Customer Reviews

The Fencing Master: A Novel

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The Fencing master was a bit of a surprise, as it finds success more as a character study and exploration of personal ethics, unlike earlier novels Flanders Panel and Club Dumas, which were intricate and playful mysteries. Nontheless, this was a satisfying and enjoyable read. The book is built around a memorable figure, the fencing master, a Quixote like man of remarkable ethical consistency and dignity, but with a self awareness and sense of irony lacking in the man from La Mancha. Riverte also treats us to thrilling fencing sequences, political and moral intrigues of 19th century Spain, and a femme fatale to rival m'lady in the Three Musketeers. A worthy novel from one of the most interesting and intellectually diverse writers working.

What a gem of a book! This is a splendidly original, elegantly written, period thriller that is near impossible to put down. The tale is set in 19th century Madrid, a time of political instability and intrigue, against the backdrop of rumored coup plots against the Spanish queen. Don Jaime Astarloa, a proud, aging, master fencer and teacher, practices his noble art which he sees slowly losing its place within aristocratic society. He is approached one day by a beautiful yet mysterious young woman who requests that he take her on as a student. Though reluctant at first to instruct a woman, Don Jaime soon discovers that she is a skilled fencer. The mystery surrounding her grows, however, when she abruptly discontinues her lessons after learning an arcane yet deadly technique that only a select few fencers can perform. Soon thereafter, a series of murders takes place that forces Don Jaime to question whom he can trust and whether he himself is safe.

The Fencing Master combines a gripping plot, elegant prose, and intense, powerful descriptions of fencing duels that may at times leave you breathless. Think of the grace and beauty in Hemingway's depiction of bullfighting in The Sun Also Rises, and you may have some sense of how masterfully Perez-Reverte has captured the essence of the art of fencing. With each turn of the page you will feel transported to a different time and place. The stylish prose and authoritative narrative voice fill this novel with an authentic period feel. And each sentence conveys an understated sense of strength, pride, honor, integrity, and passion that make this book and its hero simply unforgettable.

Although this is the fourth of Pérez-Reverte's book to appear in English, it actually predates The Flanders Panel, The Club Dumas, and The Seville Communion. Originally published in 1988, this earlier book is an entirely historical thriller set in Madrid in 1868 amidst Spain's September Revolution, which apparently heralds the end of the monarchy as plots abound and the Bourbon Queen Isabella II is rapidly losing control and influence. One of the novel's flaws is that this period of turmoil is so chaotic and confusing that, although the reader knows the political machinations and plots will somehow prove integral, it's presented rather tediously and is hard to follow. On the whole, the prose is not nearly as rich and accomplished as in his other books.

The story follows an aging fencing instructor, Don Jamie, whose personal code of honor defines him as he attempts to live outside the "real" world around him. He is a rigid and exacting "maestro" to the few remaining pupils he has (guns have all but supplanted swords), and an amusingly old-fashioned expert to the wealthy nobleman he spars with every day. His only other human contact is with a group of yammering men who gather every day in a café to argue politics-and whose main function is to deliver the political background the reader requires to understand the rest of the story (although as indicated above, their arguments are not very effective in this).

Don Jamie is a portrait of a faded gentleman, with all his best experiences behind him, he almost revels in his self-constructed persona of a man of honor (and little else). When a beautiful woman comes to his door and demands instruction in the male-only art of fencing, it catapults him into a dark intrigue. It's another flaw of this early Pérez-Reverte work that readers will see what's coming almost from the moment she first steps onto the page, and only the details need to be revealed. Indeed, those who have reader his intricately plotted other books, will likely be disappointed by the relative simplicity of the story. What is perhaps more intriguing are the timeless questions raised about honor and its role in a world where honor means little. Don Jamie's disengagement from the world around him has tragic consequences, so is he a failure for clinging to tattered ideals, or should he be lauded for his commitment? In that sense, this book has a more moral center than any of Pérez-Reverte's others.

