Customer Reviews

Nautical Chart

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Mr. Perez Reverte's previous books have always maintained a level of tension throughout the unfolding mystery. He has always brought well-planned and complex tales that revolved around great literature, great art, or even the art of classic sport, as he did with, "The Fencing Master". He always has piqued the curiosity of the inquisitive reader from the outset of his tale, and while sharing pieces of the outcome as the story progressed; he never pulled the curtain entirely back until the very end. "The Nautical Chart", is a very good story, however the author takes too long to tell his tale, and while he provides an ending that unfolds to the very end, unlike his other works this one can be seen clearly if not completely well before the close.

Throughout the book there is a great amount of detail regarding the operation of 18th century sailing vessels. As the reader progresses with the story there is no way of knowing how critical this information may be. The frustration arises as only those readers with very specialized knowledge of sailing and its terminology will be able to follow the reconstruction of the tales within the tale. I don't see why a few drawings of the craft in question could not have been provided. The detail would have enhanced the read, and kept the pace more brisk as those without the knowledge would not feel left out, and wonder how much they were missing.

The main players are hard to like as well, as for the most part they loathe one another. One is particularly annoying as he seems to go through his days confirming his and everyone else's low expectations of him, and he catalogues it all with acronyms. There just was not as much substance and depth to these characters as the author has delivered in the past. Virtually all are driven by the same base motive, and even that is hard to get involved with.

I love this author's work, however of the novels he has written to date, this is the one I favor the least. I certainly will once again pick up his next work, and I look forward to the tales that are of the caliber of his first four novels.

Someone once said of Peter DeVries, "I love his book. I read it every time he writes it." Arturo Perez-Reverte has cemented his claim to such backhanded praise with this release, "The Nautical Chart".

This book follows the standard Perez-Reverte formula, one that became almost tiresome after "The Flanders Panel" was released.

Here we are offered Coy, a down-on-his-luck sailor with barely enough knowledge to get the job done, a man who thinks and acts with his fists as opposed to his wits, Tanger Soto, a single-minded femme fatale who echoes Hammett's Bridget O'Shaughnessy (from "The Maltese Falcon", which this book references and echoes)and a pair of villains as cruel and unlikely as Gutman and Joel Cairo. The group are all in search of a vast treasure buried beneath the sea centuries ago. That's pretty much all there is to the story.

It's not the repeat of the old formula that bothers me so, rather it is the change in writing style that seems to have sucked the joy out of my reading of Perez-Reverte, and I don't know whether to blame this on the author or his translater. Former translator Sonia Soto had a flair for language and helped ease The Club Dumas and The Flanders Panel into the American consciousness by imbuing these books with a fluid formality that seemed just right for the content. New translator Margaret Sayers Peden has a wooden ear, seemingly translating some sections exactly as written (which makes them seem odd and flat to an English speaker) and others by trying to inject modern slang and make the book sound more contemporary.

It is a fact that, unless we read the original language, we are at the mercy of the translator when reading foreign literature. A good one can make the work sing and a bad one will make it squawk. Sadly, without a strong, fresh framework from Perez-Reverte, this translation merely squawks.

Perez-Reverte's literary mysteries, as wonderful and entertaining as they tend to be, all follow a somewhat similar template, one that is faithfully reproduced here. It all starts with a somewhat highbrow subject-chess and painting restoration in The Flanders Panel, antiquarian books in The Club Dumas, the Vatican and Catholicism in The Seville Communion, fencing in the Fencing Master-which is represented here by cartography and sailing. Then he adds a hero who is an expert in the subject, and somewhat of a loner, removed from the mundane world around him or her. The expert/hero is activated by powerful persons whose interest in the hero's area of expertise is ultimately revealed to be linked to some murky historical episode which proves vital to the story. And finally there is a ending that is often surprising or ambiguous. That this template works over and over is a testament both to the skill with which Pérez-Reverte weaves his plots, and to his ability to carry the reader deep into the details of whatever subject happens to be the focus of that book.

