An excellent novel by a Spanish author, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who died too young.
I rarely rate a book 5 stars these days but this is one that I did. The setting is Spain in the first half of the 20th Century (with a little bit of Paris tossed in) and revolves around a young boy / young man and his quests - one is for love and the other is for information. The cast of characters are superbly created and the storyline is unique yet authentic.
The pace of the book will vary - fast, slow, medium as the stage is set, the back story is established and by then you are hooked.
I enjoy books about books but this isn’t exactly that. If you like books about books then you should read John Dunning’s Cliff Janeway books. This is a book however that involves a bookseller and a book and author. But it is more of a good versus evil plot and a “consequences” of actions.
This isn’t a novel you will probably read in a day. It is one you will probably read a little and then more. At least that is what I did. Then you will reach the point of no return and read it to its conclusion.
For the life philosopher, there are a lot of “quotes” worthy of thought. I highlighted a lot of phrases, sentences, and thoughts as I read it on my Kindle. “Readers are plentiful; thinkers are rare.” as Harriet Martineau said. This is a novel that will at times make you think.
I mistakenly thought it was on the BBC "Big Read" Top 200 list which is why originally picked it up to read. I've been reading my way through both the Modern Library Best Novels of the 20th Century and the BBC 200. However it was published after the BBC list was compiled. It was listed on a list circulated on Social media as being part of the BBC 100 but that list had several books listed that were not in fact on the BBC list. It's a mistake I'm glad I made. It's a book worth reading and it just so happens to fit into my latest reading the world project since the author was from Spain.
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