One other minor flaw is the lack of a fencing glossary or any diagrams. The terminology of fencing and its maneuvers are so integral to the story and so arcane to most modern readers that the publisher does both the book and the reader a major disservice by not providing any supplementary material. For those with access to a video store with a good selection of international titles, the book was made into a film in Spain called El Maestro de Escgrima.

The antiquarian book trade, chess, art restoration, and an audacious hacker in the Pope's personal computer have all served as jumping-off points for Arturo Perez-Reverte's unusual intellectual thrillers. Earlier books by the Spanish journalist made the past part of the present, but with The Fencing Master, he enters the realm of historical suspense. Don Jaime Astarloa teaches fencing, a skill which is already quite outdated by the book's 1868 setting. He makes a modest living from a few dedicated clients, and plans on a quiet retirement in the near future. These plans take a turn when a beautiful young woman asks him to teach her the killing thrust for which he is known across Europe, and which he has taught to only a few favored pupils. Like many European writers, Perez-Reverte assumes a certain level of education among his readers. In this case, he stirs Don Jaime's dilemma in with the threatened overthrow of Queen Isabel, coffeehouse plotters and bigmouths, and the possible takeover of Madrid by revolutionaries. These unfamiliar historical events are handled with great clarity, as are the fencing terms and thrusts which are the fencing master's art. Perhaps because of the weight of the historical setting, The Fencing Master is a much less convoluted book than the earlier Seville Communion or The Club Dumas, with a less Dickensian cast of characters and fewer tricky twists and turns. This is a more character-driven book, but don't imagine you'll be disappointed-the ending is spectacular. (A film version of The Club Dumas is due to be released soon. It will be interesting to see what Hollywood makes out of a story that revolves around a manuscript by a 19th century writer of massive adventure stories!)

Arturo Perez-Reverte has developed a well-de served reputation in literary circles, one we hope to see continue. The Fencing Master, while not as good or as complicated as his other novels ,is nevertheless an enjoyable read, taking its readers to a time and place not widely known to American readers- Madrid of the 1860's. The pro tagonist, fencing master Don Jaime, is a throw back to an earlier time, when the blade was more important than the pistol. It is the character in this novel, rather than the mystery, which takes precedent. The latter is rather simplistic; anyone who can't identify the killer three-quar ters through the novel should hang up his deer stalker. But Don Jaime is an interesting charac ter study. Comparisons can be made to Don Quixote or the budo of the samurai. The fencing master is very much adrift in his new modern society, and the real mystery lies in whether he will abandon his old fashioned ways, perish because of them or emerge triumphant because of his long practiced skills. The Don is a likeable character whose quaint speech and simplistic moral codes are refreshing- even alluring. Perez-Reverte also provides us with a fine primer of 1860's Spanish politics, which were tumultuous to say the least. Not the best translation, but still enjoyable.

Arturo Reverte-Perez continues to impress me with his talents for crafting some of the most addictive novels I have read in recent times. Not only is Reverte-Perez a master of layering suspense, but also really has a real gift for writing. His style is like a rich chocolate; I craved every chapter of The Fencing Master. Also, unlike The Flanders Panel and some of the author's earlier books, the ending of this book was definitely not a let down. In fact, I thought it was one of the most enthralling parts of the story. If you want to read something with a sense of adventure, but don't want to reduced to reading some cheap paperback airplane thriller, read the Fencing Master.

Having read the terrific Club Dumas I was quite anxious to sink my teeth into another Perez-Reverte novel, and although this one has a number of good things to say for it, in the end I felt a little disappointed.

It's the story of an aging fencing master, clinging to his traditions and to his dignity, in 1868 Madrid. He ekes out a living teaching his dying art to a very few wealthy children, and is mostly subsidized by a wealthy playboy. The backdrop is the political unrest in Spain at the time. Into this mixture comes a mysterious, young, beautiful woman, who demands that he give her fencing lessons.

