Name: Omar Fernandez's review of El laberinto de los espíritus by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Item: El laberinto de los espíritus
Rating: 5
Author: Omar Fernandez

Carlos Ruiz Zafón

"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.

El laberinto de los espíritus

Omar Fernandez

Packend, rasant und voller Magie - der neue Zafón! Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Autor des Weltbestsellers ›Der Schatten des Windes‹, ist zurück! Mit seinen Romanen rund um den Friedhof der Vergessenen Bücher schuf der spanische Bestsellerautor eine der faszinierendsten Erzählwelten aller Zeiten. Die Verheißung, die mit ›Der Schatten des Windes‹ begann, findet mit seinem neuen großen Roman ›Das Labyrinth der Lichter‹ ihre Vollendung. Spanien in den dunklen Tagen des Franco-Regimes: Ein Auftrag der Politischen Polizei führt die eigenwillige Alicia Gris von Madrid zurück in ihre Heimatstadt Barcelona. Unter größter Geheimhaltung soll sie das plötzliche Verschwinden des Ministers Mauricio Valls aufklären, dessen dunkle Vergangenheit als Direktor des Gefängnisses von Montjuïc ihn nun einzuholen scheint. In seinem Besitz befand sich ein geheimnisvolles Buch aus der Serie ›Das Labyrinth der Lichter‹, das Alicia auf schmerzliche Weise an ihr eigenes Schicksal erinnert. Es führt sie in die Buchhandlung Sempere & Söhne, tief in Barcelonas Herz. Der Zauber dieses Ortes schlägt sie in seinen Bann, und wie durch einen Nebel steigen Bilder ihrer Kindheit in ihr auf. Doch die Antworten, die Alicia dort findet, bringen nicht nur ihr Leben in allerhöchste Gefahr, sondern auch das der Menschen, die sie am meisten liebt. Meisterlich verknüpft Carlos Ruiz Zafón die Erzählfäden seiner Weltbestseller ›Der Schatten des Windes‹, ›Das Spiel des Engels‹ und ›Der Gefangene des Himmels‹ zu einem spannenden Finale.

Roman

Das Labyrinth der Lichter

lola

The long-awaited new novel from the author of the global bestseller and modern classic, The Shadow of the Wind. As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul despite the moving efforts of his wife Bea and his faithful friend Fermín to save him. Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war. She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price. The Labyrinth of the Spirits is an electrifying tale of passion, intrigue and adventure. Within its haunting pages Carlos Ruiz Zafón masterfully weaves together plots and subplots in an intricate and intensely imagined homage to books, the art of storytelling and that magical bridge between literature and our lives. 'For the first time in 20 years or so as a book reviewer, I am tempted to dust off the old superlatives and event to employ some particularly vulgar clichés from the repertoire of publishers' blurbs. My colleagues may be shocked, but I don't care, I can't help myself, here goes. The Shadow of the Wind is a triumph of the storyteller's art. I couldn't put it down. Enchanting, hilarious and heartbreaking, this book will change your life. Carlos Ruiz Zafón has done that exceedingly rare thing - he has produced, in his first novel, a popular masterpiece, an instant classic' Daily Telegraph

From the bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind

The Labyrinth of the Spirits

This is the last book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. Very beautiful and amazing. Full of secrets and stories.  A four-volume long novel set in Franco-era in Spain. This is a story about writing, humanity, love, fear, pain, loneliness, and dictatorship.  I enjoyed it very much.  All the characters are  very real and well written and some  are unforgettable.

Shidehdeishidi

El Laberinto de los Espíritus

Arturo Hernández

Es la primera ve que leo una tetralogía y puedo decir que esta historia es de esas que no quieres que nunca terminen. Quizás es la facilidad con la que la historia se desenvuelve o la humanidad de los personajes, ya qué hay algo que hace este texto cautivador. Definitivamente añadiré más novelas de Carlos Ruiz a mi lista de pendientes...

Mary Garza

Que difícil despedirse de los personajes de esta bella tetralogía y a los que les tome mucho cariño Aunque este es el libro que menos me ha gustado tal vez esperaba que tuviera un mejor desenlace, en ocasiones sentía que se alargaba innecesariamente. Me sentía enganchada con todos los misterios que había pero lo que no me gustaba que se resolvieran de manera fácil y conveniente para los protagonistas. 

