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.
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.
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-.
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-.
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.
Helpful Score: 1
Nicely written story of revenge, fencing, femme fatales in 1860 Madrid during the Carlist revolution. melody
Helpful Score: 1
Not one of Perez-Reverte's best, but still enjoyable. The story of fencing teacher Don Jaime and the student who seeks to learn the secret of the unstoppable thrust... and the mysterious entanglements that come with the student.
Helpful Score: 1
Great story, well-written.
Helpful Score: 1
Intriguing historical who-dunnit.
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.
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.
