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Schatten an der Wand
Martin Walkers früher Roman über die Entstehung einer prähistorischen Höhlenzeichnung, deren Verwicklung in blutige Kriege und Intrigen und den erbitterten Kampf von fünf Menschen, sie heute zu besitzen. Denn wer sie findet, erhält den Schlüssel zur Aufklärung eines Verbrechens, das bis in die höchste Politik reicht und von dem bis heute keiner wissen darf.
492 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
355 people are currently reading
1224 people want to read
About the author
Martin Walker
66 books1,541 followersMartin Walker is the U.S. bureau chief for The Guardian (London), a regular commentator for CNN, and a columnist for newspapers in the United States, Europe, and Moscow. A published novelist and poet, he lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, the novelist Julia Watson, and their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
November 23, 2023
Three stories for the price of one!
Congratulations, Mr Walker! You've turned an astonishingly simply premise into a superbly crafted novel that leaps over centuries and links three vastly different worlds!
Major Phillip Manners has inherited a piece of rock from his father, a World War II veteran who with his undercover Resistance cohorts including the current French president, François Malrand, was instrumental in slowing down a German Panzer division trying to reach Normandy to defend the occupation of France against the Allied D-Day invasion. But this piece of rock is much more than a simple piece of rock. It is actually a painting executed in the prehistoric style of cave painting that reached its artistic peak in Lascaux, France, in the Vézère River valley. When Manners took the painting to Lydia Dean, an expert in prehistoric art with a London auction house, to establish its value, she was shaken to her core. Immediately understanding its uniqueness and probable priceless nature, she also understood that it probably implied the existence of a hitherto undiscovered cave in France of the quality and magnitude of the caves at Lascaux - in short, another national French treasure trove of undiscovered art.
And the three linked stories? Simple ... first, the prehistoric world of Cro-Magnon man, 17,000 years ago in the Vézère, Lot and Dordogne River valleys in which the cave art was actually created; second, the brutal world of WW II occupied France in which the painting was accidentally discovered; and, finally, the modern day world of art, auctions, valuation and even national politics.
The story itself was quite enough to grab me but the writing ... well, that just put this wonderful novel right over the top. Walker's description of ice age Europe rivals anything produced by Jean Auel, William Sarabande or the Gears. In fact, for me, the brightest spot in the entire novel was his attempt to deal with the anthropological mystery of what ISN'T portrayed in the neolithic art in the Périgord caves - reindeer, the prime source of tools, clothing and food for the region, landscape and, of course, people. Walker's breathtaking story of the French Resistance, the local hatred of the Vichy turncoats, the struggle between the Communists and the Gaullists and the general brutal nature of a world at war is the equal of any of the great WW II authors such as Jack Higgins or Leon Uris. Lastly, his foray into the modern world of simple but compelling storytelling reminded me of the skills of such authors as Jeffrey Archer or Ken Follett.
Highly recommended. Four stars would have been five stars if the author and editors had thought to include a much needed map of the entire Périgord region.
P.S. Does anyone know why so many of the area's town names end in "-ac"?
Paul Weiss
Congratulations, Mr Walker! You've turned an astonishingly simply premise into a superbly crafted novel that leaps over centuries and links three vastly different worlds!
Major Phillip Manners has inherited a piece of rock from his father, a World War II veteran who with his undercover Resistance cohorts including the current French president, François Malrand, was instrumental in slowing down a German Panzer division trying to reach Normandy to defend the occupation of France against the Allied D-Day invasion. But this piece of rock is much more than a simple piece of rock. It is actually a painting executed in the prehistoric style of cave painting that reached its artistic peak in Lascaux, France, in the Vézère River valley. When Manners took the painting to Lydia Dean, an expert in prehistoric art with a London auction house, to establish its value, she was shaken to her core. Immediately understanding its uniqueness and probable priceless nature, she also understood that it probably implied the existence of a hitherto undiscovered cave in France of the quality and magnitude of the caves at Lascaux - in short, another national French treasure trove of undiscovered art.
And the three linked stories? Simple ... first, the prehistoric world of Cro-Magnon man, 17,000 years ago in the Vézère, Lot and Dordogne River valleys in which the cave art was actually created; second, the brutal world of WW II occupied France in which the painting was accidentally discovered; and, finally, the modern day world of art, auctions, valuation and even national politics.
