Most helpful customer reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every book has a soul...., Aug 5 2009
Translated from Spanish by Lucia Graves.
I loved Zafon's breakaway bestseller novel The Shadow of the Wind and have eagerly awaited the release of The Angel's Game from Random House Canada.
David Martin is raised in poverty in Barcelona in the early 1900's. Orphaned, his love of words is what saves him. The owner of a bookstore - Sempere and Sons - also plays a significant role in his life. David lands a position at a newspaper and over the years works his way up to being a writer. He is befriended by a wealthy, older writer - Don Pedro Vidal - and begins writing successful, sensationalistic fiction under a pseudonym. When a mysterious French publisher, Corelli, offers him a small fortune to write a book that Corelli thinks will change the course of a belief system, he leaps at the chance. David moves into a small mansion that has been shuttered for years and begins to write. But Corelli is not what he seems and David's new home has secrets that threaten to consume him and those he loves.
The Angel's Game is intriguing, combining subtle supernatural elements with an actual mystery. It has a very gothic feel to it. There are many twists and turns, that change the story and keep you glued to the edge of your seat. Obsession is a theme running throughout the book - with love and language. David's love of Cristina - Vidal's wife and the written word are captured by Zafon's prose. His language is beautiful, seizing settings and bringing them to life. I could taste the dust in the bookstore.
The Cemetery of Lost Books plays a part in The Angel's Game as well. For those who haven't read The Shadow of the Wind, here's a passage that absolutely captivated me:
" This place is a mystery. A sanctuary. Every book, every volume you see, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down it's pages, it's spirit grows and strengthens. In this place, books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever, waiting for the day when they will reach a new readers hands, a new spirit..."
The ending is another one that I think will gender discussion. It is definitive, but may not necessarily be the one you saw coming.
Although Angel's Game and Shadow have connections, it is not necessary to have read Shadow to enjoy this new book. There are four books planned around The Cemetary of Lost Books - each able to be read as a 'stand alone.'
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING, Jul 27 2009
one word for this book- AMAZING... I was reading for three days without closing the book once.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The book with soul, Oct 19 2009
I loved this book for a reason that usually makes me hate them : the ending, in fact the whole book, is ambiguous. You have to decide, at some point, what you want to believe about the story. Is it an insane man going around, creating his own reality? Or is it more? I chose my course with no regrets. But even if you are not thrilled with the possibilities, the author's beautiful prose alone should keep you going. His is a gift of the words, a way to say things that I wish I possessed. Thank you, Mister Zafon, for the beauty of every sentence.
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