This is a remarkable book that delves into the captivating realms of the ocean and woman.

Both the ocean and woman are mysterious and volatile entities. The ocean, with its vastness and unpredictable tides, holds an allure that is both enchanting and dangerous. Similarly, a woman, with her complex emotions and ever-changing nature, can be equally captivating and challenging.

Sailors, it seems, come alive and feel like true men only when they are on the sea. The sea is their domain, where they test their skills and courage. Just as a sailor is drawn to the beauty of the ocean, he is also likely to fall in love with a beautiful woman. However, he knows that this love, like everything else, may be swallowed by the ocean.

The book explores the themes of mystery, volatility, attraction, and the inevitable forces that shape our lives. It invites readers to reflect on the complex relationship between the ocean and woman, and the profound impact they have on those who encounter them.

Overall, this book offers a unique and thought-provoking perspective on two of the most fascinating aspects of our world.

I have an unwavering love for everything that Arturo Pérez-Reverte pens. And while this particular novel may not be in the same vein as his others, it is by no means an exception to his remarkable talent.

This novel, which revolves around the thrilling pursuit of treasure from a shipwreck, is replete with Pérez-Reverte's signature atmospheric prose. It has a slower pace and is longer than his other works, but I firmly believe that this is entirely appropriate for a story of this nature.

The plot and the characters possess a greater depth here. Since it is narrated from Coy's perspective, you truly feel as if you are inhabiting his skin. The "throw a punch, ask questions later" responses come across as completely natural and not at all overdone.

It is no easy feat to pen such an "adventure" story without giving it a "written-for-the-screen" feel. However, Pérez-Reverte manages to pull this off splendidly with the slower pace and the rich historical background on 17th century sailing and navigation. This aspect is not only interesting but also highly informative, adding just the right amount of complexity to the narrative.

This is a novel that demands to be savored. Perhaps, it would be best enjoyed on the beach, where you can lose yourself in its captivating world.

The works of this author appeal to me. However, this particular novel seems weaker or less interesting than the others. Perhaps, it will be liked by fans of works about sea adventures.

I have always been a great admirer of this author's literary output. Their stories usually have the power to transport readers to different worlds and evoke a wide range of emotions.

But when it comes to this novel, there is something that doesn't quite click. It lacks the same level of excitement and engagement that I have come to expect from their other works.

That being said, every reader has their own preferences. And for those who have a penchant for tales of the high seas and the adventures that unfold there, this novel might just be a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.

It's important to remember that literature is subjective, and what one person may find lacking, another may find captivating. So, while this novel may not be my favorite, it could very well be the perfect read for someone else.

I have another pile of books again.

This time it's about Perec-Reverte's "The Secret Meridian".

Last time I wanted exciting details and adventures. The plot promised to meet the requirements in principle.

In general, a certain person hires a former sailor who has nothing to do as an assistant in the search for a brigantine that sank in the 18th century.

The book has 622 pages.

The first 300 pages, the main hero slowly and sadly, bit by bit, extracts the details of the case from the heroine. It is also revealed that there are many hunters for the ship, and some of them are beaten. Along the way, all the free space is spattered with the saliva of the main hero, who dances a mysterious minuet with the heroine around the bed. There are no other events, except for the verbose digging of the main hero in the nature of his own attraction to the charms of the heroine.

The anticipation of the actual action is incredibly drawn out - no travel for you, no fucking. "Half the cruise has passed, and we still haven't left - they are always taking on provisions!" (c)

By this point, I started reading diagonally because I was already sure that the adventures would never start and everything would just come down to studying maps and walking around and about, colorful with completely incomprehensible nautical terms to me.

But on page 320, they suddenly decide to go to sea. "What is this? Are we leaving or not? What happened? Why are we standing still? I'm so tired now, there won't be much room for you on the boat. Izia! Ema! Immediately! Right here!" (c)

The sparks of sexual tension finally explode, thank goodness, on page 475. "There's such boredom here that I cheated on my mistress with my wife." (c)

The ship is found on page 558, the emeralds in the hold on page 586. On page 604, it is very predictably revealed that the heroine is a bitch and has betrayed everyone, and on page 620, of course, she is killed.

Boredom!!! To the village, to my aunt, to the backwoods, to Saratov!

Cautiously, I pick up "Airport" and "Final Diagnosis" by Hailey. Watch your hand.

