Amy B. (BaileysBooks) reviewed on 8/29/2009 + 491 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

Even though this book was originally written in Spanish, nothing has been lost in the translation. This was an incredibly captivating, well written, and hauntingly beautiful book.

The plot is incredibly complex but is not hard to follow. It reminded me of those Russian nesting dolls...of plots within plots within plots. The story of the characters continues to unwind and intertwine until the very final pages. And while there is always a lot going on, the author manages to tie everything together in the end with plausible realism and no loose ends.

This is also a booklover's book. Anyone who treasures reading will marvel at the concept of "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books" and will watch with both horror and fascination as the entire collective works of Julian Carax are systematically tracked down and burned.

This book, while not what I consider to be fast-paced, was steady and suspenseful. The emotion of the characters is something that you feel keenly. Character development was exceptional. It is something of a hybrid of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and Arturo Perez-Reverte's "The Club Dumas." It is easily one of my new favorite books for the way that I couldn't put it down, for the way it stayed with me for a few days after I finished it, and for the disappointment I felt when I had no more of it to read.

This is an exceptional book and I cannot recommend it enough.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details