Customer Reviews (1)

Sophisticated
Montalban is not only one of the great spanish (some would insist "Catalan") living writer, but he's also one of it's most dedicated critic. Better-known for it's mysteries involving the strange anddisconcerting cop, Carvalho, Montalban has shown in a few other books that he can also master other subjects like history. Most of his non-mystery novels involve some catalan characters in one way or another and this one is no exception. This is the story of the ascension of the Borgia family from obscurity to papacy, and back. Not knowing much else about this particular family of Renaissance Italy, I learned - amongst many other things - that the Borgias were catalan immigres to a family-obsessed and power-hungry Rome. Told with an extremely sophisticated twist, wonderful language, much details and imagination, this novel is pure pleasure. And in the style of some of his other works, there is always that particularly sardonic view of history, its leaders, its heroes, and ultimately some of its major lessons. Namely, that men are not exactly as good a species as they pretend to be. ... Read more

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El Balneario recoge diez narraciones escritas por Carmen Martin Gaite en un periodo que va desde 1954 hasta 1974. ... Read more

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Antonio Jauma, an old acquaintance, dies desperately wanting to get in touch with Pepe Carvalho. Jauma's widow has good reason to believe that her husband's death is not what it seems. And who better to investigate than Carvalho, a private eye with a CIA past and contacts with the Communist Party. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Like a Disappointing Wine, after a Good Meal
This novel is part of the Pepe Carvalho series that made Vazquez Montalban character, the 'Nero Wolfe' of European detective fiction.Large sections of the story are turned over to descriptions of the ingredients in meals cooked by Carvalho and Biscuter, which weight on the story.The story itself is interesting if not that original; rich guys murder manager who has found some financial shinanigans going on.The spanish title translates closer to "The Loneliness of Management" or "The Manager's Loneliness" or the 'solitude', i.e. aloneness.

More to the point is that the ending, is really not an ending and because those novels that are translated into English are not done in a sequential way, which means the reader loses some continuity of the characters.There are sixteen novels in all in the series and as of 2007 only seven have been translated and published in English.They are done helter-skelter and I think it makes the series less coherent.Especially because the books are written just before and after the death of Franco and there is a lot of social commentary in them, it weakens the series as a whole.

As an example, this is the third book in the series, but the first two are not yet available.Most readers know that the idea of the series and especially background on the characters is always heaviest in the first couple of books.Had the first two been available, it might have made this one more understandable, especially the strange ending which is not an ending.

Review of the Angst-Ridden Executive
I discovered M. V. Montalban with this book (thanks to suggestions from Amazon.com based on recent purchases). I found the protagonist delightful and humourous as a private detective. The book is an intelligent read - a mixture of literature, languages, recipes, and a surpise ending; character development well-done. I have purchased and read almost all of Montalban's books after reading this one.

VIVA PEPE CARVALHO!
Once again Montalban builds a powerful story around the original figure of Pepe Carvalho, the gourmet, wine loving, eccentric and philosophizing private-eye from Barcelona, Spain. Montalban achieves, once again, aperfect blend of action, unforgettable characters, mystery, politics, sexand cuisine. There isn't anything quite like this in detective literature.A spy-story written by an intellectual for us to enjoy without the guilt.Montalban is a true poet! ... Read more

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The "Carvalho" series, by the Spanish writer, Montalban, features a private detective whose wit and irony reveals a state of affairs that many might wish hidden. This book provides a critical examination of the novels, arguing that they represent a significant moral critique of a society. ... Read more

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Un hombre aparece muerte con unas bragas de mujer en el bolsillo. La viuda encarga la investigacion del caso a un huelebraguetas gallego, un detective privado de complejo pasado. Lo que parecia ser un ajuste de cuentas sexual se convierte en un ajuste de cuentas politico que tiene como fondo la sociedad espanola a medio camino entre la muerte de Franco y el intento de consolidacion democratica. Carvalho trata de compensar sus angustias e inhibiciones guisando un salmis de pato a las dos de la madrugada o haciendo el amor con la pasividad de un animal caliente pero esceptico. ... Read more