Lo que mas me gusto fue leer de nuevo a Fermín, Daniel y compañía, leer nuevos personajes como Alicia Gris, Vargas y Fernandito y conocer lugares de Barcelona y de España.

Andrea O. Ojeda

This book came into my possession because of the amazing cover art and stayed in my possession because of the dynamic range it offers to the reader. From top to bottom, there's mystery hidden within these pages and the reader will often feel overwhelmed with questions. These questions are what took me a while to sift through, thus making this one of the longest reads of my life. 

Not to mention the authors choice to ground the story within a very corrupt time period of Spain. The story takes place during the time Francisco Franco was in power and many positions and titles were bought rather than earned. Zafon took this historical information and morphed it into a scary plot that makes the reader wonder; did this really happen to so many during this time period? To better appreciate the plot I would suggest brushing up on the history of Francoist Spain .

My favorite characters within the novel are the strong, independent females that rise to the occasion and show the duality of women, even during a time when women were only considered useful behind the scenes. Alicia Gris with her wit and perseverance, Bea a protector to her family and anyone in need of love, and Ariadna for never forgetting where she came from. Maybe this will seem confusing at first, however once you read this novel it will all make sense. 

This is one of four novels within the  Cemetery of Forgotten Books  series. The great thing about this series is that they can be read out of order and still make sense. I would highly recommend this book to any mystery lover whom thrives on connecting the dots before the characters do.

In late 1950s Barcelona, Bea, the wife of Daniel Sempere, and his friend Fermín are trying to help him recover from the mysterious death of his mother when a woman offers to lead him to the secret of his family's past.

a novel

The labyrinth of the spirits

Celeste Richardson

For years, I thought The Shadow of the Wind was a standalone novel. When I learned that wasn’t the case, I ignored that information for more years. I thought The Shadow of the Wind was pretty nearly perfect on its own, and didn’t need expanded upon. I’ve read some marvelous books that should have been left alone, that had further books tacked on later that didn’t measure up to the first, and somehow manage to tarnish that first book. I didn’t want that to happen to my magical experience with The Shadow of the Wind, so I just ignored the rest of the series for a long time. But then, I found a gorgeous copy of The Labyrinth of the Spirits, the last of the quartet, on sale. I had to buy it for the cover alone, because it just captivated me. But I still didn’t think I intended to read it, or the two books between it and that first novel I had so loved. 
“Most of us mortals never get to know our real destiny; we’re just trampled by it.”
That is, until I shared a picture of my purchase, and Petrik immediately fell in love. If you know Petrik, you won’t be surprised to know that he quickly researched the book, which lead him to the rest of the series, and decided that he had to read The Cemetery of Forgotten Books as soon as possible. His enthusiasm was infectious, and TS decided to join him in reading the series. They both adored it, so much so that this particular book ended up being both of their second favorite novel of the year. Obviously, since the copy I bought had started them down this path, I had to give in and read it, along with its two predecessors. 
“Truth is never perfect, never squares with all expectations. Truth always poses doubts and questions. Only lies are one hundred percent believable, because they don't need to justify reality, they simply have to tell us what we want to hear.”
I really liked The Angel’s Game and The Prisoner of Heaven, but they didn’t quite capture me the way The Shadow of the Wind had. And then I arrived at this final installment, the book that I hoped would tie everything together and contain nearly the same magic as the first book. While it did indeed tie things together beautifully, it did not match The Shadow of the Wind.  It by far surpassed it. The Labyrinth of the Spirits was brilliant in every way, and made me retroactively love every other installment of the series even more. It, and the three preceding books in hindsight, has to be among the most mind-blowing, intelligent, moving novels I’ve ever read in my entire life. 
“There are times when it’s more honorable to die forsaken than to live in glory.”
Within the text, Zafón stated his belief that “stories have no beginning and no end, only doors through which one may enter them.” That’s not an idea I would have fully grasped before reading this series, but it’s absolutely true of the way in which Zafón designed The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. While I would still heartily suggest starting with the first novel and progressing in a linear fashion, each book is an entry point into the same sweeping story. I’ve never come across anything else set up in quite the same way, and this structure is part of the genius. The entire series truly is a labyrinth, and this installment brings us to its heart. I was totally awestruck.
“Sometimes, when the gods aren’t looking and destiny loses its way, even good people get a taste of good luck in their lives.”
While the structure is absolutely brilliant, it’s far from the only impressive element. I’m blown away by the intricacies of the plot. So much happens over the course of these four novels, and no detail is ever forgotten or misremembered or shrugged away as unimportant. Every single one of those details matters. The setting is incredibly lush and dark and vibrant, and Barcelona is truly a character in her own right. I am also constantly amazed by the fact that the beautiful prose is in fact a translation, which speaks volumes of both Zafón and of Lucia Graves for her work translating the original Spanish into English. Zafón says so much about the importance of stories and the trials of the writing life that ring so achingly true.
“A story is an endless labyrinth of words, images, and spirits, conjured up to show us the invisible truth about ourselves.”
But my favorite thing about these books, through which I think Zafón shines the brightest, is the cast. The characters are so multifaceted, so wonderfully and heartbreakingly real. They grew to matter so much to me, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to truly stop thinking about them. All of them had such glaring failings, so many beautifully fragile strengths. If you can’t tell, I was deeply invested, and their stories will no doubt stay with me for a very long time. 
“Tell our stories to the world, and never forget that we exist so long as someone remembers us.”
I’m so incredibly thankful to have read this series as a whole, and The Labyrinth of the Spirits in particular. Zafón was an incredibly gifted author, and I’m so glad he was able to leave the world this magnum opus. If I’m ever able to visit Spain, Barcelona will be the destination of me. I hope someday I can wander the streets and wonder if another city, one comprised of paper and ink, is waiting for me beneath the cobblestones.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Clara Moore

Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorite books so I was worried going into this one that it would fall short. However, it definitely did not disappoint. Zafon writes with such beautiful prose. It is incredibly detailed and descriptive without ever feeling too dense. Every time I picked up this book I was engrossed into his world building. Every twist and turn was ingenious and it feels like you are right there with the characters. It is an incredibly intelligent story and I would love to get to explore the Cemetery of Forgotten Books someday.

The internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author returns to the magnificent universe he constructed in his bestselling novels The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel’s Game, and The Prisoner of Heaven in this riveting series finale—a heart-pounding thriller and nail-biting work of suspense which introduces a sexy, seductive new heroine whose investigation shines a light on the dark history of Franco’s Spain. In this unforgettable final volume of Ruiz Zafón’s cycle of novels set in the universe of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, beautiful and enigmatic Alicia Gris, with the help of the Sempere family, uncovers one of the most shocking conspiracies in all Spanish history. Nine-year-old Alicia lost her parents during the Spanish Civil War when the Nacionales (the fascists) savagely bombed Barcelona in 1938. Twenty years later, she still carries the emotional and physical scars of that violent and terrifying time. Weary of her work as an investigator for Spain’s secret police in Madrid, a job she has held for more than a decade, the twenty-nine-year old plans to move on. At the insistence of her boss, Leandro Montalvo, she remains to solve one last case: the mysterious disappearance of Spain’s Minister of Culture, Mauricio Valls. With her partner, the intimidating policeman Juan Manuel Vargas, Alicia discovers a possible clue—a rare book by the author Victor Mataix hidden in Valls’ office in his Madrid mansion. Valls was the director of the notorious Montjuic Prison in Barcelona during World War II where several writers were imprisoned, including David Martín and Victor Mataix. Traveling to Barcelona on the trail of these writers, Alicia and Vargas meet with several booksellers, including Juan Sempere, who knew her parents. As Alicia and Vargas come closer to finding Valls, they uncover a tangled web of kidnappings and murders tied to the Franco regime, whose corruption is more widespread and horrifying than anyone imagined. Alicia’s courageous and uncompromising search for the truth puts her life in peril. Only with the help of a circle of devoted friends will she emerge from the dark labyrinths of Barcelona and its history into the light of the future. In this haunting new novel, Carlos Ruiz Zafón proves yet again that he is a masterful storyteller and pays homage to the world of books, to his ingenious creation of the Cemetery of Forgotten, and to that magical bridge between literature and our lives.

A Novel

Marloes

Always a literary sensation, full of details - and I admire Ruiz Zafon, all lines and details in the other books around the Cemetery of Forgotten Books come together in this one.

