Scan barcode
A review by tsenko2
The Flanders Panel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
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.