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juniperbranches's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This absolute brick of a book is a gorgeous window into feudal Spain. Arnau is only an infant when his father Bernat is forced to take the child and hide in the city of Barcelona as a runaway serf. According to the laws of the land, if the two can survive a year and a day in Barcelona they both become free men, no longer indentured to their feudal lord. This is the beginning of Arnau’s life and sorrows in the city of Barcelona. The plague, the Spanish Inquisition, heart break, starvation and more dog Arnau’s heels persistently, but his dedication to the people of his adopted city and his love of the Virgin Mary displayed in the Santa Maria church get him through.
I read this as an introduction to the city of Barcelona as we will be landing there in 3 days and I wanted to get a feel for the city and it’s history. In that respect it’s an amazing book. In terms of pacing, characterization and story telling it has its slow moments. The author occasionally gets carried away with the history and the dialogue can get clunky, but overall I enjoyed it. I feel like I know the city a little bit and I’m very excited to visit Santa Maria while we are there!!
I read this as an introduction to the city of Barcelona as we will be landing there in 3 days and I wanted to get a feel for the city and it’s history. In that respect it’s an amazing book. In terms of pacing, characterization and story telling it has its slow moments. The author occasionally gets carried away with the history and the dialogue can get clunky, but overall I enjoyed it. I feel like I know the city a little bit and I’m very excited to visit Santa Maria while we are there!!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Slavery
estefizaga's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Keep in mind, this book takes place in Barcelona of the XIV century ... Very different beliefs from ours.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Classism
a_blue_sun's review against another edition
1.5
If you don’t want to read about large amounts of sexual violence towards women, skip this book. The translation is clunky and I felt like the series dragged. As far as I can tell the book is well-researched and historically accurate. Most of he characters seemed flat and uninteresting, and I don’t think any of the female characters had any motivations that weren’t directly connected to the central male character.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape
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