The story itself was quite enough to grab me but the writing ... well, that just put this wonderful novel right over the top. Walker's description of ice age Europe rivals anything produced by Jean Auel, William Sarabande or the Gears. In fact, for me, the brightest spot in the entire novel was his attempt to deal with the anthropological mystery of what ISN'T portrayed in the neolithic art in the Périgord caves - reindeer, the prime source of tools, clothing and food for the region, landscape and, of course, people. Walker's breathtaking story of the French Resistance, the local hatred of the Vichy turncoats, the struggle between the Communists and the Gaullists and the general brutal nature of a world at war is the equal of any of the great WW II authors such as Jack Higgins or Leon Uris. Lastly, his foray into the modern world of simple but compelling storytelling reminded me of the skills of such authors as Jeffrey Archer or Ken Follett.
Highly recommended. Four stars would have been five stars if the author and editors had thought to include a much needed map of the entire Périgord region.
P.S. Does anyone know why so many of the area's town names end in "-ac"?
Paul Weiss
February 15, 2024
The Caves of Perigord is Martin Walker’s first book. While part of it takes place in the Perigord area, this is not part of the Bruno series.
The story starts with an Englishman bringing an ancient piece of art into an auction house. It’s something he inherited from his father, who supposedly got it when he was stationed in France during WWII. It’s a piece of rock with a prehistoric painting on it, similar to the art found in the caves of the Perigord region. The woman who assesses the piece knows it is not something that can be sold, but that must be returned to its country of origin. And that it could indicate the existence of a cave with art that has yet to be discovered. That part of the book worked well. But then, Walker takes the reader back in time to the year 15,000 BC. The language he uses in this section just jarred with the idea of a time period all those thousands of years ago. Words like “marriage” and “betrothal”. And then there’s the third part of the story, covering the father’s time during WWII. None of the characters really interested me and none of them were fleshed out. Eventually, as you would expect, Walker weaves the three plotlines together. But it was an unsatisfactory story with a clunkiness to the whole thing.
Fans of Bruno, steer clear. And anyone looking to give Walker a try, go directly to the Bruno series.
I listened to this and John Lee was a fine narrator.
The story starts with an Englishman bringing an ancient piece of art into an auction house. It’s something he inherited from his father, who supposedly got it when he was stationed in France during WWII. It’s a piece of rock with a prehistoric painting on it, similar to the art found in the caves of the Perigord region. The woman who assesses the piece knows it is not something that can be sold, but that must be returned to its country of origin. And that it could indicate the existence of a cave with art that has yet to be discovered. That part of the book worked well. But then, Walker takes the reader back in time to the year 15,000 BC. The language he uses in this section just jarred with the idea of a time period all those thousands of years ago. Words like “marriage” and “betrothal”. And then there’s the third part of the story, covering the father’s time during WWII. None of the characters really interested me and none of them were fleshed out. Eventually, as you would expect, Walker weaves the three plotlines together. But it was an unsatisfactory story with a clunkiness to the whole thing.
Fans of Bruno, steer clear. And anyone looking to give Walker a try, go directly to the Bruno series.
I listened to this and John Lee was a fine narrator.
December 5, 2017
a shorter review than the book probably deserves, but honestly I was underwhelmed by this Martin Walker historical thriller. I'm not exactly sure what turned me off, because the three interlocking stories that form the novel aren't exactly bad and I was actually traveling through the region, sampling foie-gras and confit de canard as I was reading, visiting Lascaux and most of the other villages mentioned in the story. Maybe it was the heavy political slant of the middle section, the one dealing with the Nazis but focusing mostly on the BAD Communist maquis. Maybe it was the cardboard characters and the wooden dialogue in the modern section, the one investigating a 'lost' cave with prehistoric murals. The result was that I actually looked forward only to one third of the book, the one actually describing the lifestyle of the cavemen 20000 years ago and speculating what made them do grandiose animal frescoes nobody could see clearly.
Having grumbled away at what the novel failed to deliver on my expectations, I would mention that I am still interested in what Walker has done with his police procedural series ("Bruno, Chief of Police") because he clearly is interested in the Perigord region and has a keen eye for detail.
November 29, 2019
Written before the excellent Inspector Bruno series, this novel has three braided stories, all set in the caves area of Perigord, but one set 17000 years ago, one in the present and one in 1944 as the Resistance stepped up its campaign against Nazi occupation.
It’s an undemanding quick read.
It’s an undemanding quick read.
July 28, 2024
Somehow this came up while I am reading through the series. The cave title that is part of the series can't be located in my library system...so, there.
Anyway, this was an interesting and daring way to present the material about caves in the Périgord. There are three timelines: one some 17,000 years ago, one during WWII, and one present day. A cave painting is found on a chip of rock and it has the art historians in a tizzy. It is an unusual and very beautiful example of a style found in France and Spain...but different.
