The year is 1887 and a young Onofre Bouvila has just arrived in Barcelona with enough money in his pocket to pay for one week of rent. He needs to find a job quickly or risk being thrown out onto the streets. As the city prepares for its first World Fair there are more opportunities, and he soon finds himself handing out anarchist leaflets to workers, surprising himself by how convincing he can be on a topic he’s only just learnt about. We watch as his star rises through immoral means. The city is on the cusp of huge expansion, and he takes advantage of this to make his fortune. It is an interesting period not just for Barcelona but for Europe more widely as new inventions such as cinema and flying machines come to the fore, bewildering and beguiling audiences. We learn a lot about the history of Barcelona throughout the novel, and Onofre’s story feels very rooted in reality.
In the early chapters Onofre is somewhat sympathetic, a young man eager to work and build a life for himself, but as the novel progresses you don’t particularly root for him. There is so much detail about the political and economic landscape that his story feels almost lost in it. To begin with I enjoyed these diversions, but some were less engaging and became a distraction. His behaviour is not often admirable and sympathy for him wanes as the novel progresses, with only moments here and there where he captures the reader’s heart once more.
Onofre’s approach to romantic relationships also leaves something to be desired. His infatuation as a young man is probably one of the times where you feel most connected to him, but ultimately he takes what he wants and leaves women with experiences that change them for life seemingly without a second thought on his part. One of the women in his life becomes central to his work in the film industry, but her relationship with him does not seem to serve her well, and his attraction to her fades quickly. Ultimately he is a man who goes after what he wants without too much thought to the consequences for others.
I had really been looking forward to reading this book, and although I did enjoy the historic detail, to a point, it didn’t grip me. If you enjoy books that show the whole sweep of a life, protagonists without much of a moral compass, and a solid dose of contextual information, this might be the book for you. Sadly, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
Pick up a copy:
No comments:
Post a Comment