Manuel Vázquez Montalbán was a prolific Spanish writer. Among his many works was the Pepe Carvalho series, which features a rumpled private detective. Set mostly in Barcelona, the series is interesting because Pepe, like his creator, shares an affinity for Post-Franco left-wing politics. The book is populated with survivors of the opposition to the dictator Francisco Franco. Pepe also loves food and this novel features many interesting meals. The city of Barcelona is also featured in all it's glory and it's seediness. The mystery is not much of a mystery as far as these things go but the journey is highly entertaining. The Carvalho series has not all been translated into English but there are several more available. Montalban's style is a laconic observation of the foibles of the former radicals. Consider:Nuñez was one of the old guard, and he remained attached to the vision of moral renewal held by the Left when Franco was alive. His capacity for friendship was immense, in the giving and the taking alike, both of which he executed with a hint of sadism; he was given to verbal aggression when describing friends or enemies, and there was a certain personal angst in his frenetic adjectival acrobatics.Or Montalban on the joys of cooking:To begin cooking duck at one in the morning is one of the finest acts of madness that can be undertaken by a human being who is not mad. The duck roasting in the oven, shedding its fat and turning brown as if it was on a simultaneous slimming and tanning course.Even in translation, great stuff.
Some distinctly quotable lines--mainly about food--but the story itself was a combination of thin, and confusing. (The latter complaint is partially a fault of the book's design; it's not terribly clear, typographically, when characters or even scenes change.)That said, though, the plot still seemed almost beside the point, in some ways; the main character's meals are by far the most memorable part of the book. Then again, I don't know that much about post-Franco Spain; maybe if I did the political context would have made more of an impact.
Do You like book La Solitudine Del Manager (2003)?
—¿Le gusta hacer deporte?—Deportes imaginativos. Comer. Joder.Y es exactamente lo que hace. Claro, los excesos alimentarios y las miradas largas bajo los escotes profundos son las marcas de destinción de PP Carvalho, no obstante, en "La soledad" el autor no acertó a mezclar estos elementos en la masa del texto de una manera uniforme y balanceada. La harina sale por todas partes, por lugares inapropiados, en situaciones ridículas.Los capítulos que relatan una parte del pasado de Carvalho no aportan casi nada en el argumento: es peor, pintan un retrato de la víctima poco creíble y no privado de contradicciones. En "El asesinato en el comité central" el autor hizo cosa similar, y de una manera mucho mejor.La parte final es borrosa y poco satisfactoria. La escena de violencia no impresiona y es redundante: obviamente el autor había querido demasiado untar unas tetas moradas con un linimiento, en vez de dar una bofetada rotunda a estos capítulos (y no a tetas) y botarlos del texto.En fin, la novela no está mal, y da una dosis buena de Carvalho. Sin embargo, es la peor novela de la serie que he leído.
—Emperador Spock