There is the story of how the painting came to be, how the painting was discovered and then hidden for decades, and how it was uncovered again.
Walker managed to pull it off, but it was a close-run thing.
Anyway, this was an interesting and daring way to present the material about caves in the Périgord. There are three timelines: one some 17,000 years ago, one during WWII, and one present day. A cave painting is found on a chip of rock and it has the art historians in a tizzy. It is an unusual and very beautiful example of a style found in France and Spain...but different.
There is the story of how the painting came to be, how the painting was discovered and then hidden for decades, and how it was uncovered again.
Walker managed to pull it off, but it was a close-run thing.
July 24, 2019
The only problem that I had with this book, and it turned out to be a major one with me, is that it contains 3 different stories. I'm used to reading books with different threads, that jump back and forth from one time or situation to the next, but this one made me feel that I was actually reading 3 different books at one time which I don't do. I need to concentrate on one book at a time. I found the two threads concerning the modern day theft of the cave art piece and the prehistoric society responsible for that art very interesting. At first, I thought that the 1944 French Resistance story would reveal the reason for the intrigue surrounding the art theft sooner than it did. I began to get bored with that story because it was difficult for me to keep the multitude of characters straight in my head while switching back and forth between the 3 stories page by page, and I'm not a big fan of reading about warfare. The ending tied the Resistance story to the modern day theft...it just wasn't a completely enjoyable journey for me.
May 24, 2008
My good friend Tammy recommended this novel, and I thank her for doing so.
This is a magnificent, rich novel involving human triumph at its best (through love, leadership and enduring art) and its worst (through war and the struggle for exclusive possession).
The novel cycles through the viewpoints of prehistory (15000 BC), the French Resistance (in 1944) and the present. Each of these timeframes has its own triumphs, tragedies and mysteries. There is at least one common thread throughout these different stories, and a sense that some aspects of humanity are timeless. This is a beautifully written novel: one to be savoured.
This is a magnificent, rich novel involving human triumph at its best (through love, leadership and enduring art) and its worst (through war and the struggle for exclusive possession).
The novel cycles through the viewpoints of prehistory (15000 BC), the French Resistance (in 1944) and the present. Each of these timeframes has its own triumphs, tragedies and mysteries. There is at least one common thread throughout these different stories, and a sense that some aspects of humanity are timeless. This is a beautifully written novel: one to be savoured.
February 10, 2013
Started out gripping. Halfway through I had become bored with details of the 1944 thread. Still can't figure out why the author tells the story of the WW II strand first through the modern day research story and then recounts it again in the 1944 story. It would have been much more gripping to have it unfold through the characters of 1944 first. The end of the book was so abrupt and unsatisfying, I was quite disappointed. This had the potential,of being so much more.
December 2, 2013
Major Phillip Manners has just buried his father, and his inheritance included a small piece of paleolithic wall art depicting a bull. He takes the painting to Lydia Dean, expert in the preclassical department of a London auction house, for valuation. Astounded by what she sees, she identifies the work as characteristic of the wall paintings found in the caves of the Dordogne, and warns Manners that it probably qualifies as a stolen artifact. Manners informs her that his father brought it home from France after WWII, when he was stationed there to assist the Resistance forces. Lydia, taking that as her jumping off point, stores the stone securely and agrees to research its provenance. The very next day, it's stolen yet again. A reward is posted, and Manners convinces Lydia to travel to the Perigord region with him, in hopes of locating the cave in which the painting was originally made.
The Caves of Perigord has a three-fold plot. Author Walker, an NPR commentator, relates Lydia's quest in the present time, and intersperses into her tale two back stories from this region, one from the Ice Age and the other from the second world war. In doing so, Walker show off his research, descriptive, and creative skills to good advantage, recreating the Ice Age and bringing to life humankind's earliest visual artists and their milieu. The animals, customs, societal hierarchy, and painting techniques are all vividly portrayed, mainly through the experiences of Deer, a young artist in training. Taylor does an equally impressive job writing about the role of the Brits and Americans who trained and supplied the French Resistors in 1944, centering upon Manners' father, the Capitaine. These chapters are truly harrowing; the region is a minefield, literally and figuratively, militarily and politically, and Walker evokes the brutality of the struggle much as Leon Uris did in his war novels. He knows how to tell a gripping story and make his readers care about his characters, empathizing with their joys and struggles.
If the book has flaws, they are minor, and lie in the absence of a map, and some extraneous detail that interrupted the action. Some photos or diagrams of the cave art wouldn't have gone amiss either.