In this book, Pérez-Reverte presents a fairly compelling hero, Coy, a born to the ocean, jazz loving sailor at loose ends. He's quickly embroiled in a treasure hunt led by the beautiful and always in control Tanger, who's in a race with a slimy Gibralterian professional treasure hunter and his sadistic Argentine dwarf enforcer. Simpler than any of his previous books, the story both directly and indirectly references the Dashed Hammett classic, The Maltese Falcon. As in that tale, most of the suspense is created by lack of information, which is slowly released to Coy in dribs and drabs, as well as the question of who's double-crossing who. This makes the main characters conversations a shade too melodramatic at times to be realistic, but this is balanced by his naunced capturing of Coy's total attraction to Tanger and her manipulation of it.

As so much of the book involves Coy and Tanger crouched over old maps, or discussing them, one wishes the publisher would have included some reproductions to help the reader out. Similarly, it would have helped a great deal to have an illustration of the two maint ships being hunted for, as there are pages upon pages describing their duel. This is rather frustrating, as without some basic knowledge of sailing and its terms, the reader is unlikely to be able to follow chunks of the writing. The book takes a bit too long to get going, although when it does, it is quite suspenseful, although the clues are a little more visible than usual in Pérez-Reverte's work. Unfortunately the ending doesn't live up to its buildup, and one suspects this eminently filmable thriller will have its climax tweaked for the big screen. All in all, it's not among his best, but still entertaining and highly readable.

If you have not read Perez-Reverte before, start with The Flanders Panel, or The Seville Communion, or The Club Dumas. If you have read some of this author before, you will recognize the m.o.: This time he gives us great detail about the life of a merchant seaman, ancient cartography, and jazz music. Much like The Fencing Master, this book is slow the first half, then picks up around page 200 and is off to the races, with a Perez-Reverte style twist at the ending. I would place this ahead of The Fencing Master, behind the others. It wasn't great, but I enjoy reading his work and was glad I read it.

I'm traditionally not a big fan of literary-type novels, which always seem to be written as a vehicle for the ego of the author rather than for the enjoyment of the reader. "The Nautical Chart" is a good example of this. The story is based on template plot with a minor twist at the end; there are no real surprises and no real drama. I found I had nothing invested in any of the characters, because there was nothing to sympathize with - they are each irrational and shallow, undeveloped and contradictory. The protagonist, Coy, for example, seems to be able to analyse the minutiae of every subtle gesture or turn of phrase in a conversation, and yet will explode in a fit of rage unexpectedly and for no good reason.

Dialogue is the soul of any good story character, but what little dialogue there is here is uninspired and constantly interrupted by the unrelenting analytical commentary. In addition, Perez-Reverte often deprecates conversation in favour of narrative explaining what is being said, which gets the job done but sadly denies us any further character insights.

I did find that Perez-Reverte's style can be quite poetic in places, if overly verbose, but I felt the words to ideas ratio was poor - a limited selection of observations re-described many different ways. One could describe the story as heavily introspective, focussed intently inward as if the author cares little for the experience of the reader. If you want lit novels with bite, try Jose Saramago; still verbose, but some fresh plot ideas.

Picked this up as an airplane book. You know the type, an easy read, nothing to taxing, yet interesting enough to keep you reading. I am happy to report that the nautical chart met all of these criteria.

I do not read Perez- Reverte for the "mystery" element of his writing, because it is usually not that strong. Instead I read his novels for the aspects of the world that he shows me. In this case he concentrates on the sea. And this is the novels greatest virtue its portrayl of life at sea, its joys, its tedium and its dangers and those people who are drawn to it and feel at home no where else.

I also found myself liking the central hero Coy, who is a typical Perez-Reverte character - the man approaching middle age, beaten down by his experience of the world, hard bitten, cynical and at heart still dreaming for something better.

As highlighted previously the plot is the weakest element of the story. At its best it is a simple treasure hunt story with a twist in the tail, which serves as a framework for the author to regale us with his knowledge of nautical law and to introduce a range of unusual and amusing characters.

