The Catalans

by Patrick O'Brian

Overview

Set amongst the rolling vineyards and gentle courtyards of a small seaside village in Catalonia, Patrick O'Brian's second novel is a poignant story of tumultuous love, complex faith and one man's desperate bid to reclaim his humanity.

Summoned from his medical practice in China by a bevy of anxious aunts, Alain Roig returns to his Catalan hometown to discover he has been nominated by family members with vested interests in the ancestral property to prevent an impending marriage between his cold, ascetic cousin Xavier and Madeleine, a quiet, introspective village girl of unusual beauty. As Alain seeks to understand his cousin's complex motivations for wooing the unhappy girl, he is slowly drawn into Xavier's dark crisis of faith, the well-worn pattern of the sleepy Catalan days and the tight circle of village gossip that surrounds Madeleine.

Throughout, Patrick O'Brian's slow, seductive narrative lures the reader into the landscapes, rhythms and passions of Catalonia, while his subtle, insightful characterisation paints a psychological portrait of a unique way of life and two very different men - one generous and impulsive, the other desperate to revive in his soul the dying flames of affection which he senses could be his salvation.

With themes and characters that in many ways prefigure his enormously successful Aubrey/Maturin series, THE CATALANS demonstrates all the insight, lyricism and psychological drama that made O'Brian one of the best storytellers of his generation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780007333851
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/01/2009
Edition description:	UK ed.
Pages:	226
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.57(d)

About the Author

One of our greatest contemporary novelists, Patrick O’Brian is the author of the twenty volumes of the best-selling Aubrey/Maturin series, as well as many other books, including Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, The Unknown Shore, and biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso.

Date of Birth:

December 12, 1914

Date of Death:

January 2, 2000

Place of Birth:

Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire

Place of Death:

Dublin, Ireland

Education:

Shebbear College, Devon

Website:

http://www.wwnorton.com/pob/pobhome.htm

Editorial Reviews

Best known for his monumental series of Aubrey/Maturin naval adventures, the late O'Brian began his writing career during the early 1950s with several closely observed character studies of ordinary people. His second novel, The Catalans-also published as The Frozen Flame-is set in a remote corner of southern France, where Alain Roig returns to his home after working for many years in East Asia. He finds his family in turmoil because his middle-aged cousin intends to marry a much younger woman who complicates matters by falling in love with Alain. Simon Vance's well-modulated narration makes this a delightful book for audiences. Recommended for libraries with mature listeners who appreciate close family studies.
—R. Kent Rasmussen

Library Journal

Alain returns to his homestead in the south of France after a long absence. He finds his patrician relatives in turmoil because his morose, aged cousin, the mayor, wants to marry a grocer's daughter, over the objections of both families. Upon investigating, Alain finds himself falling for the girl himself. Though the story apparently takes place in modern times, the characters speak and act like those in the author's popular Aubrey/Maturin novels, set in the nineteenth century. Long rhetorical speeches abound, seasoned with touches of dry humor and a pronounced continental atmosphere. All is mother's milk to narrator Simon Vance, whose gusto, lingual aplomb, and large repertoire of characterizations keep listeners alert through many a fustian passage. Y.R. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

DEC 07/JAN 08 - AudioFile