It was my great pleasure to work on this stunning book. The key is to surrender to the prose, wade into the descriptions, and let the story unfold in its slow, magnificent way. ( )

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )

The Wrong Blood is one of those novels I really wanted to love but left me feeling flat. Several days after finishing the story, I am not quite certain what Mr. de Lope was trying to accomplish. Was he trying to tell a story about the impact of the Civil War or was it more a study of humankind and their reactions to adverse conditions? I suspect the answer is both things, but the fact that I am not 100 percent certain about it leads me to conclude that he was not successful with whatever he was attempting.

The narrator is obviously a man, and unfortunately, this is not a novel where a male author writes female characters that are true to life. Considering that the story revolves around María and her struggles, this is a glaring conflict. This is particularly true of the rape scene, which avoids any discussion of the emotional trauma and approaches the entire scenario rather clinically and coldly. Throughout the novel, María is never truly fleshed out as a woman but remains this chilly, miserly one-dimensional character who is more concerned about counting place settings than about others' feelings. I suspect that in the right hands, María could truly have come to life, which would have made the flashbacks and other parts of the story come to life as well.

Considering how much of the novel revolves around the characters, Dr. Cortez and the grandson Goitia, Isabel and María, the fact that they remain stilted and lacking in emotional connection does nothing to recommend the story. The big reveal is quite predictable, and the entire story plays out as one expects. A character-driven novel only works when readers are able to take a vested interest in the characters. Unfortunately, the reader is not able to connect with any of the characters in this fashion.

The Wrong Blood redeems itself via its descriptions of the Basque countryside. Lyrical in their sweeping grandeur and beauty, this is where Mr. de Lope shines. The reader truly gets a sense of what the Civil War did to the inhabitants of the area, how confusing and treacherous it was for all involved and the scars it left on both people and locations.

As this is Mr. de Lope's first novel translated into English, one cannot help but wonder how much is quite literally lost in translation. Then again, because the physical descriptions are so excellent, this leads one to conclude that very little is actually lost. Therefore, is this an instance of an author who is better able to provide poetic descriptions of places but cannot do the same for people? Without reading Mr. de Lope's other works, one may never know. I do know that The Wrong Blood has moments of brilliance but a large majority of the novel fails to spark. The result is a novel that does not live up to its own expectations.

http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2010/10/publisher-spotlight-other-press-review.... ( )

When I started to read this book I was worried that I'd tackled it too soon after reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. The Wrong Blood was also a "steak" of a book and Manuel de Lope created a beautifully written story that translated incredibly well.

The story centers are three main people, Maria Antonia Etxarri, the daughter of a former innkeeper from a nearby town; Dr. Felix Castro, a young, crippled doctor; and Isabel Cruces Herraiz, the bride (and later widow) of a young officer, all living in the village of Hondarribia.

Miguel Goitia, a young notary student (law) arrives and stays at his grandmother's inn and, with his arrival, all three characters are pulled in to the story with a common bond.

Like I mentioned previously, the writing is truly a beautiful thing. The story, although confusing as the players are set in place, everything is put into place with a precision that took my breath away.

There were a few aspects of the book that disappointed me, I was able to see through some of the plot advancements, but overall - a worthwhile read and another book to put on my favorites of translated literature. ( )