The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte (1988).
What a strange book. It was
started out as an old-fashion mystery book or perhaps adventure? Then turned
into the history lecture of Italy
in 1868, year in Revolution. With the last quarter of the book, it went
back to the original mystery mode.
But for the last 30 pages, LAST THIRTY PAGES!! It was totally worth waiting
for. Not that the rest of the book are bad or something, but the final chapter
has such a different color/feel than others, it was quite shocking.
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layers. – JAIME ASTARLOA=Don Jaime. The classic example of old fashioned
gentleman and this come from the entire persons in this book who lives in 1868.
So even people from 19th century think he was born at least 100
years too late. He has all the virtue of the good old gentleman and the vice of
the grumpy old man. (He is over 60 yrs old, and in 19th century,
that is very old.)
Very proud. He is
considered as the last great old-school fencing master and even at his age, he
still is capable of taking down men bigger and faster than himself.
Contrary to his image, he
actually did have quite a colorful life. Army (war), Fencing Academy
and Love affair (duel) made him a very experienced fighter, too. I think, if
author touched more of Don Jaime’s past in the middle part of the book, it
might help me turn the pages little faster.
After coming back to Madrid from
Paris, Don Jaime detached himself completely from outside world and dedicated
his entire life fro either teaching a few rich patron’s kids for making a
living or working on his ULTIMATE FENCING MANUSCRIPT which upon completion, may
well change the fencing world for good.
LUIS de AYALA. A playboy and a serious
gambler. One of Don Jamie’s rich students but also a friend and a good fencer,
too. He was just one of the characters on the background in the beginning, but
series of the events turned him into the key person once story is moving
forward with more speed. Just wait and see.
ADELA de OTERO. A gorgeous beauty with large eyes with violet color. Slender but
voluptuous, intelligent but fierce. Beautiful/mysterious enough to drive men to
do crazy stuff without thinking. On the other word, a perfect femme
fatale.
Her inquiry of fencing lesson
from Don Jaime, woman learning fencing was considered as not just outrageous
but also “insult” to the fencing masters at these days, is what starts this
novel rolling. She also wanted to learn not just the regular fencing lesson,
mind you, but the lethal and ultimate thrust called “ Two-Hundred-Escudo
thrust” secretly invented by Don Jaime. Don Jaime after lengthy
inner-debate, finally decided to teach her the secret method and that is the
one of the BIG turning point of this book.
The ragtag band in the café PROGRESO.
·
Fausto, old manager.
·
Agapito Carceles,
the defrocked priest, also journalist.
·
Don Lucas Rioseco,
once rich widower with no family.
·
Marcelino Romero, a
pianist teacher madly in love a wrong woman.
·
Antonio Carreno,
civil servant pretended to be a both conspirator and mason, but neither.
It is through their conversation,
mostly argument and conspiracy, we learned all about the status of Madrid and Italy in 1868. All of them meet in
the same café, sit in the same spots, drink coffees, eat toasts and talk about
politics from past to future everyday. Bunch of lovely comedians, really.
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lace. – A beautiful city of Madrid, Italy
in 1868. Out of all the exotic novels I happened to put my hands on, this one
came out as a little surprise. You see, normally, when writers decide to write
so-called period or exotic novels, they make sure to put a lot of emphasis on
PERIOD/EXOTIC part, you know, rich details of cities and the streets, etc… But
this book is not really one of them.
There
are, of course, descriptions of cities and streets from police station to Don
Jaime’s modest house, but not like the large scale you find in other
exotic novels where city itself is almost main characters( check out Bangkok 8 ).
Never the
less, you will find more than enough portrayal of the city to enjoy the
novel.
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lot. – It has slow but quite solid storyline going on
all through out the book. And later on, you will find out that author very
masterfully lays down all the plot line based on THE FENCING MOVES!!
Therefore, TITLE=The fencing
master, I guess.
As I mentioned at the beginning,
it is started out as, I don’t know, a mystery? The tension is very slowly
building for the first couple of chapters, but you can kind of sense something
is not right and as soon as Odele knocked the door of the fencing master. You
just know dice is already in the air and Don Jaime can not go back to his
normal peaceful life anymore. Something is going to happen or already happened.
Then like all the good mysteries,
corpses start piling up and BAMB!! FINAL CONFRONTATION!! Although it
takes quite a while to get that stage....
And the ending? Honestly, it is
quite SHOCKING. Being totally different from the rest of the chapters, it is
…hum....something else? Like you are watching shopping channel and suddenly
they are showing zombie movie? It is awkward but astonishing. Can’t tell
you more than this. Sorry.
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erdict. – I say this a lot, lately, but
I don’t think this book is for everyone.
Like some of the classical
musics, it enters with the slow, calm numbers and retires with the full swing,
BANG!!
If you somehow read through the
middle part, you will be rewarded at the end. I was frozen for a couple of
minutes at the end.( What? You gotta be kidding me?? kind of ending.)
Come to think of it, this book
is, very unlikely but, a love story, too.
Interesting reading if you don't
mind a bit of a history lecture.
Thank you.