This was an excellent book. I read all 925 pages in two weeks and just didn't want it to end. 

To be honest, I have a lot of questions, I feel like I confused some events and can use some re reading. But, what an addictive and fun journey it's been reading these 4 books. This was a great fourth installment that tied together everything. It even made up for the third book, which I had my reservations about. 

Masterful series. One of my favorites, for sure. 

Spanien in den dunklen Tagen des Franco-Regimes: Ein Auftrag der Politischen Polizei führt die eigenwillige Alicia Gris von Madrid zurück in ihre Heimatstadt Barcelona. Unter größter Geheimhaltung soll sie das plötzliche Verschwinden des zwielichtigen Ministers Mauricio Valls aufklären, dessen dunkle Vergangenheit als Direktor des Gefängnisses von Montjuïc ihn nun einzuholen scheint. In seinem Besitz befand sich ein geheimnisvolles Buch aus der Serie Das Labyrinth der Lichter, das Alicia auf schmerzliche Weise an ihr eigenes Schicksal erinnert. Es führt sie in die Buchhandlung Sempere & Söhne, tief in Barcelonas Herz. Der Zauber dieses Ortes nimmt sie gefangen, und wie durch einen Nebel steigen Bilder ihrer Kindheit in ihr auf. Doch die Antworten, die Alicia findet, öffnen die Tür zu einer finsteren Intrige und bringen all jene in Gefahr, die Alicia am meisten liebt.

Nick Bicko

Mit 944 eng beschriebenen Seiten nochmal ein echter Schinken und trotzdem hat sich die gesamte „Friedhof der Vergessenen Bücher“-Saga mit jeder ihrer über 2600 Seiten in mein Herz gebrannt und findet mit diesem Band einen würdigen Abschluss. 

Hach, kann der Kerl erzählen. Eine mächtige Familiengeschichte mit zahllosen Ausläufern, die sich über mehrere Jahrzehnte erstreckt und die verschiedenen Stränge und Genres meisterhaft miteinander verbindet. Die Figuren sind zwar manchmal etwas eindimensional, funktionieren aber allesamt und werden vom überragenden Fermin Romero de Torres gekrönt.

Einzig dem Vorwort, das behauptet, man könne die Saga in beliebiger Reihenfolge lesen, möchte ich widersprechen. Es würde meiner Meinung nach viel verloren gehen, wenn man bspw. Band 3 und 4 vor dem ersten Teil lesen würde. Manchmal ist mein innerer Monk eben doch zu was gut.

Ohne ein Buchwichteln wäre ich wohl nie darauf aufmerksam geworden, jetzt bin ich sehr dankbar für „Der Schatten des Windes“ unter dem Weihnachtsbaum 2017.

Cath

so beautiful. every sentence is meticulous, and every character — no matter how minor — has so many layers to them. HOW does zafón do it?? i’m always in awe. it’s already going onto my favorite books list

Maribel González

Y todo ha acabado. Aún no sé cómo lo he terminado tan rápido. Ya lo echo de menos. Antes de empezar, pensé que quizás sería demasiado largo, pero no me ha sobrado ni una palabra. Zafón ha creado otra historia y a la vez ha dejado atados todos los cabos sueltos de los otros libros, los que se conocían y los que no. Ha presentado nuevos personajes increíbles. Me ha maravillado. Y releer el resto de la trilogía para leer este me ha hecho disfrutarlo aún más. Hasta siempre, familia Sempere. Ha sido un placer.

romanzo

Il labirinto degli spiriti

Giada Arenare 

Posso solo consigliarvi di leggerlo ♥️

Ben Nathan

I LOVE THIS SERIES. That is all. It's great. The universe of the cemetery of forgotten books is growing and brilliant. Beautifully written. It's so good.

Giulia 

Sono indecisa tra 2.5 e 3 🌟 
Lo stile è stupendo come sempre, ma la storia mi ha annoiata tantissimo! E poi, c’era proprio bisogno di fare tutte quelle battute sessiste? Lo so che era la società dell’epoca, ma avrei volentieri sorvolato tutte le volte in cui Alicia si vede dare della puttana per il modo in cui si veste e trucca.

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El laberinto de los espíritus by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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El laberinto de los espíritus by Carlos Ruiz Zafón