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The Fencing Master
The Fencing Master
Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte, Margaret Jull Costa (Translator)
It is 1868; Spain teeters on the brink of revolution. Jaime Astarloa is a master fencer of the old school, priding himself on the precision, dignity, and honor of his ancient art. His friends spend their days in cafes discussing plots at court, but Jaime’s obsession is to perfect the irresistible sword thrust. — Then Adela de Otero, violet-...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780151001811
ISBN-10: 0151001812
Publication Date: 6/7/1999
Pages: 256
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 23

3.8 stars, based on 23 ratings
Publisher: Harcourt
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Fencing Master on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Perez-Reverte is one of my favorite authors. His descriptions allow you to "see" what he's writing about. Also recommend Queen of the South and The Club Dumas.
reviewed The Fencing Master on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I enjoy most of Perez Reverte's work with Club Dumas and the Flanders Panel as favorites. This one with a 17th century Madrid setting, never grabbed me. Still, the writing is superb.
23dollars avatar reviewed The Fencing Master on + 432 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I read this for this month's "Sport" theme in my online book club, The Reading Cove.

While I felt it got off to a bit of a slow start, I found Don Jaime and Adela's encounters intriguing; and I was suspicious about Adela's desire to learn the "unstoppable thrust." I knew she must want to use it to kill someone, and the mystery held my attention.

So despite a few dull passages here and there, overall I enjoyed this mystery. I give THE FENCING MASTER a B-.
reviewed The Fencing Master on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A melancholy story of an honorable man practicing a dying art and trying to come to grips with his slow fade into frailty and uselessness. Through his travails he must decide to stick to his code of honor and self respect or toss them away for self preservation.
reviewed The Fencing Master on + 75 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Nicely written story of revenge, fencing, femme fatales in 1860 Madrid during the Carlist revolution. melody
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gsisk avatar reviewed The Fencing Master on + 192 more book reviews
Very interesting book! Fantastic writing!

From the back cover:
Madrid, 1868: Fencing master and man of honor Don Jaime is approached by a mysterious woman who seeks to learn the secret of the unstoppable thrust, an arcane technique only known to him. All too soon, he finds himself in the vortex of a plot that includes seduction, secret political documents, and more than one murder. Rich with the historical detail of a decaying world that agonizes - as does the world of fencing itself - over the ideals of honor and chivalry, The Fencing Master is superb literature and a true page-turner.


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