There's really three things going on here. The first and most successful is the character study of the protagonist. He is 56, has spent his life as a single man after only one brief and disastrous affair with a married woman, and defines himself by the rigid code of honor he developed in his youth, and which he recognizes as becoming outdated. He is clearly defined and an excellent character. I very much enjoyed the descriptions of his dress, and his dwelling also. His fencing room is golden-hued, with the sun shining on the wooden floor through floor-length windows, and is filled with ancient and deadly weaponry hanging from the walls.

The second aspect is the mystery. The woman appears in his life, rekindling notions of love in his aging heart, then drops him for his benefactor. Shortly after, his benefactor turns up dead, from a deftly placed sword stroke, and the woman vanishes. This sounds more intriguing than it is. It begins rather belatedly, and for some reason never really catches fire with the reader.

Perhaps the reason it never quite catches fire is because of the third and least successful aspect of the novel, which is the historical fiction. The events in Spain at the time are conveyed to us by a group of friends that our hero meets every day in a café. None of them are terribly interesting, and none of them ever do anything other than sit around and express their views. On top of this, the events which are being discussed are those which are occuring in 1868 Madrid, events which probably don't rank too high among the most significant of mankind. These café meetings occur often and are somewhat lengthy and really become a drag on the narrative.

And that I think is the problem. The historical aspect is not conveyed creatively, but instead pedantically, and the whole novel suffers as a result. It just isn't quite what it could have been. Nevertheless, it's still entertaining--believe me, Mr. Perez-Reverte is a very gifted writer--and I will eagerly continue to read his other novels.

I read Fencing Master yesterday. I have been trying to put my finger on what exactly makes Arturo's book so lovely. I fell in love somewhere along the pages of my first read - The Club Dumas and I am still there

. Since then I have read The Flanders Panel and The Seville Communion. Captain Alatriste is somewhere around too, waiting patiently to be read.

There is warmth, like the 'golden Spanish sun' that Arturo writes about and all the languid grace that stems from it. It is like meeting with a middle aged cynic - made charming by his refined poise and his unhurried intellect.

Fencing Master is excellent read. Fencing Master himself is an excellent chracter, like a knight frozen in time. Story telling is seductive and yet curiously dispassionate at places. Storyline is sound, if not totally unpredictable. But then who reads Arturo's creations looking for a thriller do not read them for the suspense at all. To paraphrase Yoda, Story matters not.

Read them for the sheer pleasure of atmosphere and the graceful, intelligent, almost sensuous writing

Actually, THE FENCING MASTER is Arturo Perez-Reverte's first book -- not his latest. He wrote it before THE FLANDERS PANEL, THE CLUB DUMAS, and THE SEVILLE COMMUNION. It is a wonderful book, far more than a murder mystery; a character study, crafted with meticulous attention to historical detail and the complexities of human emotion.

Revolution is in the air in Spain in 1868. Aging fencing instructor Don Jaime Astarloa stays away from politics, trying to maintain a classical elegance and distance from the mundane even as his old-school ways are being passed by the times. Fewer and fewer of the Spanish nobility continue to study fencing--and of those who do, increasingly they think of it as a sport rather than a matter of honor and ritual. Don Jaime has one student, former government minister Marquis Luis de Ayala, who seems to approach fencing with the right attitude, and that seems nearly enough. But when a beautiful woman walks into his salon and demands to be taught his unique attack, Don Jaime learns he must balance between tradition and his art. Because the woman, Senora Adela de Otero, loves fencing as much as he does.

Spain continues to totter toward revolution and ancient debts begin to be called. When one of his students is murdered, and another becomes a suspect, Don Jaime tries to determine how much of the truth he can tell with honor, and maintaining honor appears to be something that just might be beyond his reach.

Author Arturo Perez-Reverte combines a view of a dying art, a fascinating historical period, action, and a murder mystery in an excellent and almost poetical novel. The world's changes sweep over Don Jaime's concepts of honor, but he continues to think of the world in terms of his fencing--and always remains on the lookout for the error, the feint, and the chance to parry and ripost.

You don't have to be a fencing fan to enjoy this novel. In fact, I'm happy to recommend it to anyone who wants to step back from the world for a couple of hours and think about things in a new way.