Michael Dubois Dubois itibaren Peñaranda de Bracamonte, Salamanca, İspanya
The ongoing challenges facing our Heroes continue to grow in danger and the levels of deceit reach new heights. We meet a new disciple and a new prophet. Things are a changing!
In fairness, I should probably not review this book, as I technically didn't read it through. I got to the middle of this book but it was irritating me. I really was hopeful that this one would be better than Tunnels (which had some good action and lots of potential, but fell flat). I am afraid to say it wasn't. The dust jacket says they are making it into a movie, so I figured it must be a fairly good book. But they made InkHeart into a movie, and I didn't care much for that either. I just can't invest in these characters and the plot just doesn't compel me to keep reading. Sorry.
I enjoyed this as I enjoy all Arturo Perez-Reverte books - immensely, right up until the end. In the past, the big reveal has occasionally been a big let-down, but this was not bad at all. The story is fascinating - Julia, an art restorer, finds a hidden inscription under the paint of an old Flemish painting - "Who killed the knight?" This launches her into a modern-day mystery, where people associated with the painting and her investigation of it start turning up dead. The painting is of a chess game and I honestly think I would have gotten more out of the book if I had any interest in chess or knowledge of the game. The way that certain motivations and intentions are assigned to certain chess moves was a bit beyond me. Still, Perez-Reverte aloways manages to create fascinating characters who seem like no one I know in real life. A pleasure to peek into their world.
Harold Koda and Eric Boman give us a glimpse into the world of collector Iris Apfel, a true American original. Apfel founded a fabric manufacturing company called Old World Weavers in the 50s with her husband Carl. They travelled the world, visiting artisans and exploring different cultures. Apfel's souvenirs were clothes, everything from Native American headdresses to indian saris and Lanvin couture. She is bold, irreverent, and has an unerring eye. I was struck by how much she reminded me of an idol of mine, Diana Vreeland. Both women began working in the 50s when it was considered more acceptable to stay home and raise children.
One straaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaange book!