3.5 starsI have to admit to having been disappointed by the eponymous first book in Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s ‘Captain Alatriste’ series of swashbuckling romances. It may have been due to unfair, or incorrect, expectations, but I remember being fairly nonplussed by my reaction. I love me a good swashbuckler, but despite this fact I have to admit that I find myself disappointed more often than not in the ones I pick up. Sabatini has one truly great entry in the genre that I have read (the superlative Scaramouche), but I have found myself distinctly underwhelmed by every other book by him that I have taken up…much to my chagrin. Doyle's 'Brigadier Gerard' stories are wonderful, but they are as much comedies as they are swashbucklers. I venerate Dumas père, but must admit that even his voluminous output has its ups and downs and contrary to popular belief I don’t think that most of his works should really be classified as true swashbucklers (though historical romance is such a close kissing cousin that they really ought to just get a room already). It was, therefore, with some trepidation that I took up volume two in the Alatriste series, _The Purity of Blood_. The meat of the story revolves around the titular ‘purity of blood’ that one must be able to prove (especially if you happen to have any Jewish descent in your family tree) in order to be considered an ‘Old Christian’ and the trouble (that’s putting it mildly) encountered by those conversos unable to do so to the satisfaction of the authorities, especially the infamous Inquisition. Alatriste and Íñigo get pulled into a plot that seems to be merely a family affair to begin with, until it becomes apparent that there are tendrils spilling out from it into much higher levels of society. Buckles are swashed, secrets revealed, and danger & death are always waiting in the wings. Through all of this Pérez-Reverte is able to bring into a swashbuckling adventure ruminations on the decay and hypocrisy inherent in the Spain of the ‘Golden Age’; a golden age that, not surprisingly, leaves quite a bit to be desired and, when seen face on, is neither better nor worse than any of mankind’s other blunders throughout history.I will admit to once again feeling more or less indifferent for much of the novel. All in all it was fairly good...an intriguing mystery setting things up on the first page and a fast paced adventure that was out of the gate with little to no preamble, but I was still not sufficiently grabbed by the adventure to feel myself sucked into the world Pérez-Reverte was creating. I know he’s capable of this as he’s done it to perfection for me in the more slower paced The Fencing Master and the intriguing occult-literary mystery The Club Dumas, but so far in his pure swashbucklers I am not always fully engaged. There were moments though. The conceit of the book is that it is a first person memoir being told by Íñigo Balboa, Alatriste’s ward and companion ever since the boy’s father, an old soldier buddy of Alatriste’s, died in the latter’s arms and asked him to care for his son (more on this anon). This conceit allows us to enter into Íñigo’s mind as his remembrances of his youth take on the bitter-sweet savour of a man looking back on his halcyon days from the vantage of old age. Two moments here struck me as particularly moving. In the first Íñigo recalls the vision of Angélica de Alquézar, the great love of his life; a love that is not without its own ambivalent qualities: At times, when memories seem so sweet that I long even for old enemies, I go and stand before the portrait Diego Velázquez painted of her, and stay for hours looking at her in silence, painfully aware that I never truly knew her. But along with the scars that she inflicted, my old heart still holds the conviction that that girl, that woman who inflicted upon me every evil she was capable of, also, in her way, loved me till the day she died. The second was in a moment of truth for Íñigo in which his mettle and devotion to his master are tested. In this moment he finds “…that there are some things no man can tolerate though it cost him his life or, precisely, because that life would not be worth living if he yielded.” I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that Íñigo proves himself worthy of the Captain’s respect and devotion.Despite these moments that allow Pérez-Reverte’s novel to be tinged with that golden glow of memory so often ascribed to the ‘Golden Age of Spain’ in which these adventures take place, the memoir format is not without its complications. The fact of the matter is that Íñigo spends a large portion of his time separated from the Captain (no need to go into details here, that really would be a spoiler) and yet we still get whole chapters told from the perspective of Alatriste without losing the assumption that ultimately it’s all coming from Íñigo’s mouth (or pen). I’m not normally a stickler for the whole “what is the conceit of how we received this narrative” thing (though it is becoming something I think about more) and usually just go with the flow, but it did grate a bit here for me. I can’t believe that the laconic Alatriste told Íñigo anything but the barest details of what he did while they were separated, yet we still get a view into not only Alatriste’s actions, but his thoughts and words as well (not to mention those of the various friends and enemies with whom he interacts). I liked those chapters just fine as third person narrative, but they didn’t really work for me as parts of Íñigo’s memoirs. That quibble aside I found that as the book neared its conclusion I was warming up to it much more than my experience in the first half would have suggested. I would still say, though, that this is in some ways a book that works less as a thoroughly rousing adventure in and of itself, but is rather a further set up for the long term adventures of Alatriste and Íñigo, especially in regards to the relationships they have both with each other and with those who will prove to be the greatest thorns in their sides. Alatriste has a great moment at the end of the book with his nemesis, the thoroughly evil (yet still interestingly complex) swordsman and assassin Gualterio Malatesta, while the aforementioned reasons for the complex feelings of Íñigo for the lovely and deadly Angélica de Alquézar get some page time as she is shown to play a small, though key, role in the stratagem that nearly proves to be the end of our two heroes. All in all I wasn’t completely swept away by this story, but it planted enough seeds that promise potential greatness that I am committed to following along with the adventures these two motley heroes for at least a little while more. I hope Pérez-Reverte proves to live up to the promise.
