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lucy_qhuay's review against another edition
3.0
In a tower by the Mediterranean, Andrés Faulques, a former war photographer, paints a circular fresco - the immortal image of a battle - searching for that image he was never able to capture with his cameras.
Already tormented by his own thoughts, he is disturbed anew by the memory of the woman he was never able to forget and a mysterious man, who comes from his past, seeking retribution.
Having once made a living out of war, Faulques took, years before, a picture of this man, a former Croat soldier, and now he's back, claiming that small act ruined his life.
As the romance evolves, the stories of the artist and the soldier emerge, in an intricate web of war, love, hate, knowledge and, of course, art.
This book is a deep reflection about war, the consequences of our acts and the human nature.
'El Pintor De Batallas' was a very interesting work, however I don't think I was able to achieve everything I was supposed to achieve, intelectually speaking.
I am a very wordy individual. I don't have a drop of artistic blood in me, much to my disappointment, so I see everything in terms of words and not images, if you know what I mean.
In this book, Pérez-Reverte used a lot of artistic language, such as lines, curves, planes, geometry, the colours, etc, therefore I don't think I really understood what he was trying to show the reader.
And that's why I didn't give it a higher rating.
I do think other people will be able to understand better what the author meant, but even if that doesn't happen, I think it's worth the reading just because of the deep thoughts about the cruel nature of war and man himself.
catsneedhats's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
alibookshelf's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jandi's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the book quite a lot, but it surprised me. Quite different from all other books from Pérez Reverte. It does not have much action, it rather centers on dialogs between the characters and a painting about war, and uses this to express a few ideas regarding war and media.
sixphanel's review against another edition
5.0
Uno de los libros más buenos y más duros que he leído... :(
kirstiecat's review against another edition
4.0
If I could give half ratings, this book would score a 4 1/2 stars...it has it's flaws but quite a few passages are quite brilliant.
The basic premise is the life story, looking towards the past, of a famous war photographer. He's isolated and painting a huge battle to rival anything he's seen in real life throughout all of the countries and people he's photographing at war.
But very soon within the first part of the book, he's confronted by a man who was the subject of one of his photos...the man claims his life has been ruined by that photo, perhaps even more so than after he lost his wife and son. This is a man who has been studying our protagonist for years...every photograph has proved to be a research point up until this moment of confrontation.
What ensues for the majority of the novel, besides intermittent graphic details of war, is a philosophical debate in which the major question at hand is what responsibility lies inherent within the photographer. It's also a story, in many ways of love lost...a love that seems quite honestly rather epic even only from the male protagonist's perspective.
Besides, it has a good ending.
The basic premise is the life story, looking towards the past, of a famous war photographer. He's isolated and painting a huge battle to rival anything he's seen in real life throughout all of the countries and people he's photographing at war.
But very soon within the first part of the book, he's confronted by a man who was the subject of one of his photos...the man claims his life has been ruined by that photo, perhaps even more so than after he lost his wife and son. This is a man who has been studying our protagonist for years...every photograph has proved to be a research point up until this moment of confrontation.
What ensues for the majority of the novel, besides intermittent graphic details of war, is a philosophical debate in which the major question at hand is what responsibility lies inherent within the photographer. It's also a story, in many ways of love lost...a love that seems quite honestly rather epic even only from the male protagonist's perspective.
Besides, it has a good ending.
amynbell's review against another edition
4.0
This is a story that had to be written. The painter of battles used to be a photographer of battles. But after a time, there was a need for him to process all that he'd seen in war. So he bought a tower on a hill and proceeded to make a war mural to capture the realism of the geometry and laws of war. It's here that the subject of one of his war photographs seeks him out for revenge. Markovik, the subject of the photograph, felt that the photo had ruined his life. Markovik has been stalking Falques and trying to understand him through his photos, but he feels the need to talk to him to answer his own questions about war and life and how they intersect. Still, he intends to kill Falques when he gets what he came for.
The story is largely told as flashback memories of the people and places Falques photographed and the war paintings he has identified with. Is war an inevitable product of intelligence? Is it proof that we're all one step away from being barbarians instead of civilized beings? Is war something within all of us? These are not easy questions to answer.
Many people feel that this book would have done better as a short story or as a shorter novella. I have to admit there there's more thinking here than there is action. This is a very cerebral book. There are moments where you find yourself immersed in the book and moments you feel as if you're slogging through it, but it's a book that needs to be read.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
The story is largely told as flashback memories of the people and places Falques photographed and the war paintings he has identified with. Is war an inevitable product of intelligence? Is it proof that we're all one step away from being barbarians instead of civilized beings? Is war something within all of us? These are not easy questions to answer.
Many people feel that this book would have done better as a short story or as a shorter novella. I have to admit there there's more thinking here than there is action. This is a very cerebral book. There are moments where you find yourself immersed in the book and moments you feel as if you're slogging through it, but it's a book that needs to be read.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.