Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Fountains of Silence

This book starts out slowly and there are many characters involved in the plot. As you read and gain insight into the lives and experiences of each character the story begins to pull you in. Once you start seeing the mysteries in the story it becomes more of a page turner. I was grateful to learn about this time period from an author who seems very interested in history and working collaboratively with the relevant people and sources to prevent inaccuracies. The book really comes together at the end.

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martamae77's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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katrinaburch's review against another edition

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informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh my. What a book. I knew bits and pieces about the time in Spain between 1929 and 1976 but wow this book. So well written. I was a little worried about it because it is long (my copy was almost 500 pages) but it is so worth well. Characters are well developed; I rejoiced in their happiness and was upset at their misfortune.

My only minor complaints are that I wish I as a reader could have gotten some more resolution about Purí. I felt that that storyline was kind of just left hanging. I also wish that there had been resolution with wether or not Christina was truly Julia's child.

And the romantic in me wishes we got a wedding for Daniel and Ana.

But damn this book, it's going to stay with me for a while .

"...feel powerful because you have money. Your money buys our wine a d sunshine, but it doesn't buy the right to our history"

"Truth breaks the chain of silence... It sets us free"

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smartens's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

“He scratched a proverb on the wall for future inmates: ‘Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, he became a butterfly.’”

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Wow, what an amazing book! Being over 500 pages, I was a little intimated to start this but the audiobook was superb and I flew through this.

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The story begins a little slow as Sepetys begins painting a picture of 1957 Spain, controlled by the dictator Franco. She immerses you in the people, the culture, their lives and the many secrets they keep. The silent vow they take. She examins this moment in history from multiple angles, following multiple characters who help show the reader that all is not what it seems in Spain. You have the American, the maid at the hotel and her family, a grave digger and an employee at a Catholic orphanage. But something is off. Children are going missing. Orphanages are overflowing. Mothers are asking about their children and where they went. But no one is giving answers, no one is saying anything.

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Sepetys slowly pulls back the layers of Franco’s Spain, exposing to Daniel (the naive American) what is actually going on and what all the Spanish people are enduring under the dictator. As I did not know much about Spain’s history, I found this story both fascinating and also horrifying.

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Sepetys is a master at humanizing history, bringing to life the words in our history books and giving voices to those who have been silenced for far too long.

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kimveach's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

For such a large book, this was a fairly fast read. I've read a couple of books set during Franco's war in Spain, but have never read about the time period after when he was the dictator for so many years. It was fascinating and sad.

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writingcaia's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Brilliant!
A love story between an American young man with a Spanish mother that travels to Spain with his parents in 1957 during Franco’s dictatorship to do a deal regarding oil, and collaboration between the USA and Spain, and a Spanish girl working at his hotel. A girl hiding who she is, a girl with an older sister hiding more secrets and an optimist brother that wants to help his friend become a matador.
It is definitely a story of secrets, country secrets, shameful secrets, secrets that crave to be known, of people hiding who they are, who their family was, or not even knowing who you are and can be, a story of poverty and repression, of different fates and waiting.
Amazing characters, and the revelation of a secret Spain kept hidden until 2008 that happened since the beginning of the fascist government until the 80’s.
I cannot even explain how completely enveloping and atmospheric this book was while uncovering such harsh realities, impossible dreams, and love. I truly felt the Spain of the 50’s, the shame, the wretchedness, the huge gap between the Americans that there lived and supported Franco dictatorship.
As hard as the story is, it does give you hope, and I loved it. And, recommend it to all that love amazing historical fiction stories, or generally amazing tales that happens to be inspired by true events.

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