The Caves of Perigord has a three-fold plot. Author Walker, an NPR commentator, relates Lydia's quest in the present time, and intersperses into her tale two back stories from this region, one from the Ice Age and the other from the second world war. In doing so, Walker show off his research, descriptive, and creative skills to good advantage, recreating the Ice Age and bringing to life humankind's earliest visual artists and their milieu. The animals, customs, societal hierarchy, and painting techniques are all vividly portrayed, mainly through the experiences of Deer, a young artist in training. Taylor does an equally impressive job writing about the role of the Brits and Americans who trained and supplied the French Resistors in 1944, centering upon Manners' father, the Capitaine. These chapters are truly harrowing; the region is a minefield, literally and figuratively, militarily and politically, and Walker evokes the brutality of the struggle much as Leon Uris did in his war novels. He knows how to tell a gripping story and make his readers care about his characters, empathizing with their joys and struggles.
If the book has flaws, they are minor, and lie in the absence of a map, and some extraneous detail that interrupted the action. Some photos or diagrams of the cave art wouldn't have gone amiss either.
August 26, 2018
Clever and very interesting story set in three different times: present day, 1944, and 15,000 BC. It begins with the arrival of a mysterious package to an American woman working in a London auction house. It is brought to her by an English officer who claims it is a 17,000 year old piece of a cave painting which he has inherited from his father. His father was an English soldier who became a hero fighting in the French Resistance, and he brought this piece home with him as a war souvenir, along with ties to several important French contacts. The painting is stolen from the auction house, and the search begins to find not only it but also the unknown cave it came from which is believed to be even older than the famous one at Lascaux. As they search together in France, with the help of the current French President (who happens to have been the Englishman's ally in the war), the author takes us back in time to the creation of the cave painting with a story of the young artist. (It's a very nice, romantic story, although I know nothing about the accuracy of the social lives of people of that time, so it was easy to just read and enjoy.) Then there are chapters dealing with the actions (and consequences) of the Resistance....all of which leads us back to the present day and the blending of all the stories into the solution of the mystery.
This could have been rather confusing with all the time travel, but the author did such a clever job of blending the stories, everything flowed perfectly from one chapter to the next. I especially enjoyed the 1944 setting full of fascinating detail about the lives of the Resistance fighters and the numerous political factions involved.
This could have been rather confusing with all the time travel, but the author did such a clever job of blending the stories, everything flowed perfectly from one chapter to the next. I especially enjoyed the 1944 setting full of fascinating detail about the lives of the Resistance fighters and the numerous political factions involved.
July 1, 2025
(3.5 würde ich geben wenn es möglich wäre)
Ich finde es ist besonders als erster Roman, sehr stark. Und ab der Hälfte fingen die Figuren an mir ans Herz zu wachsen, besonders Hirsch und kleiner Mond.
Am Anfang allerdings hatte ich mühe für die Figuren warm zu werden. Und auch die Dialoge sind teilweise unnatürlich und geben den Eindruck als nutze sie der Autor, um möglichst viel seiner Recherche einzubringen. Ich wollte ehrlich gesagt den Thriller geniessen und weniger über die Geschichte aufgeklärt werden. Deshalb gingen mir viele Beschreibungen und Monologe auf den Keks.
Dennoch hatte ich Spass und würde dieses Netzwerk Narrativ weiterempfehlen, besonders Personen die gerne Kriegs-Romane lesen.
Ich finde es ist besonders als erster Roman, sehr stark. Und ab der Hälfte fingen die Figuren an mir ans Herz zu wachsen, besonders Hirsch und kleiner Mond.
Am Anfang allerdings hatte ich mühe für die Figuren warm zu werden. Und auch die Dialoge sind teilweise unnatürlich und geben den Eindruck als nutze sie der Autor, um möglichst viel seiner Recherche einzubringen. Ich wollte ehrlich gesagt den Thriller geniessen und weniger über die Geschichte aufgeklärt werden. Deshalb gingen mir viele Beschreibungen und Monologe auf den Keks.
Dennoch hatte ich Spass und würde dieses Netzwerk Narrativ weiterempfehlen, besonders Personen die gerne Kriegs-Romane lesen.
October 1, 2011
I enjoyed this book. There are three related stories - modern times, 1944, and about 15000 BC. All mostly take place in the Perigord. The book begins in London. Major Manners arrives at the auction house with a painting of a bull on a rock he had inherited from his father. Lydia, asked to check it out, quickly realizes it might be 17,000 years old from the caves in France or Spain. She photographs it, and calls in some experts, but it is stolen before the experts arrive. Manners suggests that he pay for Lydia to accompany him to France and try to find where his father might have found the rock.
