A review by yvo_about_books
El capitán Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Carlota Pérez-Reverte

2.0

Pages: 242

“No era el hombre más honesto ni el más piadoso, pero era un hombre valiente.”

Spoiler

I had made a promise to myself last year to start reading more in Spanish again, but apparently that promise was soon forgotten... I only just managed to squeeze in this story before 2017 ended, which definitely wasn't what I had originally planned for the year. I have read Arturo Pérez-Reverte's work in the past, so I thought the first book of the Adventures Of Captain Alatriste would be a safe bet. This first book is simply named after the main character of this series set in 17th century Spain: El Capitán Alatriste. I have a weak spot for both historical fiction and books set in one of my favorite countries, Spain, so I thought I would really enjoy this one. Unfortunately, things turned out to be different. I know Spanish isn't my native language, but I both have a degree in Spanish Philology and have been using Spanish daily for years, so I can confirm the language itself wasn't a barrier. What did slow me down considerably is the general tone and pace of the story, and the fact that nothing much happened during the story. Not only was the historical setting quite weak and could have been elaborated a lot more, but I also found the way the story was told through someone close to Alatriste not entertaining at all. This probably has a lot to do with the writing as well as the lack of a proper plot and more action... I did appreciate the incorporation of old Spanish literature in the text. But still, I definitely won't be continuing this series any time soon.

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