11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A mix of war and destruction, May 20, 2006
This review is from: El Pintor de Batallas (The Painter of Battles: A Novel) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)
I have read this book straight through. It makes you wander in a landscape that is not entertaining: its main themes are war, cruelty, evil, misery, poverty,... Dark scenes and certain sentences will not surprise you if you have read Perez-Reverte's books and articles in the newspapers. He tells very hard and painful stories that are not really new, because he has told them many times before.
Arturo Perez-Reverte was born in Cartagena, Spain, in november of 1951. Cartagena is an ancient Mediterranean city full of memories of Carthaginian and Roman wars. Nowadays he is a writer full-time. But in the past, he was a war reporter for twenty one years (1973-1994). He worked in newspapers, on the radio and TV. He has been in many wars from Cyprus and Lebanon to the Malvinas (Falkland for you) through Sahara or Tunis. His latest wars were the Rumanian revolution (1989-90), Mozambique (1990), the First Gulf War (1990-91), Croatia (1991) and Bosnia (1992-93-94). And all this experiences had come through the terrible crucible of memory to this short and painful story of this "painter of battles".
I think I have read nearly all Perez-Reverts's books. He is tough, harsh, honest, and makes good use of Spanish language. I like him, although he is not my favourite writer. As a woman, I dislike his feminine characters: just gorgeous chicks that must be very beautiful, clever, cultivated and accomplished, they speak several languages, are very elegant and misterious,... These women are able to spend a whole evening talking about a rare Italian painting. And that's great, but real women are not like that, and real women are not useful for this writer, they are not good enough, not even to have sex with them, and you can read it in this book. Sorry, but beautiful ladies and hard stallions are the matter romance novels are made of! I am not looking for that in a Perez-Reverte's book.
In the end, I think Perez-Reverte made a mistake with the genre: this should have been a play, or a movie: a couple of tough men exchanging solemns sentences, full of references, of silent moments to let the terrible stories impress you.
It is worth reading it, and it's one of the easiest to read and understand for those who have not Spanish as his mother tongue. I highly recommend it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
El Pintor del siglo XX, January 6, 2007
This review is from: El Pintor de Batallas (The Painter of Battles: A Novel) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)
El PINTOR DE BATALLAS es un libro muy interesante si se quiere estudiar, mas alla de lo sabido, la violencia de nuestra epoca.
Es un libro que revela cuan mala es la guerra y la violencia y como afecta a todos a su alrededor. La busqueda del hombre mutilado por la guerra y el encuentro final consigo mismo. Es una narracion filosofica, social, y politica. Recomiendo este libro por todos los aspectos que indaga. No es para lectores que buscan pasar un buen tiempo o leer una aventura bonita.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Insoportable, February 5, 2008
This review is from: El Pintor de Batallas (The Painter of Battles: A Novel) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)
Hay dos Arturos Pérez-Reverte: uno que tiene la disciplina del periodista investigativo, y que siempre se preocupa por recabar detalles enciclopedísticos, técnicos y prácticos, para hacer una trama creíble.
Y luego está el otro Pérez-Reverte, dado a los devaneos introspectivos totalmente insoportabes y pretensiosos, que no aportan absolutamente nada a la trama y que el lector se ve obligado a saltear o leer de corrido.
Arturo I brilla en "La Reina del Sur" (excepto durante un interludio de casi 100 páginas en el que Arturo II, el gemelo maligno, se hace cargo y la novela agoniza). Arturo I nos brinda buenos momentos en la serie del capitán Alatriste, "La tabla de Flandes" y "El Maestro de Esgrima", porque logra mantener a Arturo II a raya.
Lamentablemente, "El pintor de batallas" está totalmente dominada por Arturo II. En las primeras 250 páginas no pasa una maldita cosa.
Y las únicas intervenciones de Arturo I son para decirnos qué pintores el protagonista intenta imitar, o qué marca de óleo usa para sus pinturas.
Ciertamente una falta de respeto al lector.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No