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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
Otherwise known in English as "The Shadow of the Wind": fiction, Barcelona, mystery, creepy romance, bookstores. Read it!
I had so many flowery things to say about this while I was reading this, but they all disappeared and now all I know is that I loved it. It was the kind of book I had to take a break from because I didn’t want it to end. Gothic and moody with gorgeous, gorgeous writing; but it’s also quite funny and the author does a great job with teenagers and poor decisions and dramas. There are some surprisingly dark parts that are treated quite matter-of-factly and were pretty disturbing. I found myself so immersed in it, so caught up in the words and the drama and the beauty that I would look up and take a moment to come back to where I actually was (and I read it on vacation by a beautiful lake in Maine!). I’m so pleased to see that there are more in the series and I am looking them up immediately!!
Het verhaal sleepte me mee, het taalgebruik was mooi en de sfeer van een treurig en angstig Barcelona vond ik erg goed weergegeven. Het hele boek ademde een sfeer uit van verval, waarin Daniel een van de weinige was die hoop had op betere tijden. Prachtig, ontroerend en bij vlagen wat beklemmend boek.
Ik vond de karakters interessant. Daniel is dan wellicht geen type waarvan je zou denken dat hij de held van het verhaal zou worden, maar juist dat maakte het voor mij fascinerend. Ik denk dat als er meteen wat informatie te vinden was geweest, hij al snel af zou hebben gehaakt in zijn zoektocht, maar juist het gebrek aan informatie, en de dreiging die er uitgaat van Fuméro zorgen ervoor dat hij totaal geïntrigeerd raakt. Hij heeft er ook wel de leeftijd voor om geobsedeerd door iets te raken. De karakters zijn werkelijk allemaal aangeslagen door de oorlog en door het leven in het algemeen. Alleen Fuméro had volgens mij echt plezier in die oorlog. De trieste sfeer die rondom de karakters hangt, bijv. ook rond bijrolspelers als de vader van Nuria, was erg goed geraakt.
Als er meer diepgang in de karakters had gezeten, dan was dat volgens mij ten koste gegaan van de snelheid van het verhaal en dat was funest geweest aangezien het gewoon al geen snel verhaal is.
Ik vond de karakters interessant. Daniel is dan wellicht geen type waarvan je zou denken dat hij de held van het verhaal zou worden, maar juist dat maakte het voor mij fascinerend. Ik denk dat als er meteen wat informatie te vinden was geweest, hij al snel af zou hebben gehaakt in zijn zoektocht, maar juist het gebrek aan informatie, en de dreiging die er uitgaat van Fuméro zorgen ervoor dat hij totaal geïntrigeerd raakt. Hij heeft er ook wel de leeftijd voor om geobsedeerd door iets te raken. De karakters zijn werkelijk allemaal aangeslagen door de oorlog en door het leven in het algemeen. Alleen Fuméro had volgens mij echt plezier in die oorlog. De trieste sfeer die rondom de karakters hangt, bijv. ook rond bijrolspelers als de vader van Nuria, was erg goed geraakt.
Als er meer diepgang in de karakters had gezeten, dan was dat volgens mij ten koste gegaan van de snelheid van het verhaal en dat was funest geweest aangezien het gewoon al geen snel verhaal is.
All because there are forest fires in eastern Canada, I was able to read this book almost entirely today. Begun a few days ago, I had put the book down only to return to it yesterday when the air quality meter registered 'dangerous.' Today was the second day of remaining indoors due to the particulates in the air along with smoke.
With that said, this book was riveting, and I was immersed in the streets of Barcelona with a familiarity that surprised me. I was certain this was not my first visit to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books and yet I couldn't place my prior visit. This caused me to WhatsApp my friend Helena, who is Catalan and with whom I had several years ago discussed another book about Barcelona during the time of Franco. Neither of us could recall the name of the book, and despite multiple suggestions made by Helena, none of them rang a bell.
I decided to start backtracking in my Goodreads lists. (I wish there was a keywords option for book reviews or at least a genre option so that it would be easy to search one's list of read books when the title isn't on the tip of the tongue.) In any case, I finally found a review for The Labyrinth of the Spirits (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #4).
Oh my goodness. Turns out that I first read the last book in the series and now, over four years later, the first book. No wonder the Cemetery of Forgotten Books was familiar.
As for this book, it is all absorbing and almost impossible to remove oneself from the pages. It is as if a whirlwind picked me up and dropped me smack dab inside the book landing on the first page and not letting me leave till the very last. For more on the story, without any spoilers, you can read the publisher's blurb on the author's website here.
As for me, I am wiped out! Lots of sitting, indeed too much sitting despite switching seats throughout the day, and my head needs to get clear of Daniel, Julian, Fermin and a host of others.
With that said, this book was riveting, and I was immersed in the streets of Barcelona with a familiarity that surprised me. I was certain this was not my first visit to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books and yet I couldn't place my prior visit. This caused me to WhatsApp my friend Helena, who is Catalan and with whom I had several years ago discussed another book about Barcelona during the time of Franco. Neither of us could recall the name of the book, and despite multiple suggestions made by Helena, none of them rang a bell.
I decided to start backtracking in my Goodreads lists. (I wish there was a keywords option for book reviews or at least a genre option so that it would be easy to search one's list of read books when the title isn't on the tip of the tongue.) In any case, I finally found a review for The Labyrinth of the Spirits (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #4).
Oh my goodness. Turns out that I first read the last book in the series and now, over four years later, the first book. No wonder the Cemetery of Forgotten Books was familiar.
As for this book, it is all absorbing and almost impossible to remove oneself from the pages. It is as if a whirlwind picked me up and dropped me smack dab inside the book landing on the first page and not letting me leave till the very last. For more on the story, without any spoilers, you can read the publisher's blurb on the author's website here.
As for me, I am wiped out! Lots of sitting, indeed too much sitting despite switching seats throughout the day, and my head needs to get clear of Daniel, Julian, Fermin and a host of others.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This turned into one of the best books ever, especially for listening (accents and pronunciation of words I would have had to guess at in print).
Currently listening to the LONG book, and enjoying its many twists and turns. Almost as many interwoven stories as the last John Irving book Last Night in Twisted River, and it is also a book about a book, which is always an odd thing to get your head around. It took a little while to get into, and I almost gave up. I think I am simply not used to reading adult literary fiction these days, and the long descriptions, detailed characters and lack of action took some getting used to again. I now cannot imagine how the story will end, and how many more twists are in the works before the end...
Currently listening to the LONG book, and enjoying its many twists and turns. Almost as many interwoven stories as the last John Irving book Last Night in Twisted River, and it is also a book about a book, which is always an odd thing to get your head around. It took a little while to get into, and I almost gave up. I think I am simply not used to reading adult literary fiction these days, and the long descriptions, detailed characters and lack of action took some getting used to again. I now cannot imagine how the story will end, and how many more twists are in the works before the end...