Paperback, 848 pages
French language
Published May 2, 2018 by Actes Sud, ACTES SUD.
"En la Barcelona de finales de los años 50, Daniel Sempere ya no es aquel niño que descubrió un libro que habría de cambiarle la vida entre los pasadizos del Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados. El misterio de la muerte de su madre Isabella ha abierto un abismo en su alma del que su esposa Bea y su fiel amigo Fermín intentan salvarle. Justo cuando Daniel cree que está a un paso de resolver el enigma, una conjura mucho más profunda y oscura de lo que nunca podría haber imaginado despliega su red desde las entrañas del Régimen. Es entonces cuando aparece Alicia Gris, un alma nacida de las sombras de la guerra, para conducirlos al corazón de las tinieblas y desvelar la historia secreta de la familia... aunque a un terrible precio."--Back cover.
It could have been fascinating but felt drawn-out, cliche-ridden. I'm a native upanishad speaker but lately I can't be bothered with writers other than Perez-Reverte.
This terrific novel, set in Franco’s Spain, is part historical fiction, part noir thriller, and with its labyrinthine book “cemetery,” part homage to Jorge Luis Borges. This last part is interesting because as a writer par excellence of tight, truly multidimensional short stories, Borges sort of represents the antithesis of the 800-page behemoth that Zafón has handed us. His aim was to bind up the infinite into a handful of pages that leave you altered after reading them.
I have to be honest, this book, in particular the middle third or so, was a challenging read. Not because it was intellectually superior, but because Zafón took his time leading us through his labyrinth. This is a book for folks who like to read like they’re at a nine-course meal, but don’t mind some of the courses being simple or bland. Most of Zafón’s characters are wonderful creations, but some of …
This terrific novel, set in Franco’s Spain, is part historical fiction, part noir thriller, and with its labyrinthine book “cemetery,” part homage to Jorge Luis Borges. This last part is interesting because as a writer par excellence of tight, truly multidimensional short stories, Borges sort of represents the antithesis of the 800-page behemoth that Zafón has handed us. His aim was to bind up the infinite into a handful of pages that leave you altered after reading them.
I have to be honest, this book, in particular the middle third or so, was a challenging read. Not because it was intellectually superior, but because Zafón took his time leading us through his labyrinth. This is a book for folks who like to read like they’re at a nine-course meal, but don’t mind some of the courses being simple or bland. Most of Zafón’s characters are wonderful creations, but some of them, and the dialogue involved, are sort of cliché. This shortcoming is mostly overcome by the fantastic character Fermín, who though absent for much of the book, is the heart of it.
Overall, Zafón’s writing is very good, and he tells an important story in a fascinating way. This is the fourth and final book of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, which supposedly can be read in any order. Well, I haven’t read any of the others, and I never felt lost reading this one. When I am ready to reenter his labyrinth, I may resume with the third book and proceed in reverse order, sort of like how one cheats at a maze.
Another excellent book by Zafón terrific end to the story.