The second chapter introduces the story of the cave painters in the Vezere Valley in apporximately 15,000 BC. It talks about the cave painting and introduces a young painter who falls in love with the beautiful daughter of the Keeper of the Horses. Unfortunately, the widowed Keeper of the Bulls wants her and they have to run away. They find a new cave and paint together.
The third story is the story of Major Manners' father, Jack, who was sent to France to help train the resistance before the allied invasion in 1944. He works with the Francois Malrand (who is the fictional president of France in the current epoch of the story, and who plays an important part in that story) and an American as a team of specialists. You read about the German atrocities, blowing up bridges, and life in the resistance. Manners calls in parachute drops of weapons and medicines, and these drops are often hidden in the caves. Near the end of the book you discover how he found the rock painting.
The second chapter introduces the story of the cave painters in the Vezere Valley in apporximately 15,000 BC. It talks about the cave painting and introduces a young painter who falls in love with the beautiful daughter of the Keeper of the Horses. Unfortunately, the widowed Keeper of the Bulls wants her and they have to run away. They find a new cave and paint together.
The third story is the story of Major Manners' father, Jack, who was sent to France to help train the resistance before the allied invasion in 1944. He works with the Francois Malrand (who is the fictional president of France in the current epoch of the story, and who plays an important part in that story) and an American as a team of specialists. You read about the German atrocities, blowing up bridges, and life in the resistance. Manners calls in parachute drops of weapons and medicines, and these drops are often hidden in the caves. Near the end of the book you discover how he found the rock painting.
February 14, 2014
Imagine this! Three intertwined stories, one set 17,000 years ago, one set later on in World War 2, and one set in a more contemporary time. 17,000 years ago, we see the development of a young artist, working in a cave. Then, during World War 2, partisans seeking to disrupt German communications at the time leading up to D-Day,. Finally, contemporary. A fragment of the cave art comes to the attention of a young American woman working for an art business.
Involved: a young man with extraordinary artistic skills and a woman who, too, had such skills 17,000 years ago. The interaction of different characters, jealousies, competition for the young woman as a bride. Then, the work of a group of partisans--a French leader who became the French head of state, and Englishman, and an American, among others--strive to create problems for the German army, including disrupting the movement of the SS formation, the Das Reich division, to combat the Americans at Normandy. Finally, more currently, a set of characters, including the American woman, the head of state of France (the former partisan), and what happened to the fragment from the cave.
Somehow, these various pieces come together well. This is a compelling novel and well worth taking a look at.
Involved: a young man with extraordinary artistic skills and a woman who, too, had such skills 17,000 years ago. The interaction of different characters, jealousies, competition for the young woman as a bride. Then, the work of a group of partisans--a French leader who became the French head of state, and Englishman, and an American, among others--strive to create problems for the German army, including disrupting the movement of the SS formation, the Das Reich division, to combat the Americans at Normandy. Finally, more currently, a set of characters, including the American woman, the head of state of France (the former partisan), and what happened to the fragment from the cave.
Somehow, these various pieces come together well. This is a compelling novel and well worth taking a look at.
November 16, 2014
I love the premise of this book: following the fate of piece of rock art from prehistoric times when it was created though World War II to present day when it reappears. There is a chapter where the author describes actually going through the cave at Lascaux that gave me the shivers! Structuring a book like this with three vastly different time periods, and therefore different characters, is inherently difficult. The author solved this problem by alternating between the three periods in a consistent fashion. The problem with that is that there is no forward movement from chapter to chapter. I almost think it might have worked better as distinct parts all revolving around the singular piece of rock art. Nonetheless this was an interesting book with a fascinating look at the Perigord region of France.
March 16, 2012
Read this for the same reason I read Walker's Inspector Bruno mysteries: for the locale and the feel of local flavor he does very well. This book aspires to be more than it is: it is three connected but different tales: prehistory involving the painters of Lascaux, the Resistance in WW 2 in the same locale, and a case of art theft (of a fragment of a cave painting) set today. I've been to the area, to Lascaux II, to other painted caves, so the idea intrigued me. I found the prehistoric tale interesting but unconvincing as to anthropology (like Jean Auel, it's all too compressed, too pat, and too one-person dependent); I loved the Resistance story; the modern-day was okay. So, if you're like me, and love the area or whatever, read it. If not, don't.
January 7, 2016
it took a while to warm up to the story. it's no michener's "the source" but it's turning into a fun read.
...just finished. my final thoughts - the book had a great premise but it was disappointingly executed and in the end, quite a plodding read.
