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beatrice_apetrei's review against another edition
3.0
The Cathedral of the Sea, written by the Spanish lawyer and writer Ildefonso Falcones, brings you along in Arnau Estanyol’s journey through life, in the 14th century in Barcelona, during the construction of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar. Haunted without his knowledge by his parents wrongs, he finds himself encountering thresholds all his way as people come into his life and, many times, are forcefully taken away from him, by faith, by greed or sorrow.
I found this book in the recommendation list here on Goodreads, after adding The Pillars of the Earth, by the amazing Ken Follett, in my read shelf, and I, as an architecture student, was completely attracted to the story ( and why not, the cover of the book itself ) . Reading different reviews I learned that this book resembles TPOTE in a very similar but poor way, and many have been disappointed while reading it. But I wanted to give it a try, and as the Ken Follett lover I am, I couldn’t mind reading something similar to his work.
This is an easy read – for me it was. It’s all about the plot and how beautifully it wraps around the 14th century, how everything in Barcelona gravitated around the cathedral and how people always found their way back to it, how it describes the hard life underprivileged people were living, how many hardships and injustices people had to endure because they were born as inferiors while others were nobles.
What I liked most about the characters mister Falcones built , was how they couldn’t be categorized as good or evil ( one thing that, in my opinion, is easily seen – possibly - in TPOTE ), they were somehow balanced – and because of that you can actually feel them as being real and you can easily identify with them ; many time I thought that I would have done the same, or would have felt the same way if I were in their place. For me, the fact that I could actually learn a lot about a character, not because the author directly describes it, but because its actions actually describe how he / she thinks, it’s a plus . I like to learn about people from their choices, preferences, from how they treat others and how they relate to others ; from this aspect, this book pleased me immensely.
Why only 3 stars ? Well, no matter how much I enjoyed the story, the cathedral and also the characters, it was only that – a pleasant read that made me happy, sad, furious, enchanted, pleased or displeased . It taught me nothing of great importance to me ( I usually try to learn something from each book I read ) – it only made me realize how glad I am to have been born in the 20th century. So many injustices happened during that period, it made me frown and tear whenever something bad happened – no matter to whom.
If I recommend it ? Maybe. It depends. This is a good historical novel , but I think that’s it .
I found this book in the recommendation list here on Goodreads, after adding The Pillars of the Earth, by the amazing Ken Follett, in my read shelf, and I, as an architecture student, was completely attracted to the story ( and why not, the cover of the book itself ) . Reading different reviews I learned that this book resembles TPOTE in a very similar but poor way, and many have been disappointed while reading it. But I wanted to give it a try, and as the Ken Follett lover I am, I couldn’t mind reading something similar to his work.
This is an easy read – for me it was. It’s all about the plot and how beautifully it wraps around the 14th century, how everything in Barcelona gravitated around the cathedral and how people always found their way back to it, how it describes the hard life underprivileged people were living, how many hardships and injustices people had to endure because they were born as inferiors while others were nobles.
What I liked most about the characters mister Falcones built , was how they couldn’t be categorized as good or evil ( one thing that, in my opinion, is easily seen – possibly - in TPOTE ), they were somehow balanced – and because of that you can actually feel them as being real and you can easily identify with them ; many time I thought that I would have done the same, or would have felt the same way if I were in their place. For me, the fact that I could actually learn a lot about a character, not because the author directly describes it, but because its actions actually describe how he / she thinks, it’s a plus . I like to learn about people from their choices, preferences, from how they treat others and how they relate to others ; from this aspect, this book pleased me immensely.
Why only 3 stars ? Well, no matter how much I enjoyed the story, the cathedral and also the characters, it was only that – a pleasant read that made me happy, sad, furious, enchanted, pleased or displeased . It taught me nothing of great importance to me ( I usually try to learn something from each book I read ) – it only made me realize how glad I am to have been born in the 20th century. So many injustices happened during that period, it made me frown and tear whenever something bad happened – no matter to whom.
