Blood and Sand endows its main character, Juan Gallardo, with an intelligence and drive that elicit sympathy and admiration. He takes risks, not only for the challenge of the art but because he wants to escape his fate: to be a cobbler. The figure of Gallardo is carefully and convincingly drawn by the writer, believed to have used as a model a bullfighter of his generation.

The same degree of authenticity is evident in all aspects of the book related to the sport: the preparation, the dressing of the matador, the raising and testing of bulls, and the behavior of the crowd. In fact, the art of bullfighting is as much a protagonist in this novel as any of the main characters.

Sol, the love interest, is depicted as an exciting and dazzling figure drawn to Gallardo by his celebrity. She never promises love and devotion; he, however...