Cervantes Street

By: Jaime Manrique

Narrated by: Roger Wayne

The actual facts of Miguel de Cervantes' life seem to be snatched from an epic tale: An impoverished and talented young poet nearly kills a man in a duel and is forced into exile; later, he distinguishes himself in battle and is severely wounded, losing the use of his left hand; on his way back to Spain his ship is captured by pirates and he is sold into slavery in Algiers; after prolonged imprisonment and failed escape attempts, he makes his way back home, eventually settling in a remote village in La Mancha to create his masterpiece, the first modern novel in Western literature: Don Quixote.

Taking the bare bones of Cervantes' life, Jaime Manrique has accomplished a singular feat: an engaging and highly accessible interpretation of a brilliant, enigmatic man and his epoch. Manrique breathes vivid life into his characters, transporting listeners viscerally into his story as he makes full use of its inherent suspense and drama, its pathos and ironies, its colorful locales and momentous events.

It all begins with two bright youths in Madrid whose rivalry over a beautiful woman will shape the course of their lives. Miguel de Cervantes is the passionate one, handsome, gifted, reckless, and ambitious, but from a family fallen on hard times and suspected of being "tainted" with Jewish blood. His classmate Luis de Lara, a wealthy but awkward aristocrat, as well as mediocre poet, from one of the most powerful families in Spain, is engaged to his beautiful cousin Mercedes. When 22-year-old Miguel nearly kills someone in a tavern brawl, he is forced to flee to Seville, joining a troupe of traveling actors to escape a decree ordering that his right hand be cut off. As Luis endeavors to save his friend, he has occasion to introduce Miguel to his beloved Mercedes. To Luis's horror, he soon discovers that the two have fallen in love. Luis becomes consumed with hatred for his former friend and swears eternal revenge.

From that moment on, the two go their separate ways, but their lives remain fatefully intertwined. The adventurous Miguel continues to visit Mercedes before going into exile; and although Mercedes eventually marries Luis, she never stops loving Miguel. The tormented Luis searches in vain to prove his superiority to his wife, and then to his son, and always with respect to his hated rival - as a poet and scholar; as a man of impeccable taste, character, and sensibilities. Completely unaware of Luis's masked hatred of him, Miguel continues throughout his life to seek assistance from his erstwhile friend, with disastrous results. Luis watches with festering envy Miguel's exploits as a soldier, as a servant of the crown, and above all as a writer; and he only finds pleasure in sporadic reports of his rival's darkest hours.

Told in alternating chapters by the opposing protagonists, Manrique's archetypal tale of rivalry and revenge is sure to garner comparisons to Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, and, with its extraordinary recreation of the life and times of Cervantes, to Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. Pirates and priests, ladies of the court and lowly prostitutes, warriors and slaves, and, yes, even the wonderful Sancho Panza are singularly brought to life in this brilliant depiction of Spain's Golden Age.

©2012 Jaime Manrique (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Loved the book and the way it was narrated!

What made the experience of listening to Cervantes Street the most enjoyable?

The narrator had a wonderful voice and made the book come alive! The accents were great!

What other book might you compare Cervantes Street to and why?

This style was similar to other Latino writers that I have read, full of passion and a great story

Which character – as performed by Roger Wayne – was your favorite?

The main character, who is telling the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I usually take breaks when listening to any book.

Any additional comments?

I loved it!

Beautiful book, disgraceful recording

This recording is an utter embarrassment. I lost count of the number of ordinary English words that this ignorant actor pronounced laughably badly. (Never mind words in foreign languages - this might be forgivable...)
Even a modicum of research or humility might have led the performer to ask for help, but it’s a testament to US-American arrogance that this level of inaccuracy was let pass. A shameful indication of how poorly-educated people are in syntax, rhythm and language these days.
The book is beautifully written, a lush evocation of the world that gave birth to Cervantes. Manrique echoes the extravagant glory of Don Quixote’s language, and that of the Inquisition and even the Muslim world of the time. All of these are flattened and overlooked in this dull reading - and even if you do manage to concentrate and enjoy it, you’ll be lifted out with embarrassing frequency by the number of misunderstood words and unbalanced phrases. Whoever hired this actor (and recorded him) has done a great disservice to this splendid novel by a splendid writer. Five stars for the book itself, and I’d give zero for the performance if I could. Don’t waste your Audible credits.