The Nautical Chart

By: Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Margaret Sayers Peden - translator

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

International best-selling author Arturo Pérez-Reverte, a celebrated master of smart, gripping thrillers, draws favorable comparisons to such literary legends as Herman Melville, Joseph Conrad, and Patrick O’Brian. Translated into 19 languages, his books have sold more than three million copies worldwide.

At a maritime auction in Barcelona, Merchant Marine Officer Manuel Coy sees an intense bidding war erupt over a seemingly innocuous 18th-century atlas. The auction winner is the beautiful Tanger Soto, who is obsessed with a Jesuit ship sunk by pirates in the 17th century. Joining forces, Tanger and Manuel hit the seas in search of Dei Gloria and its precious, yet unidentified, cargo. Their quest sends them not only into dangerous waters, but also into the perilous recesses of the human heart.

Full of adventure and suspense, The Nautical Chart is a masterful romance of the sea. George Guidall’s thrilling reading makes for an unforgettable listening experience.

©2000 Arturo Pérez-Reverte (P)2002 Recorded Books

I’m a sailor

I’m a mariner and have been for almost 20 years, so I loved all the nautical references. The narrator was excellent and the story was interesting. Well written book. Those that love the sea will like this tale.

Consummate Perez-Reverte

A ship, a treasure, a mysterious woman, a naive sailor all mixed together with Perez-Reverte's fine story telling. Not everyone is a fan of Perez-Reverte. I am. Great nautical tale. Guidall's reading brought characters to life and kept the slow-building tension. Well done.

A Sailor Banished from the Sea

Starts a bit slowly. Maps and map-making, the history of navigation, and love for the works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler are some elements that run through this book. I'm not giving the plot away though!

George Guidell is outstanding. I love to listen to him read even if the book is not so great. This is one that I was sorry to finish.

The Sailor, The Siren, and the Sunken Ship

What made the experience of listening to The Nautical Chart the most enjoyable?

The sense that, like the sailor, Coy, I never knew just what was going to happen next, or which of the other characters was bad. I never knew for sure if Coy's notion of treasure, the beautiful woman, would be a blessing or curse in the end, or if her idea of treasure, the ship, would ever be found...and I never knew when or where the bad guys were going to show up again, to steal it all away.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the descriptions of the sea and of sailing, and, of course, the descriptions of the woman, Tangier. The story is absolutely classic, and its referencing of books and films I am familiar with drew me in from the start. Reverte is so poetic in his character development, that he made an old story seem like one I was experieencing, as I listened to it. It was a rich and memorable read.

What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?

I am a big Guidall fan, and I alwayss love his female voices; he makes Tangier sound like the unknowable but silken siren who Coy will inevitably follow.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

One sailor's treasure is a beautiful woman, and her treasure may be everyone's demise.

Any additional comments?

Anyone who has an interest in sailing and the history of navigation, will be fascinated to hear all the information regarding latitude, longitude and the history of the true meridian that Reverte lays out throughout this book. In all truth, I am actually not interested in sailing or any of these things, but the author and the narrator made learning truly enjoyable. I loved this voyage!!

loved the book.

Loved the story-spellbinding until the end. The historic details and excellent descriptive narrative combined to make it spellbinding. The performance was excellent and framed the author's work nicely.

Wonderful Lister

In the beginning of this book I was confused about who was who....but, as it sorted itself out, I fell in love with the story and the beautiful writing. George Guidall made me stop from time time to admire the excellence of his work. He is without peer. I grieved at the end of this story...I wished for a different ending, but that's how it goes. Highly recommended.

Warning): It’s written like a poem rather than a novel.

I’d prefer a different ending. For me, the ending is too much predicted by references to the Maltese Falcon)

Aargh!

This book is wonderfully narrated...it's only saving grace. I almost deleted it without finishing.

An earlier reviewer asked "what's not to like...a mysterious woman and sunken treasure..". Something along those lines. It is indeed a story of the search for a sunken vessel carrying booty and a woman...the mystery ends there. The story is trite and boring and drags on ad naseum with continual uninspiring sexual fantasies, sexual encounters which do absolutely nothing to further the story nor engage the reader...unless one is looking for gratuitous sex and violence. Just a big old yawn.

Worth a read/listen.

Great prose and good character development, as well as excellent narration.

Detailed descriptions of the seafaring lifestyle and the spirit of the mariner.

The novel suffers from a somewhat choppy plot and eratic pacing, but is nonetheless captivating enough to enjoy and finish.

Haven't read any of Perez-Reverte's other work, but this makes me curious to check it out.

Excellent "3D" Performance of "2D" novel

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The performance of the notator is excellent, the story is predictably boring.

Has The Nautical Chart turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I love the author of this book, it is just that this book is not his best

What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?

Excellent even tone of voice that follows text without fake emotional or language dependencies

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

It would have been much better as a move

Any additional comments?

DO NOT BUY