...just finished. my final thoughts - the book had a great premise but it was disappointingly executed and in the end, quite a plodding read.
March 6, 2021
Three time periods (15,000 BC, 1944, present day) A little confusing at first but it worked. Having spent some time in the Périgord and having visited Lascaux II and other caves in the area, I was particularly interested in the cave paintings.
June 25, 2023
Die Handlung umfasst drei Zeitebenen Steinzeit/Resistance/Gegenwart. Man hätte mehr daraus machen können. Der Teil, der 1944 spielt, ist zugleich verwirrend und langatmig, zu viel aus den Recherchen wurde in die Handlung übernommen. Die Auflösung ist leicht zu erraten, ich bin schließlich nur drangeblieben, um noch Einzelheiten zu erfahren.
March 11, 2013
The story takes place in three different times: 17000 years ago, WWII in 1944 and contemporary. I loved the archaeological elements,and the 'mystery' was good. There were political elements that were exciting to research and verify. The transitions between eras worked well. So, I liked the plot.
I was afraid that the prehistorical romance would be like Jean Auel, but that romance was relatively genuine. The romance in 1944 war-torn France was also well done. However, the contemporary romance was pretty schmaltzy; suffering from a sugar coma! Do women really behave like this? The behavior of the characters, unlike Bruno and Isabelle, was just dumb, imo. So, since I had to plod through that romance, I can only give it 3 1/2 stars.
I was afraid that the prehistorical romance would be like Jean Auel, but that romance was relatively genuine. The romance in 1944 war-torn France was also well done. However, the contemporary romance was pretty schmaltzy; suffering from a sugar coma! Do women really behave like this? The behavior of the characters, unlike Bruno and Isabelle, was just dumb, imo. So, since I had to plod through that romance, I can only give it 3 1/2 stars.
May 14, 2018
Well that was a load of enjoyable rubbish
Ok -- to be fair, it is well researched and the triple timeline is neat and well balanced. The pacing is good until the final sections -- where everything gets resolved in a huge hurry.
Still, the syntax is awkward and clunky, and a lot of this is quite predictable. Also, I know Walker's attempts to include a female element are well meaning, but a lot of his writing about women is unfortunately reminiscent of this Twitter thread. https://electricliterature.com/descri...
Ok -- to be fair, it is well researched and the triple timeline is neat and well balanced. The pacing is good until the final sections -- where everything gets resolved in a huge hurry.
Still, the syntax is awkward and clunky, and a lot of this is quite predictable. Also, I know Walker's attempts to include a female element are well meaning, but a lot of his writing about women is unfortunately reminiscent of this Twitter thread. https://electricliterature.com/descri...
June 28, 2018
I was eager to read this book because we visited the caves of the Dordogne region of France many, many years ago. Lascaux was closed but the others were still open and not as popular as they are these days. I thoroughly enjoyed the portion of this book where he talks about the artists painting the caves; I was less interested in the part about the wars fought there; the mystery section was pretty interesting too. However, I didn't like jumping around time periods as the story does in this book; in fact, I seldom enjoy books that use that technique. For that reason I didn't rate it higher than I did.
September 9, 2014
Another excellent Martin Walker novel with good history. The book moves backwards and forwards in time. The three time periods are 17,000 years ago in France, and World War II France, and today. A good mystery ties it all together.
July 22, 2019
The three timelines made the book a bit difficult to get into, and made characters in each timeline feel stiff and contrived.
August 28, 2021
I really enjoyed this book! It moved back and forth between three different time periods (and it's written before that's become so incredibly popular), moving from the present to World War II and the French Resistance and to 15,000 BC in a rural valley. While I do enjoy books that move back and forth in time, I often find myself far more interested in one story than the other. This time I was actually just as invested in all three stories and was excited for each chapter. And while there were some similar themes in each story, and they obviously all tied together, I also found them unique and not just the same events replaying in each time. It starts in the present time when a British soldier brings in a piece of prehistoric art to Lydia who works for an auction house. He doesn't know much about the rock that had sat in his father's study and is looking to find out more which draws Lydia into the mystery. Then in 15,000 BC we meet the Keeper of the Bulls and Deer and Little Moon whose stories show how the tribe is changing and developing. And in the midst of World War II it follows the Manners, the British soldier's father, a Captain in the military helping the French Resistance and the French author who will one day be the prime minister. I just wished I had learned more about the caves of Lascaux prior to reading it because I could have appreciated the references even more. But I still enjoyed the book and it made me learn more about the prehistoric period in Europe. So basically it had all things I like--World War II, a mystery, learning things, and romance--all in one book which made it totally a win for me.
