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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I love any good gothic story, but this one takes the cake. I enjoyed this book immensely. It had everything that I look for in a story I wish to immerse myself in. The plot was dark and complex, the characters so real I felt I knew them. The dialogue was so witty it almost hurt, and left me rereading line after line, just to experience it again. CRZ has done it again. I will read anything he writes.
I liked the first two parts of this book pretty well. I was a little bit disappointed in them, since I am such a huge fan of The Shadow of the Wind. In my opinion, this story was just not on that level in the first two parts. The characters weren't likeable and the story just didn't have the same flow, sparkle, and intrigue that Shadow did for me. I was, however, still enjoying myself and prepared for the third part to dazzle me with an amazing resolution of some kind. I was expecting a neat, little package that made sense, like the first book in this series.
Then the third part happened and I did not enjoy it. I was left with a whole bunch of new questions, one of which was "Wait...puppets?! Hold on here, sir!" Editors, if readers are left asking the question "Wait...puppets?!" in the last 50 pages of a book that's more than 500 pages that previously had nothing to do with puppets and never subsequently resolves the question of the puppets, you have not done your job. The third part makes little cohesive, narrative sense with the rest of the story. None of the central conflicts or mysteries of the story are adequately resolved, in my opinion. I was just left disappointed, unsettled, and unsatisfied. The writing was still beautiful, though.
Then the third part happened and I did not enjoy it. I was left with a whole bunch of new questions, one of which was "Wait...puppets?! Hold on here, sir!" Editors, if readers are left asking the question "Wait...puppets?!" in the last 50 pages of a book that's more than 500 pages that previously had nothing to do with puppets and never subsequently resolves the question of the puppets, you have not done your job. The third part makes little cohesive, narrative sense with the rest of the story. None of the central conflicts or mysteries of the story are adequately resolved, in my opinion. I was just left disappointed, unsettled, and unsatisfied. The writing was still beautiful, though.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I first read Zafon's Shadow of the Wind nearly 10 years ago. Not sure why it's taken me so long to read the follow-up novel, but I am so glad I did.
Pulp novelist David Martin is presented with an offer he cannot refuse: for a princely sum of money, write a new religion. This offer is made by a man referred to as "the boss". He is elegant and ageless. (The devil?)
The city of Barcelona in the 1930s serves as the setting for this story, though like the city of Edinburgh in Ian Rankin's Rebus series, Barcelona is more than a simple setting. Barcelona is a dirty, seething, rotting city on the edge of the world (so it feels).
The story bubbles at a slow simmer for most of the book, though the end is an outright hard and fast boil. I'm amazed at how all the loose ends got tied up/resolved. Zafon is a master of plotting and how he kept track of every thread was phenomenal.
Pulp novelist David Martin is presented with an offer he cannot refuse: for a princely sum of money, write a new religion. This offer is made by a man referred to as "the boss". He is elegant and ageless. (The devil?)
The city of Barcelona in the 1930s serves as the setting for this story, though like the city of Edinburgh in Ian Rankin's Rebus series, Barcelona is more than a simple setting. Barcelona is a dirty, seething, rotting city on the edge of the world (so it feels).
The story bubbles at a slow simmer for most of the book, though the end is an outright hard and fast boil. I'm amazed at how all the loose ends got tied up/resolved. Zafon is a master of plotting and how he kept track of every thread was phenomenal.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Carlos delivers again!
His writing is so fluid that I find myself never wanting his books to end.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
فاوست القرن الحادي والعشرين، بين مفستوفليس والشيزوفرينيا.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The writing was incredible in the book, just like it was in The Shadow of the Wind and it made me love this book. However, as the book went on the more confused I was about the plot and even the ending had me wondering what I had read. I think this is a book where you just have to go in and accept that things might not always be fully explained and you will never be sure what genre of book you are reading. I found this easier to read than The Shadow of the Wind but I think that is because the writing is so similar so I was used to the pacing and style going into it. Overall I would say I preferred Shadow of the Wind but this met my expectations and is a beautiful book in its own right.