The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-
Reverte
A Splendid Performance.
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 Jaimes 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
Personal Review: The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Review of "The Fencing Master" -- Arturo Perez-Reverte
Background abstract from the text: "In Madrid in 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
known only 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."
This is the second Perez-Reverte book I've read and I have to admit I
really like his intelligent style of writing. I found the first half of the book to
open very slowly building the back-story for the protagonist (Don Jaime
Astarloa) and potential love interest with Adele De Otero who insistently
pleads with him to teach her the fencing secret he perfected; "the
unstoppable thrust."
*Spoiler here* The second half of the book quickly builds suspense and
intrigue ending with a shocking conclusion. The final part of the story ends
with Don Jaime discovering that Adele was acting as the agent of
espionage for powerful economic interests. She attempts to kill her
Maestro with the same fencing thrust maneuver she learned from him but
with which he executes with the skill of "The Fencing Master" leading to
her demise (with the thrust through her eye socket).
Well done and rife with a vivid historical backdrop and references. Five
stars.
JP

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