So to sum up - a fun atmospheric book which will likely increase your knowledge of things maritime.

One of Perez-Reverte's most outstanding characteristics has always been his ability to incorporate academic research and arcane and thought-provoking historical data into an exciting and stimulating historical mystery. In the past, this research has always been an integral part of the novel's structure, and woe be unto the reader who, half-asleep when reading, misses a key detail or fails to note some crucial connection necessary to understanding the conclusion. This novel is different. Though it contains an intellectual mystery, it is also part treasure hunt, love story, character study, and treatise on sexual politics.

Not totally successful on any of these levels, I found the novel entertaining, but lacking those special characteristics which have always made Perez-Reverte's books so mentally engaging. The story is relatively simple. Coy, a seaman who has been suspended for two years because of an accident, begins working for Tanger Soto, a pretty, blonde librarian for the Museo Naval, who has purchased a maritime atlas which will help her to locate a sunken ship. The ship, owned by the Jesuits, sank in 1767, and Tanger believes it carries a treasure, which she intends to find. Predictable complications ensue.

The plot divides into two parts--the first part is exciting and full of action as Coy and Tanger launch their search, while the second part is almost dead, as their rivals for the treasure disappear for almost 200 pages. Perez-Reverte tries to keep the excitement going by having a particularly nasty rival reappear, menacingly, from time to time on shore, but eventually the author has to resort to the cute trick of introducing a completely new character, the narrator, to juice up the narrative and the search for the sunken ship. Even the foreshadowing is often heavy-handed: "He suspected that later...he would need to remember something about this place." Tanger, the "love interest," is distant and duplicitous, and Coy is warned by virtually everyone in the book that she can't be trusted, something that prevents the reader from being caught up in the love story. All in all, I found this below Perez-Reverte's past accomplishments, both in story and in execution, entertaining enough, but not the intellectual thriller I expected. Mary Whipple

Mr. Perez-Reverte has clearly established himself as a novelist of the first rank with at least two of his previous efforts: The Club Dumas and The Fencing Master. In both of these he developed complex, interesting characters, and gave both them and us a fascinating mystery to resolve.

In this one, perhaps, the mystery is not as compelling but the subject matter certainly is, in that it involves the hunt for sunken treasure in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of southern Spain. This all by itself would make for a good read but it seems that Mr. Perez-Reverte is incapable of producing a one-dimensional or even two-dimensional novel. This novel, in fact, is so rich, so utterly satisfactory in every respect that it clearly transcends whatever genre one may have expected going into it. If this isn't literature, it is as near to literature as it can get.

The protagonist in this one is Coy, a lifelong seaman, a simple man, not terribly bright, but superbly adapted to all things nautical. We meet him on the beach, to which he has been relegated for a year--and on which he is never quite comfortable--after fairly or unfairly he is blamed for a seafaring mishap. His benefactor is the unusually-named and mysteriously beautiful Tanger Soto, who has gone to great lengths and expense to purchase a 250 year old map. The two find they need each other: Tanger needs his nautical expertise; Coy longs for her beauty and the adventure she represents.

So their quest begins, but all is not so simple. First, the wreck must be located. Maps and charts over the centuries have changed, as have the physical features of the coast and the coastal waters which they represented. Greenwich mean time had not been established when the ship went down, so longitude is a problem. They must then estimate, based on a ship log and the testimony from the only survivor, where the ship went down to begin with. There is much more and all of it is both realistic and interesting.

There is then the actual exploration of the sunken ship. Can one possibly think of something more interesting than to be the first one to come upon a sunken 250 year old wreck? Perez-Reverte takes us there, through the eyes and observations of his characters, and again, all of it is fresh, and fascinating. Belt buckles, shoes, cannons, pistols, candle-holders . . . and even some skeletons remain. Best not say more, other than that it is utterly riveting.

