I really love the books of this author. However, this one was not the case.

Although it has some memorable fragments, especially when the protagonist reflects on women, it doesn't reach the level of his best novels.

It is long, dense, and takes 200 pages to become interesting. It is full of nautical terms that make reading difficult and repetitive in some parts.

The story is very simple: a woman hires an unemployed sailor to search for a sunken ship at the bottom of the sea. The ship, of course, contains a treasure.

While I liked the characters of Coy, the protagonist, and the endearing Pilot, with Tánger it was not the same. She is an archetypal character taken from the 1940s film noir movies. The femme fatale who from the beginning warns that she is going to betray the protagonist. She doesn't have the psychological depth of the reverting heroines who followed her, no matter how much the narrator insists that she is a tough, brave, and dangerous girl, you don't quite believe it. She is not an Olvido Ferrara, a Teresa Mendoza, or an Elena Arbués...

The plot is predictable, slow, full of memories of the sailor Coy, and reflections on the sea (which can be interesting, but not in excess). A story that could have been told in 200 pages or less. It is not one of Pérez-Reverte's most original and successful works. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. That said, it has some very beautiful fragments that are worth it, but it's not enough to raise the score of the whole novel. Failed. No matter how you look at it. From his first period, it is better to read The Fencing Master, The Flanders Panel, or The Skin of the Drum, which may not be brilliant but is much better than The Spherical Letter.

This is a very good book.

Perhaps it's not the best of Pérez-Reverte, but it has a very interesting plot.

I would give it four stars, but I found the heroine unlikable and her motives inexplicable.

The story takes the reader on a journey through different places and time periods, filled with mystery and adventure.

The author's writing style is engaging and descriptive, making it easy to visualize the scenes and characters.

However, the lack of a relatable protagonist detracts from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Despite this, it is still a worthwhile read for fans of historical fiction and mystery novels.

Overall, I would recommend this book with some reservations.

A Not-So-Great Story About a Treasure Hunt

Once upon a time, there was a group of friends who heard a rumor about a hidden treasure. They were excited and decided to embark on a treasure hunt. They followed the clues they found, which led them to an old, abandoned house. As they entered the house, they felt a strange and spooky atmosphere. The rooms were filled with dust and cobwebs, and the floorboards creaked under their feet. They searched every corner of the house but found nothing. They were about to give up when one of them noticed a small, hidden door in the attic. They opened the door and found a chest. Their hearts raced with excitement as they opened the chest, only to find that it was empty. Disappointed, they realized that the treasure hunt had been a waste of time. But they learned an important lesson: sometimes, the journey is more important than the destination.

There are women who have strange things on their heads, just as others have gonorrhea. And they stick them to you. This attack has remained from a 530-page book that starts to tell a story long after the middle and awaits its climax only in the last 70 - 80 pages. A climax, however, that you struggle to enjoy because you have reached this point diminished by:

A) an exhaustive (almost sadistic) descriptiveness of the most uninteresting moments (yes, we all live for the moments of our lives, but that doesn't mean that some of them can't be empty, at least apparently), characters, and objects. A descriptiveness that forced me in 2002 to notice it after not even 100 pages of reading and now to finish it after almost 6 months, with a lot of perseverance and not always the necessary disposition.....

B) a constant and exhaustive boredom of nautical terminology, which I still haven't understood if it interests someone who is not interested in the art of navigation. I'm afraid it bores the one who shows no relevant interest....

C) a very tiring and annoying display of geographical knowledge, with incredible details, of the maritime reality (past and present) of the Iberian Peninsula and the Western Mediterranean in general. It even bores a geography buff (like me)....

It could have 150 - 200 fewer pages and I have the impression that it would be much better as a movie.

It gets 3 stars for the worthy attempt at "mapping" everyday people, struggles, weaknesses, and emotions, a sketch of an easy-going, real philosophy, among those that I like. Certainly also for the attempt to collect all this nautical and geographical knowledge that the author bores with. Otherwise, for me it's rather 2 stars.