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hieronymusbotched's review against another edition
4.0
Originally formulated as a single, larger book (the mastheading: Your Face Tomorrow), but actually released over long gaps of time in three volumes, Fever and Spear, the first in a trilogy, is a curious book to rate.
On its own, it deserves 3* - there simply isn‘t enough plot to justify this first title as a standalone volume; what is essentially an exceptionally written, exceptionally vague preamble to a much larger story. In my eyes, Marias doesn‘t value the reader‘s time enough for Fever and Spear to feel satisfying on its own. Or not entirely. I don‘t regret a page, but I‘m aware that all the book has accomplished comes down to slipping velvet underneath my collar, so I‘ll not so much the leash.
However, as a promise (and a premise) for the remaining members of the trilogy, the book deserves all 5*. The psychological acuity, the insights, the flow of Marias‘ language, the narrative construction which painlessly flits between timelines, sometimes in the same sentence, is all a tremendous foundation for something far greater than the 370-some pages collected here.
Put plainly, Fever and Spear is an act of seduction. An invitation to risk everything on the weight of a whisper.
On its own, it deserves 3* - there simply isn‘t enough plot to justify this first title as a standalone volume; what is essentially an exceptionally written, exceptionally vague preamble to a much larger story. In my eyes, Marias doesn‘t value the reader‘s time enough for Fever and Spear to feel satisfying on its own. Or not entirely. I don‘t regret a page, but I‘m aware that all the book has accomplished comes down to slipping velvet underneath my collar, so I‘ll not so much the leash.
However, as a promise (and a premise) for the remaining members of the trilogy, the book deserves all 5*. The psychological acuity, the insights, the flow of Marias‘ language, the narrative construction which painlessly flits between timelines, sometimes in the same sentence, is all a tremendous foundation for something far greater than the 370-some pages collected here.
Put plainly, Fever and Spear is an act of seduction. An invitation to risk everything on the weight of a whisper.
cameronkc's review against another edition
2.0
The first 65 pages have roughly 7,000 commas. This book is interesting but reads as a inner look to one mans mind. There are no real mysteries and nothing happens of any consequence. I was never really that excited to read another page.
merlaux's review against another edition
How can one not see, in the long term, that the person who does end up ruining us will indeed ruin us? How can you not sense or guess at their plotting, their machinations, their circular dance, not smell their hostility or breathe their despair, not notice their show sulking, their leisurely, languishing waiting, and the inevitable impatience that they would have had to contain for who knows how many years? How can I not know today your face tomorrow, the face that is there already or is being forged beneath the face you show me or beneath the mask you are wearing, and which you will only show me when I am least expecting it?
laurelinwonder's review against another edition
3.0
Feverishly lovely language, and an interesting metaphor woven throughout. This is one seriously big book, one that I wanted to love more than I did overall. Worth trying to read, but real dedication is necessary.
sinelit's review against another edition
5.0
okuduğum hiçbir şeye benzemeyen kitapları okumaktan aldığım tadı hiçbir şeyden alamadım. belki almanlık... yani şakası bir tarafa, gerçekten okuduğum hiçbir şeye benzemiyor ve okurken bazı anlarda böyle şok etkisi yaratan, kafamda minik havaifişekler patlatan kitaplara ve onları yazan insanlara VE onları hakkıyla çevirebilen insanlara çok büyük hayranlık duyuyorum, hatta biraz da kıskanıyorum, ne yalan söyleyeyim.
bu kitapta yapılan iş neyse ben de onu yapmak istiyorum yahu. beni bulun.
ha bir de, nuh nebiden kalma ispanyolca sözlüğümü raftan indirdim bu kitap için. öyle bir kitap. dil öğrenme şevkinizi tetikliyor. hani bazen, "iyi ki bu yazarı türkçe okuyabiliyorum" filan deriz ya; bu kitapta iki "iyi ki"m vardı: birincisi, iyi ki anadilim ingilizce değil. zira kitabın büyük bir kısmı ingilizce'ye çeviriyle ilgili. ikincisi, iyi ki, iyi ki, iyi ki roza hakmen gibi bir çevirmenimiz var ve bu kitabı o çevirmiş. ne büyük şans bizim için.
konusu, kitabın güzelliği filan bir tarafa; çeviri ve yabancı dil konularına ilgi duyan herkesin mutlaka okuması lazım. bayıldım.
bu kitapta yapılan iş neyse ben de onu yapmak istiyorum yahu. beni bulun.
ha bir de, nuh nebiden kalma ispanyolca sözlüğümü raftan indirdim bu kitap için. öyle bir kitap. dil öğrenme şevkinizi tetikliyor. hani bazen, "iyi ki bu yazarı türkçe okuyabiliyorum" filan deriz ya; bu kitapta iki "iyi ki"m vardı: birincisi, iyi ki anadilim ingilizce değil. zira kitabın büyük bir kısmı ingilizce'ye çeviriyle ilgili. ikincisi, iyi ki, iyi ki, iyi ki roza hakmen gibi bir çevirmenimiz var ve bu kitabı o çevirmiş. ne büyük şans bizim için.
