Minerva Press

London november 8th 1994

My spanish reader reports:

I found this novel absorving and convincing. It is a work of considerable scope and imagination. I would class it as scholarly historical adventure novel, if that does not sound to much of a contradiction in terms.

It is essencially, a novel of interpersonal action and reaction. As its necessary for this brand of fiction, the narrative has pace and stamina. There is credibility in the dialogue, and the caracters are “alive;”. The historical background, while a product of imagination, is believable, credible and has the sound of authenticity and the ring of credibility.

It gives the feeling of having being reserched carefully and meticulously, yet the scholarship is worn lightly; “La Saga” is first and formost a great read. I particulary liked the way in which dialogue are crafted. The speech is interactive and funtional, and it gives feeling of “period Flavour” without being laced with tiresome archaisms.

The book is, of course in a fine and stablished tradition of hispanic literature. But in the opinion of this reviewer it can hold up his head in this distinguished company. It has the advantage that the writer has chosen a particularly interesting and vivid historical period where José Mijares is completely at home: by extension, so the reader.

It fulfills the esencial funtion of creating in the reader “ The willing suspention of disbelief”. The structure of novel is claer and comprenhensible, and, while and adventure of the imagination, is grounded in reality. Therefore it is believable. The settings and movementes from one to the other maintain the pace of the story development, and the author keeps up the critical tension that takes the reader through the book.

The actual writing, the literary stile, is good , and there are a number of felicities. It is highly readable. Dialogue is well used to advance the narrative.

This is one of the best points of the book; the writing is strong, and therefore holds the attention. We must remember from a comercial point of view, where lies the market for this tipe of novel.

This is a first class example of a genre into which many publishers are increasingly reluctant to introduce new blood. We believe that it would have a significant chance of making a mark, and we recommend its acceptance for publication under the Minerva Press imprint.

Ann Austing, Fiction Editor

Arthur Thordike, Chief Editor