If I recommend it ? Maybe. It depends. This is a good historical novel , but I think that’s it .
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Spanish journalists / reviewers have called Falcones the “Spain’s new Dan Brown” or proclaimed “A new Ken Follett is born!” I can certainly see why those comparisons are made.
This is an epic historical novel set in 14th-century Barcelona, and focusing on one (fictional) bastaix (a laborer who loaded/off loaded cargo from ships, but also carried the massive stones used to construct the Basillica from the quarry to the construction site). Arnau is motherless due to a cruel feudal system, but he has a loving father. When he and his friend / “brother” Joan (a street urchin who is also motherless) stumble upon the site of the church, Arnau becomes devoted to the Virgin Mary, praying to her and devoting his life to seeing that she is honored with a church worthy of her. He’ll need those prayers, and Joan (who becomes a Dominican and an Inquisitor) to survive what the years have in store for him.
My, oh my, but the medieval era was hard to survive! As if plague, poverty, wars, and a feudal system that virtually enslaved the peasants wasn’t enough, the people also had to deal with the Spanish Inquisition and the hysteria engendered by the Church.
I was perturbed by the way Falcones treated the women in the novel. I fully understand that this is the 14th century and that the system in place did not value women much, but I got the distinct impression that the author shares that sentiment. Perhaps I’m being unfair, but that was the feeling I got. There were only a couple of “good” women; mostly they were immoral, conniving, cruel, and self-centered.
Still, this was an engaging story that kept me turning pages … all 611 of them.
Afterwards I looked up the Cathedral of the Sea and found that it’s location in Barcelona is one I must have passed several times when I visited that city. Yet, I have no memory of it. Having read this book I really want to go back to Barcelona and spend time marveling at the feat of medieval engineering and thinking about the many bastiaxos who toiled to bring the architect’s design to life.
This is an epic historical novel set in 14th-century Barcelona, and focusing on one (fictional) bastaix (a laborer who loaded/off loaded cargo from ships, but also carried the massive stones used to construct the Basillica from the quarry to the construction site). Arnau is motherless due to a cruel feudal system, but he has a loving father. When he and his friend / “brother” Joan (a street urchin who is also motherless) stumble upon the site of the church, Arnau becomes devoted to the Virgin Mary, praying to her and devoting his life to seeing that she is honored with a church worthy of her. He’ll need those prayers, and Joan (who becomes a Dominican and an Inquisitor) to survive what the years have in store for him.
My, oh my, but the medieval era was hard to survive! As if plague, poverty, wars, and a feudal system that virtually enslaved the peasants wasn’t enough, the people also had to deal with the Spanish Inquisition and the hysteria engendered by the Church.
I was perturbed by the way Falcones treated the women in the novel. I fully understand that this is the 14th century and that the system in place did not value women much, but I got the distinct impression that the author shares that sentiment. Perhaps I’m being unfair, but that was the feeling I got. There were only a couple of “good” women; mostly they were immoral, conniving, cruel, and self-centered.
Still, this was an engaging story that kept me turning pages … all 611 of them.
Afterwards I looked up the Cathedral of the Sea and found that it’s location in Barcelona is one I must have passed several times when I visited that city. Yet, I have no memory of it. Having read this book I really want to go back to Barcelona and spend time marveling at the feat of medieval engineering and thinking about the many bastiaxos who toiled to bring the architect’s design to life.
libeccio's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
fred312's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
aryaduldee's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alec98alec's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mariapascualfont's review against another edition
4.0
4.5! M'ha agradat molt, i crec que és una molt bona iniciació a la novel·la històrica. La trama era ràpida i plena de girs argumentals, i no he sentit que l'avorrís en cap moment de la història. Hi havia fragments molt contundents i intensos, però de tota manera l'he disfrutat molt.
thomas_6's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
adrft's review against another edition
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75