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saraisreading95's review against another edition
2.0
No ha sido un libro para mi, ahora, el final es precioso y me ha hecho llorar como una tonta.
oliw_ka's review against another edition
5.0
Zupełnie się nie spodziewałam, że ta książka tak mi się spodoba. Na poczatku trudno było mi się wciągnąć, ale później było lepiej. Jak już się wciągnęłam to trudno było mi się oderwać, przede wszystkim, ze względu na styl pisania. Był on absolutnie przepiękny i bardzo przyjemnie mi się czytało tą książkę. Bohaterowie wspaniali, bardzo ich polubiłam, właściwie już od pierwszych stron, przeżywałam wraz z nimi każde wydarzenie. Fabuła interesująca, zwroty akcji były niesamowite.
meganhart92's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nuriagb's review against another edition
4.0
Vull dir, m'ha destrossat el final i el fet de fer coincidir la història secundària amb la principal. Ha sigut molt fàcil de llegir encara que he de confessar que en alguns moment he passat por hehe.
namelikescrabble's review against another edition
4.0
I adored this book for several reasons. Firstly, I think that, in his books for young people, CRZ mastered the art of the Gothic fairy tale, the spirit of which he has carried over seamlessly into his adult works. The subtle, yet gloriously melodramatic plot twists which need to be read to be appreciated made this book a little gem.
Secondly, the narrator, Oscar Drai, provided a wistful and yet engaging voice with which to tell the story. CRZ captured beautifully the innocence of childhood friendship which turns gradually to the blind longing of first love, marking a pivotal "coming of age" in Oscar's character (again, I won't spoil the plot twist, as it's better savoured in the flesh.) With him we are intrigued, enthralled, amused, beguiled, as the various interlocking mysteries of the novel unwind themselves to a (typically overblown and) dramatic climax. The kicker, of course, is always in the ending.
Thirdly, as with all CRZ books, I will give another thumbs up for what I've taken to calling his "Barcelona City Porn". 'Marina' offered a change from the other books of his which I have read by showing the change in the city from the romantic Gothic of the 1920s, 40s or 50s, to the decrepit, decaying splendour of the 1980s as the city began to regenerate. Gone are the streets of David Martín's Barcelona, the Ravel quarter now the home of the impoverished, marking a subtle shift in the tone and dynamic of the world within Barcelona which CRZ has created in his fiction.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although it may have been seen to lack the complexity of his adult works, the overtly melodramatic charm of this novel (and melodramatic charm is something which this little book has in oodles) made up for any discrepancies. The characters were memorable, particularly the title character Marina and her father, the scenes artfully constructed (and rendered wonderfully as always by the translations of Lucia Graves) and finally, and most importantly, the ending was... well, it was well worth the adventure!
Secondly, the narrator, Oscar Drai, provided a wistful and yet engaging voice with which to tell the story. CRZ captured beautifully the innocence of childhood friendship which turns gradually to the blind longing of first love, marking a pivotal "coming of age" in Oscar's character (again, I won't spoil the plot twist, as it's better savoured in the flesh.) With him we are intrigued, enthralled, amused, beguiled, as the various interlocking mysteries of the novel unwind themselves to a (typically overblown and) dramatic climax. The kicker, of course, is always in the ending.
Thirdly, as with all CRZ books, I will give another thumbs up for what I've taken to calling his "Barcelona City Porn". 'Marina' offered a change from the other books of his which I have read by showing the change in the city from the romantic Gothic of the 1920s, 40s or 50s, to the decrepit, decaying splendour of the 1980s as the city began to regenerate. Gone are the streets of David Martín's Barcelona, the Ravel quarter now the home of the impoverished, marking a subtle shift in the tone and dynamic of the world within Barcelona which CRZ has created in his fiction.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although it may have been seen to lack the complexity of his adult works, the overtly melodramatic charm of this novel (and melodramatic charm is something which this little book has in oodles) made up for any discrepancies. The characters were memorable, particularly the title character Marina and her father, the scenes artfully constructed (and rendered wonderfully as always by the translations of Lucia Graves) and finally, and most importantly, the ending was... well, it was well worth the adventure!
tee_teeth's review against another edition
3.0
Even though I wasn’t crazy about it for the first half, I was really into it during the second half. I think I can confidently say that I’ve never read a book quite like this before. Also, it gives me lots of dark academia vibes, if you’re into that sorta thing.
All in all, it was a pretty solid book. The pacing is weird, because I didn’t think it was slow? But I still found myself getting bored? I also wasn’t crazy about the writing style, and I found myself wishing I had read this in Spanish instead of the translated version.
But yeah, it was weird, dark, very atmospheric, and very unique. It was almost disturbing to me at times lmaoo, but I enjoyed it. I even cried! Anyway, yeah, happy reading to all <3
All in all, it was a pretty solid book. The pacing is weird, because I didn’t think it was slow? But I still found myself getting bored? I also wasn’t crazy about the writing style, and I found myself wishing I had read this in Spanish instead of the translated version.
But yeah, it was weird, dark, very atmospheric, and very unique. It was almost disturbing to me at times lmaoo, but I enjoyed it. I even cried! Anyway, yeah, happy reading to all <3
monitos's review against another edition
5.0
Ya no recuerdo cuántas veces he leído este libro, pero cada vez que lo releo se queda otro pedacito de su historia en mí.
mjcglz's review against another edition
4.0
"parecía que las estrellas se habían caído del cielo sin avisar"
"el creía que la vida nos concede a cada uno de nosotros escasos momentos de pura felicidad. A veces sólo son días o semanas. A veces, años. Todo depende de nuestra fortuna. El recuerdo de esos momentos nos acompaña para siempre y se transforma en un país en la memoria al que tratamos de regresar durante el resto de nuestra vida, sin conseguirlo"
"solo recordamos lo que nunca sucedió"
"el creía que la vida nos concede a cada uno de nosotros escasos momentos de pura felicidad. A veces sólo son días o semanas. A veces, años. Todo depende de nuestra fortuna. El recuerdo de esos momentos nos acompaña para siempre y se transforma en un país en la memoria al que tratamos de regresar durante el resto de nuestra vida, sin conseguirlo"
"solo recordamos lo que nunca sucedió"
fatucarballo's review against another edition
4.0
Lloré leyendo este libro, tengo que admitirlo. Es que las historias con bucles, que empiezan y terminan igual, me llenan tanto y me hacen llorar que siempre los recuerdo con cariño.
Es una historia muy bonita pero triste. Muy contenta de que me obligaran a leerlo en el instituto, la verdad.
Es una historia muy bonita pero triste. Muy contenta de que me obligaran a leerlo en el instituto, la verdad.
nomorecoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0