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purghy's review
3.0
A crime novel, almost a thriller (not really), full of details in Perez-Reverte's style. If these details were actions this would have been a great novel, perfect for chess and thriller lovers.
adeslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
J'aurai voulu plus aimé ce livre ; même s'il y a eu des plot twists et des choses dont je m'y attendais pas, je n'étais pas assez entrée dans l'histoire pour me permettre de mettre plus que trois étoiles.
minaudible's review against another edition
4.0
Mi primera toma de contacto con Pérez-Reverte. Gratamente sorprendida.
kynan's review
2.0
I really enjoyed the first third of this book, all of the setting up, the background, the not-quite purple prose (that might be the translator), the characters, the chess, the problem kaleidoscope. I loved the idea of it all and, honestly, I don't REALLY know what went wrong. The interest just sort of evaporated for me when the thriller/mystery section of the book kicked in and it never really pulled me in again.
I really liked the protagonist, Julia and the cross-section of her life that we're introduced into. Meeting her friends Menchu and César and the cast of supporting characters, they started fleshing out as actual characters but then things...got stuck? They end up as 2-dimensional caricatures of the potentially multidimensional characters they could have been.
And then the ending. Sheesh. The cool chess hook never developed its potential and it was relatively obvious who was going to end up being "the villain", but things got really hokey when it came to the denouement.
I DID like the little afterword, it added a nice kink to the tidying up of the plot strands from the final chapter. That said, I'm not sure that I'd recommend anyone read the entire book just to savour the afterword.
I really liked the protagonist, Julia and the cross-section of her life that we're introduced into. Meeting her friends Menchu and César and the cast of supporting characters, they started fleshing out as actual characters but then things...got stuck? They end up as 2-dimensional caricatures of the potentially multidimensional characters they could have been.
And then the ending. Sheesh. The cool chess hook never developed its potential and it was relatively obvious who was going to end up being "the villain", but things got really hokey when it came to the denouement.
I DID like the little afterword, it added a nice kink to the tidying up of the plot strands from the final chapter. That said, I'm not sure that I'd recommend anyone read the entire book just to savour the afterword.
maura_kathleen's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
It seems like every other month I find myself googling "chess mystery painting" to try to remember the name of that book that I read for my honors program ahead of freshman year. This was that book. The challenge of backwards resolving the chess match in the painting and determining its implications was very interesting. The characters I recall being a more mixed bag.
(Declining to provide star ratings for books that I last read before 2019.)
nguyen_vy's review against another edition
2.0
Đối với mình thì động cơ gây án quá thiếu thuyết phục, nhân vật thì như các diễn viên nhạc kịch đang khoa môi múa mép. Điểm sáng duy nhất là những đoạn về cờ vua
tsenko2's review
3.0
Recommended for: people who love chess, Madrid, Flemish art, and/or medieval history
Reminded me of: The Shadow of the Wind, a little bit reminiscent of The Name of the Rose
I won’t provide a synopsis; my reviews record my reactions rather than providing a recap of the blurb.
I think the author developed a fascinating premise for a mystery and I would like to give 5⭐️ For that alone, but my rating is lowered because at times the story dragged, it could be pedantic when characters indulged in philosophical musings, and I didn’t really care about any of the characters. In fact I found the characters poorly written and too cliché. They lacked subtlety, and thus interest or relatability.
The way a chess game drove the plot was fascinating to me, as I enjoy playing chess. However, while I initially enjoyed playing out the moves, eventually I became bored and started skimming through those parts of the book. I have to lower my rating when a book has chunks that I want to skip over. The conclusions drawn from those moves were important; I just didn’t need to follow the step by step details.
There was an irrelevant part about music/math that had me gritting my teeth because I have absolutely no interest in those theories, but others may be fascinated. When a character started in on his argument it was “blah, blah, blah” in my head. And it played no part in either the current or ancient mysteries.
I was fortunate to visit Madrid once and I love that city and the Prado. I was delighted at the setting and a reference to the incredible painting The Triumph of Death”. I also enjoyed allusions to Sherlock Holmes and E.A. Poe.
I’m very glad I read this book and I think I will always remember it and compare other books to it. However, as much as I liked the plot and many of the elements, some of the writing didn’t work well for me. Even though I didn’t rate it very highly, I would still recommend it to readers who love mysteries, chess, & art.
Reminded me of: The Shadow of the Wind, a little bit reminiscent of The Name of the Rose
I won’t provide a synopsis; my reviews record my reactions rather than providing a recap of the blurb.
I think the author developed a fascinating premise for a mystery and I would like to give 5⭐️ For that alone, but my rating is lowered because at times the story dragged, it could be pedantic when characters indulged in philosophical musings, and I didn’t really care about any of the characters. In fact I found the characters poorly written and too cliché. They lacked subtlety, and thus interest or relatability.
The way a chess game drove the plot was fascinating to me, as I enjoy playing chess. However, while I initially enjoyed playing out the moves, eventually I became bored and started skimming through those parts of the book. I have to lower my rating when a book has chunks that I want to skip over. The conclusions drawn from those moves were important; I just didn’t need to follow the step by step details.
There was an irrelevant part about music/math that had me gritting my teeth because I have absolutely no interest in those theories, but others may be fascinated. When a character started in on his argument it was “blah, blah, blah” in my head. And it played no part in either the current or ancient mysteries.
I was fortunate to visit Madrid once and I love that city and the Prado. I was delighted at the setting and a reference to the incredible painting The Triumph of Death”. I also enjoyed allusions to Sherlock Holmes and E.A. Poe.
I’m very glad I read this book and I think I will always remember it and compare other books to it. However, as much as I liked the plot and many of the elements, some of the writing didn’t work well for me. Even though I didn’t rate it very highly, I would still recommend it to readers who love mysteries, chess, & art.
yukiisatsuki's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
nottomentionv's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.75