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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
Really well written. The story is a bit slow in the middle but the ending helps to explain why. Very well told story. Complex but somehow reasonable.
It took me almost nine years (admittedly it sat on my Kindle unopened for most of that time), but I finished it!
It was like watching a Spanish movie, subtitled in English, on a TV in a shop window while standing in the rain.
The characters were interesting, the plot was decent, but I have never read a book with so much of the story told through info-dumping by characters or letters - long, long monologues and letters at that. The ending saved it to some extent - the last 10% was quite gripping - or perhaps it was simply my delight at being in sight of the finish line at last.
A literary classic. Hmm.
It was like watching a Spanish movie, subtitled in English, on a TV in a shop window while standing in the rain.
The characters were interesting, the plot was decent, but I have never read a book with so much of the story told through info-dumping by characters or letters - long, long monologues and letters at that. The ending saved it to some extent - the last 10% was quite gripping - or perhaps it was simply my delight at being in sight of the finish line at last.
A literary classic. Hmm.
One of the best books I have read in a long time. Complex, descriptive and compelling. Zafon paints an haunting picture of Barcelona. The mystery unfolds slowly until the last pages of the book.
I loved this book! Everything an egghead wants out of a literary suspense/thriller - which, too an egghead, isn't an oxymoron.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A young man working in his father's antiquarian bookshop attempts to track down other works written by a mysterious author. The premise hooked me, it's not a stretch to say my life's dream would be to work in an antiquarian bookshop solving book-related mysteries. Perhaps that's why I was so disappointed by how melodramatic this tale turned out to be.
Zafon is an energetic writer, and my opinion is clearly in the minority here, as the book boasts a 4.3 rating from a staggering 670k reviews. Nonetheless, there were too many distractions, plot holes, and eye-roll-inducing lines for me to be able to recommend this one.
Zafon is an energetic writer, and my opinion is clearly in the minority here, as the book boasts a 4.3 rating from a staggering 670k reviews. Nonetheless, there were too many distractions, plot holes, and eye-roll-inducing lines for me to be able to recommend this one.
truly at a loss for words— one of the most captivating, unique and immersive stories I’ve come across in a long time; books usually don’t elicit physical reactions for me and parts of this had my heart POUNDING. I personally felt like meandered too much toward the end and had a lot of details that didn’t necessarily add to the story, but if you’re someone who enjoys lots of twists & turns & mystery would definitely recommend!
I really enjoyed this book in translation. The mystery didn't feel as heavy as I expected and the plot a bit more predictable than I would have expected for a true mystery. But as a story about Daniel and his coming of age while looking into the life of an author was interesting. And of course, a book about books is always fun!
I'm a bit conflicted on this one. I loved the first half of this book. I think it lost its way after that and then found it again at the end. But as much as I loved the writing and the story I don't really want to continue with the series. I feel like I got everything I want/need out of this series. Well worth the read, but not an easy one to recommend.
This was on 1001 Books to Read before You Die. A novel in the noir style, it is dark and mysterious with shady characters and beautiful women and more beautiful prose even in translation. It hooked me from the first since the whole story revolves around a book that the young protagonist passionately loves and his quest to find more books by the author which leads him places he would have never imagined.