June 5, 2017
When the book opens, Lydia Dean, received a rare walk-in client to the London auction house in which she works. Major Phillip Manners presents a piece of rock with a painting of a bull on it, they both understand this work is likely 12,000 years old and from the Lascaux region of France. Dean lets Major Manners know that the work will have to go back to France, but once authenticated, it is possible a "thank you" in the form of a monetary gift might come from a grateful country to him. Overnight, however, the rock is stolen, and now there are two mysteries to solve: 1) is this rock from the Caves of Perigord in Lascaux and 2) who stole the rock and how do they get it back.
What follows is a fascinating thriller told in three separate time narratives. The first is the present day, with Lydia Dean and Major Manners playing detective in France. The second takes us all the way back to the prehistoric man, when we find out how the painting came to be. Lastly, we are transported to France during World War II, where Major Manners' father works with the French Resistance to defeat the Germans, and where he originally finds and pockets and rock.
It was an interesting story, but the World War II sections seemed to be pretty dry. I'm not sure why they seemed the least interesting to me, because I greatly enjoy World War II narratives, but there it is. So I'm knocking off a half star for that. 3 1/2 stars.
What follows is a fascinating thriller told in three separate time narratives. The first is the present day, with Lydia Dean and Major Manners playing detective in France. The second takes us all the way back to the prehistoric man, when we find out how the painting came to be. Lastly, we are transported to France during World War II, where Major Manners' father works with the French Resistance to defeat the Germans, and where he originally finds and pockets and rock.
It was an interesting story, but the World War II sections seemed to be pretty dry. I'm not sure why they seemed the least interesting to me, because I greatly enjoy World War II narratives, but there it is. So I'm knocking off a half star for that. 3 1/2 stars.
May 26, 2022
In The Caves of Périgord, Martin Walker weaves together three enthralling tales that take readers to the Vézère valley in the Dordogne department of southwest of France. The contemporary one presents American Lydia Dean feeling as if her London auction house bosses are about to ax her pre-history department when Philip Manners, a man of military bearing, asks her to assess an extraordinary artifact found in his late father's study. The World War II thread follows Philip's father, Jack Manners, through special operations commando training at Arisaig, Scotland, and deployment in the Dordogne. His mission is to thwart Nazi troop movement north as the Allies seem ready to invade France along the English Channel. For Jack, making predictions of German tactics is not half so challenging as keeping factions of the French Resistance (Communists, Gaulists, Maquisards) from undercutting one another. Through the third strand, Walker creates a community of Early Modern Humans—once called Cro Magnon from the Cro Magnon rock shelf in the Dordogne—that is certainly responsible for some celebrated prehistoric cave art.
How is that Ice Age community linked to the Manners artifact? How many fish-out-of-water characters can populate one novel? Is mixing pigments in the Upper Paleolithic Period as intriguing as molding plastic explosives in Vichy France? As he switches from tale to tale and answers such queries, Walker sustains both charm and intrigue in this non-chronological narrative.
How is that Ice Age community linked to the Manners artifact? How many fish-out-of-water characters can populate one novel? Is mixing pigments in the Upper Paleolithic Period as intriguing as molding plastic explosives in Vichy France? As he switches from tale to tale and answers such queries, Walker sustains both charm and intrigue in this non-chronological narrative.
June 30, 2017
I thought this was one of the books in the series Bruno, Chief of Police, but it isn't. It's related, though. It's about two periods in the history of Bruno's region, plus an exploration of them in the present. The first of these covers the adventures of a cave painter and his wife, ca. 15,000 BC, who made magnificent paintings on a cave wall similar to those of Lascaux. The second is a largely historical account of the conflict in the region between a fierce Nazi division and the French Resistance, joined in this region by an American and a British soldier, who hid bazookas, rifles, and other war materiel in the cave depicted in the earlier part of the book. The Brit (the father) had picked up and kept a piece of the painted wall that had fallen from its position. It was a magnificent piece of art, which his son inherited upon his father's death. The son sought information about its provenance from archaeologists and anthropologists, two of whom excitedly joined the search. The three stories (prehistoric, WWII, and present) are interwoven throughout the book, but there is no problem keeping them straight. I give it 4.5 stars because I found the long and complex events of WWII sometimes tedious, but if you follow the Bruno series, this makes a relevant and enriching addition to those stories.
October 17, 2017
I LOVED this book. It is historical fiction that takes place during three different periods of time. And since I had just been in the part of France where the three stories take place--and seen a few of the most famous cave paintings--I was totally entranced.