Surprisingly, the book on the potentially fascinating topic of searching for a ship that sank in the 18th century is unsuccessful. Truly fascinating was only the denouement (about a quarter of the book), and everything else - endless extensive historical summaries, as well as reflections, memories, and sighs about the heroine who deeply fascinated the main hero, a sailor, on which the slightest significant action is smeared with the thinnest layer. The pace of the narrative is truly lethargic. I would say that in this (rather large) book, Peres-Reverte was too carried away by his beloved digressions. Nevertheless, as I listened, the thought did not leave me that on the shoulders of the maritime theme of "Maps of the Celestial Sphere", a truly amazing "Queen of the South" emerged, which was written by the writer two years later.

Yes, and about the audio version... The narration by Vyacheslav Gerasimov was again not liked due to his unfoundedly mannered intonations. On the other hand, if it were a paper format, then I would definitely not have reached the end, so it's great that there is an audiobook option.

After my mother talked so much about this book, boasting about it, I confess that I had quite high expectations when I started reading it. And then, simply, it didn't meet them. Perhaps the first 100 pages, in which the protagonist does nothing but be obsessed with the woman who appeared in front of him and whom he tried to help and then decided to follow, didn't help with the first impression. Being inside Coy's head at that moment made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

However, from the moment the story advanced to other themes, things became more interesting, and the desire to know more increased, as did the reading speed. My historian's heart by affinity cannot remain indifferent to such themes. The author's research on navigation and Jesuits in the 18th century is impeccable. His fascination with the topic is clear, and the mystery of that ship that disappeared with its cargo would be tempting, even without knowing what it was transporting. And it increases when one thinks that such cases are real and that there is still so much of our past to discover, lost in those oceans.

But even so, something was lacking in this book for it to really work. Perhaps it was the way of telling the story. Much more telling than showing, as if there was always a barrier between us and what is happening, which does not allow us to completely disconnect from the fact that we are reading a book. Enormous paragraphs, little dialogue, especially in indirect speech, and an irritating tendency of the author to describe things in unnecessary detail that often breaks the narrative. Like in an action scene where he decided, with no great relation to what was happening, to say the color of the secretary's underwear of the "villain". I understand that the objective was to give a bit more of the atmosphere, but the way those descriptions appeared only made me roll my eyes. And the appearance of the narrator as a character almost at the end of the book was absolutely unnecessary, besides the fact that it only served to give the readers a lesson about meridians and parallels that could well have been given in another way and at a more opportune point, without the character (pedantic and sexist) having to be the narrator.

As for Tangier (a name that always makes me think of our D. Duarte), I spent all the time imagining her like Rachel from Orphan Black. I wanted more of her. I thought she was much more interesting than Coy or any other character in the story, and I was sorry that in the end it was what, from the beginning, it was said it would be. Tangier, despite being the leader of the whole mission, does not have the right to have her own voice. She is always described (down to the detail of the clothes she wears every day, seriously, there is no need to know exactly what she is wearing) from the impressions of others (generally unfavorable, except when it comes to Coy, who alternates between loving her and hating her, but honestly, he's the one who got into all this mess), as a vaguely mysterious being and, of course, a traitor. It gives that image of Adam and Eve in the 20th century, in which the woman is, from the start, a separate being, impenetrable, bad and leading to perdition, which, unfortunately, still seems to be the one that many men have of women. As is common in this type of narrative where a man falls in love with a woman and follows her into a mystery, like Adam prisoner of his Eve, it is understood, from the beginning, that her story will not end happily, and Coy himself knows it. But even so, I would have liked to have had more of her.

In the end of all this, I felt like going to visit the Naval Museum of Madrid and, above all, I had a craving to finally pick up the books of Tintim, the great inspiration for Tangier. So don't be surprised to see me soon reading The Treasure of Rakan the Terrible and others like it.

A Light Adventure in Cartagena.

It didn't seem to me to be at the level of Reverte, not even close.

Moreover, at the end, the author does something inappropriate for a writer, taking an unnecessary and convoluted turn that adds nothing.

It's dispensable.

Overall, this adventure in Cartagena had its moments, but it fell short in several aspects. The story didn't have the depth and complexity that one might expect from a work of this kind.

The writing style was decent, but not outstanding.

The characters were somewhat one-dimensional and lacked development.

The setting of Cartagena was vividly described, which added to the atmosphere of the story.

