A former war photographer has isolated himself in a lighthouse on the Spanish coast, painting a giant mural; soon he is joined by a former soldier who was the subject of one of his most famous photographs and now wants to kill him. Their conversations about life, death, war, art and love make up the center of Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Painter of Battles.
Although the description makes it sound as if the novel has the barest wisp of a plot, it is a dense, cerebral novel with rewards for the patient (including a surprising, chilling ending). I am more familiar with Perez-Reverte as the author of the swashbuckling Captain Alatriste series and the memorable, whacked-out The Club Dumas (filmed as The Ninth Gate). This book is a departure from what I have read into a more literary bent but is quite a good read.
I borrowed this from my wife to read along with a class she is teaching and enjoyed it tremendously. Recommended.
Although the description makes it sound as if the novel has the barest wisp of a plot, it is a dense, cerebral novel with rewards for the patient (including a surprising, chilling ending). I am more familiar with Perez-Reverte as the author of the swashbuckling Captain Alatriste series and the memorable, whacked-out The Club Dumas (filmed as The Ninth Gate). This book is a departure from what I have read into a more literary bent but is quite a good read.
I borrowed this from my wife to read along with a class she is teaching and enjoyed it tremendously. Recommended.
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