I think my favorite might be ‘The Club Dumas’, but obviously I have a thing for Dumas. I thought ‘Queen of the South’ brilliant though. He does write women well.
Nothing wrong with a thing for Dumas! (I actually have fencing in one of the books I have in the hopper, Z.)And then there’s The Seville Connection. Not his strongest title, I’ll grant you, but that opening scene with someone hacking into the Vatican’s mainframe computer: who ever thinks of the Vatican as having a mainframe? It was just so surreal, and wonderfully so. You know, sometimes I feel as if I’ve met enough authors for one lifetime. Because, you know, a lot of us – me included! – can be such jerks. But I would dearly love to meet Mr. Perez-Reverte, even though I know all I would be able to do the whole time is smile and sigh and smile and sigh… Sign me:
It’s a longer story but in an effort to augment dwindling opportunities to read without interruption or distraction I have succumbed to a judicious use of the audio book.
I have all Perez-Reverte’s book but have never gotten around to reading or even skimming a one.
I did receive this new one on CD and popped it in as I was working out this AM and found it engrossing — I mean a character named Bartolo Shitfire catches one’s attention.
By the way Elmore Leonard’s newest, The Hot Kid, is primo. And the new Cormac McCarthy (July)is the first book I have wanted to reread immediately since I don’t know which…
Ooh, thanks for the tip. I’ve got the new Cormac McCarthy, but not read it yet. You should get to some of the older Perez-Reverte. As I said above, ‘The Club Dumas’ is great, as is ‘The Flanders Panel’ that Lauren mentions.
Bartolo Shitfire, eh? I know what my next cat’s name is going to be….
Bookdwarf 
I’m with you, Bookdwarf. Back In January, I wrote the following, “I slowly read and savored every bit of The Queen of the South, by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I’ve loved him forever it seems – the only book of his I haven’t read is The Fencing Master and that’s because I saw the lush film before the book was ever released here; the only book I didn’t love was The Nautical Chart – but I’ve never tried to analyze why. Here goes: I read something about the ancient Greeks once about how when a man dies they don’t ask what his accomplishments were; they ask if he lived with passion. These novels drip passion – and I’m not talking sex, although the sex is fine – but there is so much joy, so much sheer aliveness contained within these covers. And then I realized what else I love about these novels: their author loves women and in a way like no other writer I know of. Women here are not peripheral to the story, not appendages, not secondary; they are the story. And I love that. And I am pathetically grateful for that: books – written by a man of all things! – where the woman is the strongest, smartest creation going. For those who have not read this author, I strongly recommend starting with The Flanders Panel, a triptych of a novel featuring a current mystery, a mystery within a painting, and a murder mystery from 500 years before.” And now I’d like to add one other thing I love: Whenever Perez-Reverte is photographed with a cigarette in his hand, he never looks conflicted about it.
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That’s good commentary Lauren. I think my favorite might be ‘The Club Dumas’, but obviously I have a thing for Dumas. I thought ‘Queen of the South’ brilliant though. He does write women well.
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Nothing wrong with a thing for Dumas! (I actually have fencing in one of the books I have in the hopper, Z.)And then there’s The Seville Connection. Not his strongest title, I’ll grant you, but that opening scene with someone hacking into the Vatican’s mainframe computer: who ever thinks of the Vatican as having a mainframe? It was just so surreal, and wonderfully so. You know, sometimes I feel as if I’ve met enough authors for one lifetime. Because, you know, a lot of us – me included! – can be such jerks. But I would dearly love to meet Mr. Perez-Reverte, even though I know all I would be able to do the whole time is smile and sigh and smile and sigh… Sign me:
A True Fan
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It’s a longer story but in an effort to augment dwindling opportunities to read without interruption or distraction I have succumbed to a judicious use of the audio book.
I have all Perez-Reverte’s book but have never gotten around to reading or even skimming a one.
I did receive this new one on CD and popped it in as I was working out this AM and found it engrossing — I mean a character named Bartolo Shitfire catches one’s attention.
By the way Elmore Leonard’s newest, The Hot Kid, is primo. And the new Cormac McCarthy (July)is the first book I have wanted to reread immediately since I don’t know which…
LikeLike
Ooh, thanks for the tip. I’ve got the new Cormac McCarthy, but not read it yet. You should get to some of the older Perez-Reverte. As I said above, ‘The Club Dumas’ is great, as is ‘The Flanders Panel’ that Lauren mentions.
Bartolo Shitfire, eh? I know what my next cat’s name is going to be….
LikeLike