The Flanders Panel
by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Literary Fiction
Publication Date: 1990, English translation 1994
Number of Pages: 295
Synopsis:
Julia, a skilled, young art restoration professional, is preparing a 15th century Flemish painting for auction when she finds, hidden beneath a layer of paint, an inscription that reads: Quis necavit equitem? Who killed the knight? The painting depicts two noblemen, the Duke of Flanders and his knight, playing a game of chess while a woman of the court reads nearby. Curious about the meaning and the purpose of the hidden inscription, Julia consults her art historian ex-lover and finds that one of the painting’s noblemen was murdered two years before he would have been able to sit for the portrait. What begins as a quest to uncover a mystery of the distant past becomes a present-day chess game, a battle of logic, death, and betrayal, against a lurking, invisible player.
Appeal:
The storyline of this novel is intricately plotted and driven by the action of the real-life chess game, layered on top of the painting’s historical narrative. The pacing is brisk, but there are occasional lulls in the action that give way to contemplative and descriptive passages regarding the art and logic of chess and other puzzles in life. Characteristic of the genre, the tone is dark and foreboding, and the writing style is witty, richly detailed, and stuffed with chess-related jargon and theories. The action is set against the backdrop of art galleries, antique shops, and upscale late-night lounges of 1980s Madrid. The chessboard and positions of the pieces serve as a kind of map that links the present-day setting to the 15th century panel and provides the key to puzzle of logic.
Read-alikes:
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
“When her teenage son disappears in the aftermath of a brutal murder, a determined mother sets out from her snow-covered nineteenth-century settlement to find him, an effort that is hampered by vigilante groups and the harrowing forces of nature.” (NoveList)
Appeal terms: intricately plotted, female protagonist/hero, descriptive, atmospheric, haunting
The School of Night by Louis Bayard
“Centuries after the founding of a scholarly organization that covertly discussed religion, science, and the black arts, disgraced Elizabethan scholar Henry Cavendish searches for a missing letter than may prove the group's existence and contain the formula for alchemy.” (NoveList)
Appeal terms: suspenseful, parallel narratives, romantic, richly detailed, witty
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
“In 1327, finding his sensitive mission at an Italian abbey further complicated by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William of Baskerville turns detective.” (NoveList)
Appeal terms: intricately plotted, atmospheric, haunting, thought-provoking, lyrical, stylistically complex
by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Literary Fiction
Publication Date: 1990, English translation 1994
Number of Pages: 295
Synopsis:
Julia, a skilled, young art restoration professional, is preparing a 15th century Flemish painting for auction when she finds, hidden beneath a layer of paint, an inscription that reads: Quis necavit equitem? Who killed the knight? The painting depicts two noblemen, the Duke of Flanders and his knight, playing a game of chess while a woman of the court reads nearby. Curious about the meaning and the purpose of the hidden inscription, Julia consults her art historian ex-lover and finds that one of the painting’s noblemen was murdered two years before he would have been able to sit for the portrait. What begins as a quest to uncover a mystery of the distant past becomes a present-day chess game, a battle of logic, death, and betrayal, against a lurking, invisible player.
Appeal:
The storyline of this novel is intricately plotted and driven by the action of the real-life chess game, layered on top of the painting’s historical narrative. The pacing is brisk, but there are occasional lulls in the action that give way to contemplative and descriptive passages regarding the art and logic of chess and other puzzles in life. Characteristic of the genre, the tone is dark and foreboding, and the writing style is witty, richly detailed, and stuffed with chess-related jargon and theories. The action is set against the backdrop of art galleries, antique shops, and upscale late-night lounges of 1980s Madrid. The chessboard and positions of the pieces serve as a kind of map that links the present-day setting to the 15th century panel and provides the key to puzzle of logic.
Read-alikes:
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
“When her teenage son disappears in the aftermath of a brutal murder, a determined mother sets out from her snow-covered nineteenth-century settlement to find him, an effort that is hampered by vigilante groups and the harrowing forces of nature.” (NoveList)
Appeal terms: intricately plotted, female protagonist/hero, descriptive, atmospheric, haunting
The School of Night by Louis Bayard
“Centuries after the founding of a scholarly organization that covertly discussed religion, science, and the black arts, disgraced Elizabethan scholar Henry Cavendish searches for a missing letter than may prove the group's existence and contain the formula for alchemy.” (NoveList)
Appeal terms: suspenseful, parallel narratives, romantic, richly detailed, witty
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
“In 1327, finding his sensitive mission at an Italian abbey further complicated by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William of Baskerville turns detective.” (NoveList)
Appeal terms: intricately plotted, atmospheric, haunting, thought-provoking, lyrical, stylistically complex
Wow, this sounds enticing. As much as I enjoyed my Clive Cussler experience, it's great to hear about a more "literary" version of the adventure genre and what form that can take. Sounds artsy and brooding.
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ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good book. I really like how you describe the appeal factors and make connections to the story. Some of the titles you chose as read-alikes also sound interesting, especially the School of Night.
ReplyDeleteI love how you wrote about the appeals! Wonderful annotation! Full points!
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