Blasco Ibanez is a descriptive artist whose ability with the pen resembles that of an Impressionist painter. The geography, history, and landscape of the huerta are richly, eloquently, and colorfully depicted in The Torrent. The reader can easily partake of the strong scent of the orange flowers in full blossom that so affect the two lovers and can be impressed by the forceful narration of many of the scenes.

The characters of the novel are described with care and in detail. They are assigned traits that reveal spiritual characteristics: Leonora is blonde, tall, and pure — life's reverses notwithstanding. Rafael, youthful and handsome at first, degenerates into a bald, fat and ineffectual human being. The other characters, less developed than the two protagonists, are interesting as prototypes of provincial life. One of them, an old Cortes deputy who opposes Rafael, speaks eloquently in favor...