I undoubtedly give myself a problem when I read the second book of a series first. However, having previously read two other Arturo Pérez-Reverte novels, 'The Dumas Club' and 'The Flanders Panel', both 5-star stories, I at least have something to compare 'Purity of Blood' with.As with the other stories, the plot moves briskly with vivid and explicit action sequences while the main intrigues are simmering away in the background. The first person narrative, coming from a 13 year old boy, is quite appropriate in order to effectively communicate the emotional duress of his period of imprisonment. One slight quibble about all this though is that one has to get used to the change in maturity levels between his descriptions of Captain Alatriste's adventures and his personal experiences; the latter making it feel one is reading a teenager adventure book. The prose is pleasingly lucid although there are a few repetitions of character descriptions and one will raise an eyebrow when encountering the odd F-word which just seems out of place, but these may only be translation issues.While 'Purity of Blood' is not my favourite Pérez-Reverte story, somewhat due to the relative lack of mystery that I was expecting based on the other two novels, I did appreciate the numerous descriptions of 17th Century Spanish lifestyle supplemented by some very amusing poetry.
What do You think about Purity Of Blood (2006)?
As a fan of historical fiction, I really appreciated the opportunity to learn something about the period in which this story takes place. The manners and mores of Spain during the Inquisition came alive for me in this book, which was a blessing, because the plot itself left me underwhelmed.Captain Alatriste is hired to rescue a young woman from a seraglio masquerading as a convent, but he never gets closer that trying to break in, because his enemies in the Inquisition and the government use the opportunity to try to finish him off.The inclusion of some of Spain's most famous poets and politicians of the period enchants, but they are not enough to make up for the main narrator's irritating habit of moving back and forth through memories of his life as a boy with Captain Alatriste and then as an adult soldier. He seems to come unstuck in time as much as Billy Pilgrim and with less of a reason. He also seems to be a bit of a mind reader, since he correctly describes the feelings of people in situations that take place while he is out of the action.Even so, the characters are interesting, just not well-served in this book.
—Robyn
Dicen que segundas partes nunca fueron buenas. Afortunadamente hay grandes excepciones y ésta es una de ellas.Pureza de Sangre es una extraordinaria segunda visita al mundo del Capitán Alatriste. Aunque la historia es un poco mas acotada, el toque de intriga, estrategias ocultas, lances frustrados y vistazos breves a lo que vendrá más adelante hacen de esta entrega una ágil y entretenida lectura.Puntos extra, como siempre, al magnífico retrato de época que logra Pérez-Reverte, en especial en este capítulo tan dedicado a la oscura Santa Inquisición.Me gusta estar en este mundo.
—Oscar Amador
Perez-Reverte wrote many of the Captain Alatriste novels before he became widely read in English. His other books, "The Queen of the South" in particular, are, to my mind, much better written. The Alatriste series of books are just now being translated, I suspect because of the success of his other efforts.This volume recreates, not only the atmosphere but also the rhythm of the stylized discourse of the time, early 17th century Spain. I congratulate the translator for doing a great job, not only with the dialogue but also with the poetry which is scattered through the book. It seems clear to me that Perez-Reverte has a good feel for the period about which he is writing and has captured well the corruption, hypocrisy, and mis-placed chivalry of the time. Spain is declining and those who rule her are venal and self-serving at best, yet the Captain and his friends continue to behave consistent with their code of honor. Alatriste may be a sword for hire but he is a sword for hire with a conscience. The description of the Inquisition is illuminating and most likely doesn't do justice to the horrors that were visited on the poor souls caught up in its tentacles. Just having an ancestor who was Jewish was enough to send one to be burned at the stake after being tortured into confessing whatever the torturers wished one to confess. All done in the name of protecting the one true faith.Reminds me a little of the insistence by many Americans that being publicly patriotic is an absolute necessity for our politicians if they want to be elected. The inquisition helped lose Spain its preeminence. Might unquestioning patriotism and the Department of Homeland Security do the same for the U.S.?While the story has its share of action, swordplay, conspiracy and courage, it is Inigo, Alatriste's adopted charge, relating his struggles as a prisoner of the inquisition that I most recall.Perez-Reverte is unremitting in his exposure of how bad life in Spain was, for all but a few, at this point in time. I recommend both the Alatriste books and his other efforts. I have never been disappointed with one of his novels.
—Ed
