The Portuguese Affair

The Chronicles of Christoval Alvarez, Book 3

By: Ann Swinfen

Narrated by: Jan Cramer

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The year after defeating the Spanish Armada, England retaliates. The expedition to Portugal sets out to destroy what remains of Spain's Atlantic fleet, drive the Spanish out of Portugal, put the claimant Dom Antonio of Aviz on the throne, and seize the Azores. But from the time the English fleet, led by Drake and Norreys, reaches Plymouth, things start to go wrong. Christoval Alvarez, sent to carry out two missions by Walsingham, has a more important private plan in mind. Are any members of the family still alive? And what will become of the disaster-ridden expedition?

©2014 Ann Swinfen (P)2016 Ann Swinfen

A Let Down

Not as interetsting as other books in series. Hard to follow and depressing. Not as believable as others.

Was drake really that horrible?

I got a new perspective on drake. He really appears to be a horrible vain person. I assume it is historically correct? I knew Essex was a peacock which is accepted... there was a little bit of repetition at the end which got tiresome

Depressing but historically accurate

I really like Ann Swinfen and I liked the first two installments of the Alvarez series. Like the other reviewers, I found Book 3 to be somber and overall very depressing. But Swinfen is spot on in her depiction of the historical events of the English Armada which, as history knows, was a total and complete failure, so it's not that surprising that poor Kit endured hardship and witnessed horrific things during this enterprise. Swinfen could, however, have given us a glimmer of sunshine to contrast against the overall darkness of the book, but instead chose to keep the story very dark on all fronts. I was really frustrated with the upshot of Kit's personal mission but I suppose you can't expect happy endings all the time. This book also provides a lot of insight into what Kit and her family had to endure at the hands of the Inquisition, and it is just heartbreaking knowing that people are capable of treating others that way merely on account of religious differences. Such a sad time in history.

A sad tale

Once again Kit Alvarez proves herself brave and resourceful in this tale of the disastrous Portuguese expedition. Not all stories can be charming and triumphant and this one certainly was not. However the realistic depictions on an expedition gone wrong and also the realities of warfare prove instructive for the reader. How vast are the follies of men.

Just. Too. Grim.

I must agree with other reviewers that while this book is well written and narrated, it is just too full of suffering and despair to be in any way enjoyable. Swinfen is unrelenting in the telling of this grotesque adventure. It just gets more and more horrible, right down to the last sentence. Unless you are a sociopath and so incapable of empathy, I'd recommend skipping this one.

A bleak and disturbing tale, very dark

While I am a fan of Ann Swinfen and have enjoyed other books in this series and in her other series about medieval England, I found the raw and disturbing descriptions of warfare and suffering too much to bear and had to skip large sections. I do not doubt the historical accuracy of the events described but I did not enjoy the book and cannot recommend it.