However, the unnecessary plot twist at the end detracted from the overall experience.

In conclusion, while this was a light and enjoyable read, it didn't leave a lasting impression.

It's a book that one can easily pass over without feeling like they've missed out on something truly great.

I found this novel to be rather long-winded, and it seemed to overemphasize certain points, especially when it came to the characterization of the male and female leads. Just when I was on the verge of boredom (a personal horror when reading fiction), suddenly there was a storm at sea, a man overboard, and a timely rescue. What a tremendous relief for me! From that moment on, I never came close to boredom again.

The ending completely took me by surprise. However, to be fair, I must admit that in my circle, I am considered both a bit intelligent and yet the world's most gullible woman. So perhaps other readers didn't find it as much of a surprise. For me, though, it was completely unexpected and an extremely satisfying conclusion to the story that preceded it.

This is my second attempt at a Perez-Reverte novel, the first being The Club Dumas. Although I also felt that "Dumas" dragged a little, it didn't deter me from giving this one a try. One thing I noticed was that at times the English prose seemed a bit awkward. I assumed this was due to some difficulties in translation, perhaps in trying to stay true to the original Spanish. Here and there, an old-fashioned idiom popped up, but it didn't reach the level of annoyance.

I wouldn't highly recommend this novel, but I would say, "It wasn't bad."

And I have to add that the paper used in this particular hardback was very pleasing. I would love to read any reasonably good book published on this paper, which is slick to the touch and not easily torn.

It is very interesting indeed. It is different from anything I have read thus far. The relationship between the two main characters is rather troubling and difficult to define. This ambiguity may actually entice or interest some readers, but I found it disturbing, to say the least. I went along with the story, hoping for a different ending. However, I was quite shocked by the ending. I had not expected that at all, which is a testament to the good writing. I found all of the nautical information very fascinating and it managed to keep my attention throughout. Nevertheless, there were parts of the history provided that were rather long winded. I felt that I had to skim through some of it as it became a little too convoluted for my liking. It was just too long winded and could have been more concise.

I found that I enjoyed The Nautical Chart to a much greater extent than The Flanders Panel.

Reverte's style is truly distinctive as he delves into historical Spain and a wide array of subjects such as art, chess, navigation, seafaring, fencing, and more in an extremely engaging manner.

The characters in the book are well-developed, fascinating, and complex. He is not afraid to leave some questions unanswered, which actually adds a sense of realism to the story. After all, in real life, we don't always uncover all the facts, understand all the motivations, and so on.

However, unlike the writers of "Lost", the audience doesn't feel cheated by these unanswered questions.

The Nautical Chart is an informative exploration into Spanish history, treasure hunting, and the sea. It managed to keep me guessing right until the very last page, making it a truly captivating read.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a thrilling and intellectually stimulating adventure through history and various other captivating topics.

Treasure hunters.

You know right from the start, even before you open the book, that there is a high probability that someone is going to betray someone else. Because that's just the typical pattern with those kinds of people. It's almost a given. Enough has been said on that matter.

If this book hadn't been written by Perez-Reverte, I most likely wouldn't have bothered to pick it up. And yet, for some reason, I did. Maybe it was out of curiosity, or perhaps because I had heard good things about his writing. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I did.

The prose in this book is simply lyrical. It flows beautifully, painting vivid pictures in your mind and creating a rich and atmospheric world. It's the kind of writing that makes you feel like you're right there with the characters, experiencing everything they do.

If you've run out of your favorite books and are looking for something new and different to read, I highly recommend giving this one a try. You might just be pleasantly surprised, as I was.

A slow hum of an adventure vessel can be heard, yet it conceals many thrilling spurts and beautiful prose of nautical historical and present time adventure.

For those who may feel inclined to abandon, I say hold on and see this adventure through.

The slow hum, which may seem unassuming at first, is actually a crucial part of the experience. It lulls you into a sense of calm, only to be interrupted by the genuine spurts of thrill that come unexpectedly.

These spurts add an element of excitement and unpredictability, making the adventure so much more closer to real life.

As you embark on this nautical journey, you will be treated to a rich tapestry of history and present-day exploration.

The vessel becomes a time machine, transporting you to different eras and allowing you to witness the evolution of nautical adventure.

So, don't be deterred by the initial slow hum. Embrace it and let it guide you through the thrilling and beautiful adventure that awaits.