konusu, kitabın güzelliği filan bir tarafa; çeviri ve yabancı dil konularına ilgi duyan herkesin mutlaka okuması lazım. bayıldım.
kingfan30's review against another edition
2.0
I started to read this book during a lunchtime at work, but found after reaching page 50 a couple of days later I had no idea what was going on. So with a journey on a train for an hour and half i decided to start again, and this did inially help, however once back to only grabbing time here and there I quickly lost it again. The writer goes off on a tangent and if you have to put the book down whilst still in the tangent and pick it up a couple of hours later it's very easy to lose track of what's going on. I did persevere to the end but don't think I'll be picking up the next in the series.
merixien's review against another edition
5.0
“Senin yarınki yüzünü, gösterdiğin yüzünün ya da taktığın maskenin ardında var olan ya da biçimlenen ve ancak benim beklemediğim bir anda göstereceğin yüzünü bugün nasıl tanımam?
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Bu bilinebilir, çünkü insanlar ihtimallerini damarlarında taşırlar; o ihtimalleri gerçekleştirmeleri sadece zaman, dürtü ve koşullara bağlıdır. Bilinebilir.”
Kitabı tam olarak “allahım çok güzel ama gerçekten konumuz tam olarak ne noktasından, çok güzelsin ama kitap orada biter mi” şeklindeki duygu geçişleriyle, paragraflar arasında dağılan konularda kaybolmaktan büyük bir keyif alarak bitirdim. Kitaba dair daha detaylı bir yorumu biraz daha sindirip yazmak istiyorum ama özet olarak; çok güzel bir kitap-seri, mutlaka okuyun derim.
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.
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Bu bilinebilir, çünkü insanlar ihtimallerini damarlarında taşırlar; o ihtimalleri gerçekleştirmeleri sadece zaman, dürtü ve koşullara bağlıdır. Bilinebilir.”
Kitabı tam olarak “allahım çok güzel ama gerçekten konumuz tam olarak ne noktasından, çok güzelsin ama kitap orada biter mi” şeklindeki duygu geçişleriyle, paragraflar arasında dağılan konularda kaybolmaktan büyük bir keyif alarak bitirdim. Kitaba dair daha detaylı bir yorumu biraz daha sindirip yazmak istiyorum ama özet olarak; çok güzel bir kitap-seri, mutlaka okuyun derim.
blueyorkie's review against another edition
4.0
A novel in which the narrator analyses himself with insight and honesty, a feast for the soul. Such a book probably cannot be written at 25. You must have lived and suffered a lot to create such a masterpiece.
lubica_p's review against another edition
5.0
I have read most of Javier Marías's works and this was the most difficult so far. However, as usual, the author makes up for the density with remarkable meditations on human relationships, particularly the nature and impact of betrayal. The section on the present generation trying to make up for the deeds of previous generations alone deserves four stars. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
rlgreen91's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm honestly not sure how to think of this book quite yet. It's a spy novel, sorta, which is interesting. It's very introspective, which is a plus for me. The plot doesn't seem to move at all, really, for large portions of the book, which somehow feels fine.
Jaime or Jacobo or Jacques or whatever he goes by at the moment is a man with a lot of thoughts. Yes, he did have a stint as an Oxford professor, so stereotypes would assume that he's long-winded, but this truly takes the cake. It's a level of introspection that manages to both feel profound in terms of content while also like surface-level chatter to avoid deeper consideration of one's self.
At its core, this novel is about a man that is part of a small group of people with the ability to determine if a person is lying and predict their future actions/dispositions based on a single conversation. That same man is also dealing with a self-imposed exile to a foreign country after the dissolution of his marriage. Because we only see things from Jaime's point of view, it's hard to tell if the other group members have this level of introspection, or if it's just Jaime's way of perhaps avoiding something. I guess I'll find out in Dance and Dream.
Edit: I should add that, as always with books set somewhere outside of the U.S., I am learning a lot of history reading this. Definitely did not know that Franco's regime lasted until the 70s. I always assumed that, as a contemporary of Hitler and Mussolini, his regime was toppled in the 40s/50s.
Jaime or Jacobo or Jacques or whatever he goes by at the moment is a man with a lot of thoughts. Yes, he did have a stint as an Oxford professor, so stereotypes would assume that he's long-winded, but this truly takes the cake. It's a level of introspection that manages to both feel profound in terms of content while also like surface-level chatter to avoid deeper consideration of one's self.
At its core, this novel is about a man that is part of a small group of people with the ability to determine if a person is lying and predict their future actions/dispositions based on a single conversation. That same man is also dealing with a self-imposed exile to a foreign country after the dissolution of his marriage. Because we only see things from Jaime's point of view, it's hard to tell if the other group members have this level of introspection, or if it's just Jaime's way of perhaps avoiding something. I guess I'll find out in Dance and Dream.
Edit: I should add that, as always with books set somewhere outside of the U.S., I am learning a lot of history reading this. Definitely did not know that Franco's regime lasted until the 70s. I always assumed that, as a contemporary of Hitler and Mussolini, his regime was toppled in the 40s/50s.