Barbany Martí is a Catalan farm boy living in the county of Barcelona in mid-eleventh century. The day turns eighteen years receives a letter that leads him to discover that his late father, a soldier who spent his life under the command of the count, had left a substantial inheritance.
Martí has \u200b\u200bthings very clear and a relentless entrepreneurial spirit, start buying properties and thriving businesses begin with an ultimate goal: to become Barcelona someday citizen and to achieve the love of the girl of his dreams, belonging to an influential family.
Under the pleasant memory of the reading of "La Catedral del Mar" by Ildefonso Falcones, I wanted to read this popular historical novel also set in medieval Barcelona.
The truth is that the two novels have many similarities. In addition to the setting (although in this case the action takes place two centuries earlier), the protagonist of both is of humble origins and made himself. In this case, huge amounts of aid in the form of inheritance from her father almost unknown. This is a novel less exaggerated, less violent, subject to minor fluctuations. Of course, the protagonist is also a paragon of virtue: worker, suffering, free from prejudices, intelligent and good.
Like any vocation novel best seller has three frames, although in this case the principal, Marti, has a much greater weight. The other two are the intrigues and the family of the protagonist's Jewish friend. How
not a villain. Only one, but fairly well outlined. Ruin, mean, but not only justifies their reprehensible actions before others, but this is the most interesting character to himself.
He just puts the character into trouble. This I was surprised by the social rigidity that is assumed in the Middle Ages. However, it seems that Lloréns was based on a real character, perhaps it is not as strong literary.
I think the characters could be better worked, except the Countess and the director mean, the characters are archetypes. However, the atmosphere is fairly well achieved.
Finally, the novel culminates with a good finish if somewhat predictable.
My Rating: good.
