A number of my most beloved books, are
about books. To name a few; The Name of the Rose by Umberto
Eco and The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte. But my
favorite of the lot is Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Cemetery of
Forgotten Books series. The story is set in Barcelona in the early to the mid twentieth century, with a
historical backdrop in turbulent times such as the Spanish Civil War
and then General Franco's ultranationalists, fascist regime. It is a
grand story about the lives of people who found themselves under the
circumstances, it is a story of their struggles and loves. The series
began with a stunner called The Shadow of the Wind, and it is
followed by The Angel's Game, a fascinating meditation on the
role of myths and the nature of beliefs. A couple of weeks ago I
decided to revisit this series, and since then I have been loving the
re-read experience. In the re-reads I discovered details which
escaped my eyes previously, and I also came to appreciate the
characters and the stories even more. My re-read has carried me to
The Prisoner of Heaven, this is the third installment in the
series, and it is also a direct sequel to The Shadow of the Wind.
Synopsis:
It
was Christmas time and the year was 1957, white snow decorated
Barcelona into a winter palace. For the Sempere family it was a time
of joys and celebrations; Daniel and his wife Bea welcomed the
arrival of a baby, while their best friend, Fermín
Romero de Torres was finally tying the knot with a wonderful lady.
The
mood of celebration,
however, evaporated
on the day when a dark stranger stepped into the Sempere bookshop.
This mysterious man brought with him a terrible old secret from the
early days of General Franco's reign. The secret dragged Fermín and
Daniel into a lethal game of exposing Barcelona's forbidden history,
about a man known as the prisoner of heaven.
My
thoughts about this book:
At 270 pages, The Prisoner of Heaven is a lot shorter than its two predecessors. The quality of writing in this book is top notch, and it is on par with the previous books. However, having read this book for the second time, I now see The Prisoner of Heaven more as a bridge to connect the previous books to the future story rather than a stand alone novel. Mind you, I still like The Prisoner of Heaven, yet I cannot help but feel the book is unable to stand on its own and it should have been a part of the next installment. This is especially since the book finished with a cliff hanger and it is quite short.
The
Prisoner of Heaven
took place in two different timelines; one is set in 1959, the other
is set in 1941. In the 1959 timeline, the book reunited the readers
with Daniel and Fermin, each is a fantastic character in his own way.
Along the duo also marked the return of our beloved support
characters, such as Bea, Isaac, Señor Sempere, and Bernada.
Meanwhile, the plot set in the 1941 timeline shed some lights into
the mystery of David Martin and some of Fermin's past life, and it
will answer some of the remaining questions from The
Angel's Game. The
characters who appeared in both timelines are memorable and likable.
However I would say Fermin stole the show with his remarkable wits,
and his roguish yet honorable character.
There
is a shocking reveal in The
Prisoner of Heaven. I
am currently half way through The
Labyrinth of the Spirits (the
concluding installment in the series), and from the hindsight I can
see how The Prisoner
of Heaven connects
the previous two installments with the fourth installment into a
grand story, while also keeping them stand-alone books. It is almost
as if the whole series is a maze with multiple entries, and one can
choose to venture into the maze from any entrance yet still reaching
the heart of the maze. The
Cemetery of Forgotten Books
is a stunning piece of literature with lovable characters, a
compelling story, and intricate worldbuilding. I feel as if Zafon
wrote these books for me, and this is telling me that these books are
very close to my heart, and I believe there are many kindred spirits
out there who feel the same. I highly recommend
The Cemetery of Forgotten Books
series.
Stay
tuned, next time I will review the final book in the series, The
Labyrinth of the Spirits,
a whopping tome of 800 pages.
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