As a manual on how not to write a novel, it is great.

To take its reading "seriously", I recommend consuming a marijuana firecracker, just as - it seems - the author did in his day.

I have read it as a pedagogical possibility, but it is evident that such an outcome is ruled out.

This work presents a unique perspective on the art of novel writing. It challenges the conventional norms and offers a rather unconventional approach.

The mention of consuming marijuana adds an element of controversy and perhaps a touch of satire.

However, when considering it from a pedagogical standpoint, one realizes that it may not be a practical or advisable model to follow.

Nevertheless, it does make for an interesting and thought-provoking read that can inspire discussions about the boundaries and possibilities of creative writing.

Overall, while it may not be a traditional guide on how to write a great novel, it certainly has its own charm and value in the world of literature.

Arturo Perez-Reverte's "The Flanders Panel" is an interesting criminal novel that combines the past and the present.

Events from the past, after centuries, "come alive" again in the modern world. But the question is, who "revived" them?

First of all, I like this novel because, as far as I remember, I have never read anything related to chess before, and here the author has integrated it so beautifully into the lives of his characters. Indeed, the characters talk about chess as if it were life, connecting it with the pursuit of different occupations and also stating that everything in life consists of rules and logic:

"It's all a matter of searching for one symbol, a key (...). When the key is found, it's all a matter of work, method. And time."

And so it is quite logical that the chessboard in the Flemish painter's picture transforms into real life:

"It wasn't just the chess - he continued. - But a deep feeling in me that this game connects life and death, reality and fiction."

"The chessboard is not just black and white. There are higher levels from which facts can be observed. Objective levels..."

"Truth is like the best move in chess: it exists, but we have to search for it. If we have enough time, we can always prove it."

The author's style appeals to me and the theme itself is extremely interesting, but there is a small problem. Namely, already halfway through the book, one can guess the murderer. I didn't know his motive, I went a little in the wrong direction, but overall I guessed it, and I would rather be surprised at the very end.

This would be a kind of conclusion of the novel. I won't deliberately say a wise thought because through reading you won't want to agree with this because this is in a way a justification of a crime:

"The world is not as simple as they want to present it to us. The outlines are unclear, the nuances are important. Nothing is black or white; evil can be transformed into good or beauty and vice versa, and one does not exclude the other. A human being can love and betray the one he loves, but at the same time reality does not have to lose its meaning. (...) Life is a dangerous adventure in a wide landscape in constant motion, artificial boundaries. In which everything can disappear and reappear at any moment, or end suddenly, like a cut-off, never to wake up again. In which the only absolute, compact, unambiguous and final truth is - death."

Another excellent book by Reverte that completes my top 3 from his works. If "The Dumas Club" is a book I would recommend to book lovers, this one here I would recommend to art and chess enthusiasts. Reverte combines the past and the present in a wonderful way, creating a story without any gaps, whether chronological, thematic, detailed, or otherwise. It is clear that the author not only masters the literary language but also that of research for each of the subjects that make up part of his work, and he doesn't write something out of thin air just for the sake of writing. Those who have an idea even from the History of Art will understand. ;) The mystery lasts until the last pages, where the solution is finally revealed to the readers, once again given in a way that amazes you. You'll be sorry to part with it, and so will its heroes. Simply wonderful!

This is not my favorite novel by this brilliant author.

Certainly, only knowing the basic rules of chess can be a bit off-putting for the novice in this area.

The plot is entertaining and the imagination is beautiful, but the overly snobbish characters in the art trading milieu did not appeal to me.

Perhaps I was hoping for more depth and complexity in the portrayal of the characters.

However, I still appreciate the author's creativity and the unique world they have created.

Despite not being my favorite, it is still a worthy read and may appeal to others who are more interested in the art world and the game of chess.

I look forward to seeing what else this author has in store for us in the future.

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Overall, I had a rather favorable impression of this work.

The characters were truly remarkable, possessing great depth. They were idiosyncratic, quirky, troubled, and colorful, and had been developed extremely well.

The plot was complex, and Arturo managed to craft an unusual mystery by infusing his detective story with elements from the arcane realms of reverse-chess and the philosophy of perception.

Does it start to sound a little strange? Well, that's exactly what I thought too.

Sure, Arturo sets himself apart from the crowd by penning what I might term a "literary thriller." However, I couldn't quite rid myself of the feeling that he was perhaps overdoing it a touch in this instance. As a result, the novel at times came across as a bit pretentious.

The plot is clearly engineered to explore the theme of self-referencing systems. For instance, consider a statement like "this sentence is false." If that's the case, then it's true, which in turn implies that it's false, and so on. Arturo's plot aims to give rise to similar paradoxes, but doesn't always succeed in doing so convincingly. In fact, the idea itself seems oddly familiar, and throughout the book, it constantly reminded me of Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach, even before Arturo began making explicit references to it in several epigrams halfway through.

My main gripe is that it's not strictly necessary to evoke ideas from GEB. All Arturo ultimately does is suggest that the pieces in the fictional game of chess represent actual people in the real world - only he takes this idea one step further, and in his story, it pertains to fictional characters discussing chess players in an oil painting (the "metafictional" level, if you will). Arturo could have achieved this in a much less convoluted manner, and the plot would have suffered no loss. In particular, we don't need allusions to Bach's fugues. These have absolutely no significance in the plot and feel forced into the story - no doubt Arturo needed the presence of Bach to complete his references to his seemingly beloved GEB.

Nevertheless, if you can overlook a few intellectual vanities here and there, and the negative impact they have on the story's flow, I believe this work is well worth picking up.

Maybe I’m being too generous by giving 4 ⭐️, but it’s mainly because of the story centered around the chess. I have an intense love for chess!!

I truly liked the way the author described and discussed chess. It was such a pure joy to read.

