To The Last Page

Eduardo Mendoza's regular novels can seem quite mundane in comparison to the delights of his witty and entertaining comedies, but there is always something compelling in his characters lives and their struggles with personal dilemmas that holds the reader's attention. Set in Mendoza's hometown of Barcelona, a chance meeting with an old school friend Fontán gives Mauricio the chance to enliven his rather routine solitary life as a dentist by becoming involved in local politics. When his half-hearted political career as a candidate for the socialist party doesn't take off, he goes back and puts his efforts into improving his dentistry career. His encounter with Fontán and his brief flirtation with local politics however bring two women into his life - Clotilde, a young woman who lives with her parents and is underemployed and undervalued at a lawyer's office, and la Porritos an unemployed woman living in deprived conditions who he meets playing guitar and singing at p