A review by littletaiko
The Fencing Master by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

3.0

The Fencing Master is billed as a period whodunit but I would argue that it's not really a mystery but instead a nice piece of fiction. Yes, there are some dead bodies but it's not a traditional mystery with clues to be followed. The book is set in 1868 and centers around an aging fencing master in Spain who is reluctant to change with the times. Grudgingly he accepts a female client who wants to learn the secret of the unstoppable thrust. There is political unrest that becomes part of the main story as well. For me, the fencing part was fascinating. I knew absolutely nothing about fencing going into this book and while I still don't know much, I have a developed quite an appreciation for it. The fencing portions of the books were the best while the political stuff bogged the story down at times.


"The ghosts of the people we could have been and weren't...Isn't that what it is? The people we dreamed of being, until we were forced to wake from the dream."