It begins with the delivery of a package to a young American woman working in a London auction house. It is brought in by a British military officer, and he had inherited it from his father. The package contains a fragment of a 17,000 year old cave painting. The young woman, the officer and a French art historian begin the search for the provenance of the painting fragment. But this serves to open the door to two other time periods. The first focuses on the officer's father who as a member of the British military during WWII fought with the French resistance and hid arms in a cave that had never been discovered. . .and then covered it up. And there is the story of the artist and the woman he loved who created the paintings 17,000 years ago.
This was a GREAT read in part because Martin Walker knows his history, so while this is a work of fiction, it is filled with very accurate historical details. I highly recommend it.
It begins with the delivery of a package to a young American woman working in a London auction house. It is brought in by a British military officer, and he had inherited it from his father. The package contains a fragment of a 17,000 year old cave painting. The young woman, the officer and a French art historian begin the search for the provenance of the painting fragment. But this serves to open the door to two other time periods. The first focuses on the officer's father who as a member of the British military during WWII fought with the French resistance and hid arms in a cave that had never been discovered. . .and then covered it up. And there is the story of the artist and the woman he loved who created the paintings 17,000 years ago.
This was a GREAT read in part because Martin Walker knows his history, so while this is a work of fiction, it is filled with very accurate historical details. I highly recommend it.
May 30, 2019
The story is told in 3 very dispersed time periods, one about 1500 BC, one during WWII in France in the 1940s, and one ‘present day’.
It follows the story of a rock with a cave painting from the Perigord region of France. I enjoyed the way the mystery of the painting was revealed as the story developed. As we jumped back and forth between the painting development in 1500 BC, to it’s discovery in the 1940’s to its current day loss after the death of the ‘original’ discoverer of the painting in the 1940’s. Along the way we get a taste of the life of the early inhabitants of the region, how the resistance in France fought against the Germans occupying their country and the possible impact this had on the subsequent defeat of the Germans, and finally the reemergence of the rock when the ‘owner’ dies and leaves it to his son.
I loved how each of the stories unfolded separately and came to a conclusion that tied them all together. Each one could have easily stood on its own but were made so much richer by knowing the history of the connecting rock painting.
I sometimes found the sentences a little hard to parse. This may have been only me since I saw no reference to this in other reviews. In spite if this, I would highly recommend this book.
It follows the story of a rock with a cave painting from the Perigord region of France. I enjoyed the way the mystery of the painting was revealed as the story developed. As we jumped back and forth between the painting development in 1500 BC, to it’s discovery in the 1940’s to its current day loss after the death of the ‘original’ discoverer of the painting in the 1940’s. Along the way we get a taste of the life of the early inhabitants of the region, how the resistance in France fought against the Germans occupying their country and the possible impact this had on the subsequent defeat of the Germans, and finally the reemergence of the rock when the ‘owner’ dies and leaves it to his son.
I loved how each of the stories unfolded separately and came to a conclusion that tied them all together. Each one could have easily stood on its own but were made so much richer by knowing the history of the connecting rock painting.
I sometimes found the sentences a little hard to parse. This may have been only me since I saw no reference to this in other reviews. In spite if this, I would highly recommend this book.
July 12, 2021
I’d give this novel 4.5 stars. This was a gift book. From the title and cover art, I deduced this would be an exciting novel about WWII, set in France, that included prehistoric cave paintings. In other words, the friend who gave it knows me well. It seems to be billed as a thriller, but while it does begin with a mystery, it’s more a thrilling historical novel. Just about every novel I pick up any more involves a heavily shuffled story line with characters and times and places often jumbled in a confusing mess. Walker does a skilled job of eliminating most of the confusion other than the deliberate mystery. Because the subplots involve three clear time divisions: WWII, about three decades later, and 1500 B.C.E., I found it easier to keep track of who was who and what was happening.
A Francophile who loves WWII novels, I was delighted to discover this was an ekphrastic novel (i.e., about art). Walker did a masterful job of making the creation of the cave paintings feel real, and I’ve recently become interested in my Neanderthal ancestors (although these cave painters were later Homo sapiens). I was pleased that a male author added some feminism to the prehistoric story line. I don’t want to spoil it for other readers by giving any of the plot away.
A Francophile who loves WWII novels, I was delighted to discover this was an ekphrastic novel (i.e., about art). Walker did a masterful job of making the creation of the cave paintings feel real, and I’ve recently become interested in my Neanderthal ancestors (although these cave painters were later Homo sapiens). I was pleased that a male author added some feminism to the prehistoric story line. I don’t want to spoil it for other readers by giving any of the plot away.
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