The Painter of Battles

A Novel

By: Arturo Perez-Reverte

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Acclaimed author Arturo Pérez-Reverte has earned a distinguished reputation as a master of the literary thriller. Now, he gives us his most accomplished novel to date.

Andrés Faulques, a world-renowned war photographer, has retired to a life of solitude on the Spanish coast. He spends his days painting a huge mural that pays homage to history’s classic works of war art and that incorporates a lifetime of disturbing images.

One night, an unexpected visitor arrives at Faulques’ door and challenges the painter to remember him. As Faulques struggles to recall the face, the man explains that he was the subject of an iconic photo taken by Faulques in a war zone years ago. “And why have you come looking for me?” asks Faulques. The stranger answers, “Because I’m going to kill you.”

This story transports Faulques to the time when he crossed continents to capture conflicts on film with his lover, Olvido, at his side. Until she walked into his life, Faulques muses, he had believed he would survive both war and women.

As the tense dialogue between Faulques and his visitor continues, the stakes grow ever higher. What they are grappling with quickly proves to be not just Faulques’ fate but the very nature of human love and cruelty itself, in this stunning composition on morality. Superb and tautly written, The Painter of Battles is a deeply affecting audiobook about life and art.

Critic reviews

“[Pérez-Reverte’s] best book yet . . . a game of mental chess, an excursion into art, history and imagination.”
–The Times (London)

“A remarkable achievement. Not only does the clash of ideas and emotions echo after you have turned the last page–this novel will change what you see in images from datelines around the world.”
–Scott Simon, author of Pretty Birds

“Arturo Pérez-Reverte has established himself as the master of the intellectual thriller.”
–Chicago Tribune

“[A] taut literary thriller [with] meticulous detail and dark, brooding tone.”
–Publishers Weekly

“A gripping story of war, cruelty, testimony, and the past . . . Arturo Pérez-Reverte is the great European storyteller of the 21st century.”
–Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Young Stalin

“Reminds American readers of the sublime rhetoric of Faulkner and how such passages in the hands of a master can add to the momentum of the story.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“A tour de force [that] explores the great themes of human existence.”
–The Australian

Just OK

I really like some of the authors books and don't like others, this comes in the middle.

Any book that brings up the "butterfly effect" more than once will lose my interest and I believe I heard it 4-5 times. I lost interest in the art and painting comparison's and life and reality.

I even fast forwarded though parts of this book mostly toward the end when I was bored. Usually if I FF I will give a book only 1-2 stars so there are redeeming qualities.

I liked the talk about photography, how to frame a picture and why and how to set the lens to capture the light just right. I like how Faulques and Olvido shoot the same war but choose to show different subject matter.

Simon Vance is a great narrator and his work on this book is no different.

well done.

fascinating look into war from a different but very relative angle. great perspective, makes one think

Boring

This novel is unlike other Perez-Reverte’s work. If you like lots of philosophical dialogues with little action, you might enjoy the book.

Painter of Battles

The narration is confusing at times as the accents or voices of the characters switch around in a way as not to know who is speaking. The 2 characters have distinct voices but the narrative speaker wasn't distinctive enough so you knew who was talking.

grim reality

This not the usual action-packed Perez-Reverte and the subject is hard to take at times, but it is a clever way to set up a dialog about war and the baser aspects of humanity and has enough suspense to carry you along. This is definitely the right voice for this book.