Along with this there IS a mystery. Tanger has not quite told Coy everything, only revealing information as she sees the need, and failing to reveal to him until the very bitter end what his own stake in the matter will be.

But beyond the characters, the plot, and the mystery is the incredible wealth of knowledge Perez-Reverte brings to the table as it has to do with sea-lore, both 250 years ago and in the present day. Every page is loaded with details and observations about what life is like for one who lives and/or lived on the sea, and it becomes apparent that the characters of Coy and others who have done so have been indelibly shaped by it.

It is an astonishing effort, more so when one realizes that Mr. Perez-Reverte has never displayed this knowledge in any of his previous novels. Somehow, with one single book, he has joined the ranks of C. S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian, and indeed Herman Melville, literary heroes all.

I continue to be amazed at readers who take a fine book with extraodinary descriptions and hair raising dialogue, and pan it for the venue. It's like those that take a shot at Antony Bevor's "Stalingrad" by saying, 'sure it's good but there aren't any Americans in it.'

Well. Anyhow, I thought Perez-Reverte's "Nautical Chart" to be brilliant. Tanger Soto is Matty Walker in 'Body Heat' or Phyllis Ditriechson if you prefer the older 'Double Indemnity.' Tanger's sensual good looks distract the observor from her creed: knowledge is power. Perez-Reverte even mention's that she has a slightly crooked nose, and you wonder for several hundred pages not just what it looks like but how she got it. That she is a genius does not overlook the fact that she is not complete and one of her needs is Coy.

Coy is wounded in the very first paragraph of the book so what we are told is told in retrospect. Very well done. The thought that whatever happens, Coy is going to get hurt drifts in and out of our minds without being an impediment to the rest of the literary meal.

Coy is a thorough, seafaring man, a little lost on the land but comfortable with life at sea, certainly never forgetting that men smarter than he were lost because they didn't recall the relentlessness of the ocean.

They are to search for the sunken wreckage of the Dei Gloria, a Jesuit ship sunk in the late 16th century.

The reasons why it might have been carrying treasure, the explanation that the system of longitude was moderately different in the 16th century, the placement of the possible sinking, the intrigue of the Spanish Court at the time of the sea chase, the other desperate scavengers, the alcohol, the prostitutes, the fights . . . .wow, slow moving? I certainly didn't think so.

Perez-Reverte is brilliant. An icon in his native Spain he writes for all of Europe. A fair criticism is that an author writing in a foreign tongue is very reliant on the translator. The translator for "Queen of the South" was Willliam Hurley, who was excellent and seamless. But unless we speak both languages, we don't really know, do we? I'm satisfied with the translation of "The Nautical Chart" but I don't really know if anything was lost.

5 Stars. Brilliant Author. Read him. Larry Scantlebury

A beautiful tapestry of images tells the story of Manuel Coy, an unemployed Sailor passing hard times in Barcelona Spain. Attending a nautical goods auction (because he has nothing better to do), Coy is captivated by the enchanting Tánger Soto, a freckle-speckled blond who's snapped up a priceless 18th-century nautical atlas. A few minutes later, outside the auction house, Coy rushes to the rescue of Soto when she is threatened by thugs. Little could he imagine that right at that moment, he was exactly what the mysterious woman needed.

Coy will provide the brawn to Tánger's brain, as she puts together a clandestine expedition to hunt the treasure of a lost Spanish ship. Displaying his usual gift for atmospherics, Pérez Reverte will lead us through the scenic sights of Barcelona, Madrid, Gibraltar and Cádiz before setting us up for intrigue on the high seas. Greedy treasure hunter Nino Palermo and his sadistic hunchman Horacio Kiscoros try to beat our heroes to the prize. Coy is used to reacting to anything he can't understand with his fists, and this short-sightedness maybe what leads him into the saddest kind of love, hoping love, as he lets himself wish he will be more than an employee to Tánger. Beautifully imagined "clues" to the treasure are a major asset of the book, as are its settings which unusually for this writer, involve more sunshine than shadows - this time! Definitely I recommend it.