<![CDATA[The Fencing Master]]>

false <![CDATA[The Fencing Master]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170435781m/54072.jpg 54072 29 In The Club Dumas, Arturo Pérez-Reverte explored the labyrinthine world of antiquarian book dealers, spicing his tale of mystery and murder with characters straight out of Paradise Lost and The Three Musketeers. Next came The Flanders Panel, a brilliant puzzle comprised of art, chess, and untimely death whose resolution lies in a painting by a Flemish master. In The Seville Communion, Pérez-Reverte turned his sights on the tangled politics of the Roman Catholic Church as an appropriate backdrop--for murder. In his fourth novel translated into English, the Spanish writer changes centuries (if not his focus on homicide), returning to the mid-1800s to follow the exploits of Don Jaime Astarloa, the eponymous fencing master. The year is 1866 and revolution is brewing in Spain. The corrupt Bourbon queen, Isabella II, is slowly losing her grip on power as equally corrupt exiled politicians vie to be her successor in a new republic. Against this background of political upheaval, Don Jaime goes about his business, teaching a dying art to a dwindling number of students. This is a man who resists changing times; to a friend he explains, "I have spent my whole life trying to preserve a certain idea of myself, and that is all. You have to cling to a set of values that do not depreciate with time. Everything else is the fashion of the moment, fleeting, mutable. In a word, nonsense." But then Adela de Otero--a woman with a mysterious past and an amazing talent for swordplay--comes into his life, and Don Jaime's world is turned upside down. As always, Pérez-Reverte offers literary excellence, a thumping good mystery, and fascinating insight into an arcane practice, in this case, fencing. Though the 19th-century politics in the book may resonate more with a Spanish audience than with English readers, the moral at the heart of The Fencing Master is universal: "to be honest, or at least honorable--anything, indeed, that has its roots in the word honor." In this, Don Jaime and Arturo Pérez-Reverte both succeed. --Alix Wilber 2302954 1985 The Fencing Master total:813|5:137|4:306|3:303|2:61|1:6| 813 2946 1034 68 3 4 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Nov 20 13:28:43 -0800 2007 Wed Nov 11 12:11:23 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 02 11:53:11 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 02 12:01:03 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Oct 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 17 10:33:47 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 10:34:03 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 08 11:15:43 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 11:16:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Mon Jan 26 22:48:55 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 22:49:27 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Nov 25 11:22:17 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 25 11:30:19 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Mar 16 07:26:06 -0700 2007 Fri Mar 16 07:26:35 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Jun 13 12:21:36 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 13 12:24:32 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 06 03:26:04 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 10 09:25:29 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Nov 22 17:55:19 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 17:57:29 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Sep 05 08:31:10 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 08:33:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Jul 24 16:35:01 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 24 16:41:39 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 30 20:13:04 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 02 16:28:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 22 02:58:14 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 22 03:00:19 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Jan 06 08:25:22 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 08:31:49 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Oct 20 12:30:20 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 14 18:23:15 -0700 2008
When a gorgeous lavender-eyed woman insists on him taking her on as a student, his life is tur...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 05 07:11:23 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 05 07:11:29 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 true false Mon Jul 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 30 06:29:51 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 07:22:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Mar 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 06:59:02 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 07:00:59 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Feb 19 12:16:41 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 12:17:36 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=54072