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kmatthe2's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, however at times it read like it was trying too hard to be meditative and philosophical. It was an enjoyable read, but lacked the depth of character that one got from, say, the recent novel _Guernica_. (A novel I recommend.)
imakandiway's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
justfoxie's review against another edition
3.0
Another one of PO'B's early works, and significantly better holistically than Testimonies. I'm starting to notice a trend with his endings - as in there isn't one really. At some point, he just stops writing, which I suppose it better than writing long past the real end of the book, but it is a little bit startling and leave you flipping through the last pages a little forlornly.
I particularly liked some of the landscape descriptions in this work - there is a section where he describes the coming dawn while sitting in a courtyard that is truly exquisite. If you are a fan of landscape fiction, then this is a good one to read.
The characters are also on the whole better formed, but still nothing of the complexity and endearingness of his Aubrey/Maturin series. I really enjoyed getting this peek into what the author thought of as Catalan and gaining a small insight into some of the influences that might have gone into creating the Maturin of his later novels.
All in all, a reasonably good book with some excellent description.
I particularly liked some of the landscape descriptions in this work - there is a section where he describes the coming dawn while sitting in a courtyard that is truly exquisite. If you are a fan of landscape fiction, then this is a good one to read.
The characters are also on the whole better formed, but still nothing of the complexity and endearingness of his Aubrey/Maturin series. I really enjoyed getting this peek into what the author thought of as Catalan and gaining a small insight into some of the influences that might have gone into creating the Maturin of his later novels.
All in all, a reasonably good book with some excellent description.
brettt's review
3.0
After changing his name and re-creating much of his personal history, Patrick O'Brian moved to a village in southern France in a region called Catalonia, which spans parts of France and northern Spain. Among his earlier works as "Patrick O'Brian" is a short 1953 novel about a village in this region called The Catalans.
Alain Roig returns to his home village of Saint-Féliu after some time in the Far East to find his family in turmoil. His middle-aged and respectable cousin Xavier, who is also the mayor of Saint-Féliu, is engaged to Madeline, the young daughter of a local grocer. The Roig family feels its property and wealth at risk from this threatened intruder -- who knows what silly ideas a middle-aged man may indulge for his young and flighty new bride, and how much those ideas might cost? Madeline's family, for her part, is none too pleased with the match either given the age gap.
Alain learns that Xavier hopes Madeline will save him from what he sees as his own lack of feeling, but as he winds deeper into the situation he finds that he is falling in love with Madeline, and she with him as she really does not love Xavier.
O'Brian's trademark wit is a splendid feature of his better-known Aubrey-Maturin series, and here it helps solidify the vision of a small town invested in its own small concerns as the great issues of the world. It has its own national and cultural flavor, but Saint-Féliu is the same sleepy small town that can be found in every corner of the world, staging its own version of the same kinds of drama playing in them all.
The wit and tone are probably The Catalans' strongest feature. While O'Brian uses his characters to explore ideas about how often people seek to use others to find what they think they lack in themselves, the story itself is a little light to carry much weight in that area. Alain is clearly drawn, but Xavier and Madeline seem a little too much like stock characters added from the shelf and so the plot that rests on their triple base is unsteadier than it should be for best results.
Original available here.
Alain Roig returns to his home village of Saint-Féliu after some time in the Far East to find his family in turmoil. His middle-aged and respectable cousin Xavier, who is also the mayor of Saint-Féliu, is engaged to Madeline, the young daughter of a local grocer. The Roig family feels its property and wealth at risk from this threatened intruder -- who knows what silly ideas a middle-aged man may indulge for his young and flighty new bride, and how much those ideas might cost? Madeline's family, for her part, is none too pleased with the match either given the age gap.
Alain learns that Xavier hopes Madeline will save him from what he sees as his own lack of feeling, but as he winds deeper into the situation he finds that he is falling in love with Madeline, and she with him as she really does not love Xavier.
O'Brian's trademark wit is a splendid feature of his better-known Aubrey-Maturin series, and here it helps solidify the vision of a small town invested in its own small concerns as the great issues of the world. It has its own national and cultural flavor, but Saint-Féliu is the same sleepy small town that can be found in every corner of the world, staging its own version of the same kinds of drama playing in them all.
The wit and tone are probably The Catalans' strongest feature. While O'Brian uses his characters to explore ideas about how often people seek to use others to find what they think they lack in themselves, the story itself is a little light to carry much weight in that area. Alain is clearly drawn, but Xavier and Madeline seem a little too much like stock characters added from the shelf and so the plot that rests on their triple base is unsteadier than it should be for best results.
Original available here.
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