From the very beginning, it had an amazing intrigue that really hooked me. However, I feel a bit not completely satisfied with how it ultimately ended. All the characters were so amazing and had great potential. But in my opinion, they did not fully release their full potential.

Overall, it was still a very entertaining reading experience. It managed to keep my attention throughout and made me think about the world of chess in a new light. Although there were some aspects that could have been improved, it still had its charm and appeal. I would recommend it to others who have an interest in chess or enjoy a good story with interesting characters.

After first reading this cleverly constructed mystery more than a decade ago, I've made the happy discovery that it stands up to re-reading. It's truly remarkable how this mystery has maintained its allure over the years. I don't play chess, but that didn't stop me from being completely captivated by it. The story is filled with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. Every time I pick it up, I notice new details and subtleties that I missed before. It's like uncovering a hidden treasure chest with each reading. The author's skill in creating an enigmatic and engaging plot is truly masterful. I can't recommend this mystery highly enough. Whether you're a fan of mysteries or not, it's definitely worth a read.

I found this book extremely tedious.

The writing style is turgid, and I suspect it has been translated too literally from the original Spanish.

The chess expositions are excessively detailed, which makes them rather dull.

Moreover, the analyses of the medieval mystery of the white knight's death are surprisingly boring.

Another problem is the misogyny and homophobia that pervade throughout the book.

Although it was interesting enough to keep me reading, it was also unappealing enough that I now regret having stuck with it.

I expected more from this book, but unfortunately, it failed to meet my expectations.

Perhaps if the writing style had been more engaging and the content less offensive, I would have had a more positive experience.

As it stands, I cannot recommend this book to others.

The Flemish Table is a mystery romance from start to finish. Not only do the characters of the current story come into play, but also those who inspired the Flemish painter, Pieter Van Huys, to paint the famous painting known as The Chess Game*.

I liked the book, but the part related to chess is a bit boring - especially for those who don't understand the game.

Pieter Van Huys, The Chess Game

* I tried to find out if this work exists, but I couldn't find any credible information pointing in that direction. It seems that this painting might be a fictional creation within the context of the story. However, it adds an interesting layer of mystery and intrigue. The connection between the characters and the painting makes the reader wonder about the deeper meaning and significance behind it all. Despite the slight drawback of the chess-related part, the overall story is engaging and keeps the reader hooked until the very end.

No lo lean, por favor. It is a story full of newfangled stereotypes with intellectual pretensions disguised under an apparent knowledge of the complex world of art and chess. Its twists, some predictable, others pathetic, are tiring and the yawns hinder the reading.

I took three months to read it and, hopefully, it will only take me one day to forget it.

Lectores: run for your lives and, as my grandmother used to say, "to another thing, butterfly." This work fails to engage and captivate the reader. The attempts at being profound come across as forced and insincere. The combination of art and chess, which could have been an interesting premise, is executed in a rather lackluster way. Instead of delving deep into the themes and exploring the potential of these two worlds, the author seems to be more interested in showing off a superficial understanding. The result is a story that is both dull and forgettable.

If I were the publisher of this book, I would definitely change the title. I have been aware of this book for many years. However, I always had the wrong assumption that it was a historical novel about a group of old Dutch Masters wearing wigs and having discussions around a table. (And, yes, I am fully aware that Flanders is in Belgium, not the Netherlands, but still…) Subconsciously, I thought it would be a rather boring read. As it turns out, the word 'panel' actually refers to one panel of a triptych painting.

And indeed, there is a hint of a historical novel in the history of the painting. But this is not just that. It is also a modern as well as an ancient murder mystery story. The 15th-century painting by a Flemish master shows a chess game between the Duke of Flanders and one of his knights, while the Duke's wife is looking on. History reveals that the knight was later brutally murdered.

Julia, a beautiful and young art restoration expert, discovers a 500-year-old painted-over message in Latin: "Who killed the white knight?" Could it be the Duke, the black king? Or perhaps his lover, the Duke's wife, the black queen?

The auction house and the painting's owner collaborate with Julia to hire a chess expert to retroactively recreate the game and uncover the hidden meaning. Reconstructing the game is an extremely long and complex process as there are millions of possible moves to achieve the exact layout of the board in the painting. (Maybe it would be a 5-minute job for AI now? lol) They also work with an art historian, an expert in that specific time period.

The hidden message and the intrigue cause the estimated auction value of the painting to skyrocket. Suddenly, bodies start to drop as someone else is apparently after the painting. This person is also a chess expert, leaving a trail of clues regarding possible moves. The murderer sees Julia as the white queen, and she might very well be the next victim, especially since she is being closely followed.

One of the victims was a recent former lover of Julia's. She was the last one to see him alive. The police are in a dilemma: is she a possible next victim? Or is she a suspect?

This is a really good story with a lot of fascinating and intriguing characters. There is also a significant amount of information about chess and art, which led me to add the book to both of those shelves.

Regarding the painting: Is it real? Well, the historical characters and the artist are real, but no, the painting itself is not. In the story, the painting is attributed to a real Flemish artist, Pieter Van Huys. However, Van Huys lived a century after the timeline of the artist in the story who painted it. The publisher commissioned a modern painting in Old Master style for the book cover on some editions. That painting is shown above. You may come across that painting on the web with the claim: "Yes, it's real - here it is." But as we all know, we can't trust everything we see on the web, can we?

The Spanish author (born in 1951) has written approximately three dozen novels, most of which have been translated into English. He is best known by English readers for The Club Dumas. I have read two other novels by him, The Painter of Battles (I gave it a '3') and The Seville Communion (a '4').

The painting is from whathasbeenread.files.wordpress.com
The author is from thetimes.co.uk

[Edited for typos 10/17/23]