Reviews

The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

gloo_mj's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

4.0

thienthuan09's review against another edition

5.0

Đẹp và phức tạp. Bộ này đúng là kiệt tác, và mình nhất định sẽ đọc lại nhiều lần về sau.

"Một câu truyện là mê cung của lời nói, hình ảnh và linh hồn, được gợi lên cho ta thấy sự thật vô hình về chính ta."

Tập cuối đúng thực là như một mê cung, nhưng chắc chắn là rất đáng đọc. Người đọc sẽ gặp lại các nhân vật ở phần trước, thấy họ trưởng thành, đi trên con đường riêng, và già đi.

Thôi, để đây, khi nào có bản dịch của Nhã Nam (?) thì đọc lại viết review tiếp.

baswoon's review against another edition

4.0

The foreword said this series can be read in any order but I can't help feeling as though I missed out on a lot of context by reading the last one first, especially during the ending/epilogue.

gwynn_sky's review against another edition

5.0

I really liked reading it. It combined all the styles of the first three volumes of the series. What threads needed to be sewn, he sewed. And he left new ones, which he leaves up to the reader. All characters are original, real, lovable. Sometimes, they squeeze the human soul, sometimes they make you laugh. It is one of the must-read books.

donnawr1's review against another edition

4.0

It was with enjoyment with a tinge of sadness that I started reading this 4th and final book of the Cemetary of Forgotten Books Series. It is a massive tome that introduces new characters and plotlines, especially emphasizing the horrible, but true, torture, murders and kidnappings of the Franco regime. The time period makes the story Gothic, because it was such a difficult time where death was everywhere. The weather in Barcelona always seemed to be misty, raining, cold and uninviting. I never realized life was so bad during and after the civil war in Spain, so I appreciate learning more about that. Zafon wanted to wrap up every detail from all 4 books, so you really should read this book last, and not so far apart. I couldn't remember some of the details, especially from book 2, so spent some time while reading this trying to piece those details together again. Even though I enjoyed the writing, by the end, I just wanted it to be over. Please finish the book! At the same time, I am very sad that Zafon passed away during the Pandemic, although from cancer instead of Covid. He was a masterful writer and it was a pleasure to have spent hours of my life in his worlds.

Oddly, there was one point that I felt was really unsettled and I wonder if anyone else has some insights about it. Spoiler alert section below if you were also thinking about Leandro Montalvo toward the end.

Spoiler

Leandro must have wanted Alicia to kill him. He knew how to manipulate people, especially women, so well. He knew that what he spoke into the telephone, even without connecting to anyone, would be the only thing he could say that would make her shoot him.
I never got any sense from the story why this complicated man would want to do that. Was he really so upset that she wanted to leave him?

In the end, what reader can resist a complex novel about libraries, bookstores, scores of authors, forgotten books and information, forgotten people, and all kinds of wonderful little bits put in about writing:

A story is, after all, a conversation between the narrator and the reader, and just as the narrators can only relate as far at their ability will permit, so too readers can only read as far as what is already written in their souls.

A story has no beginning and no end, only points of entry.

"To write is to rewrite," he kept reminding me. "One writes for oneself and one rewrites for others."

deacro's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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? N/A

5.0

leahwargent's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

dnsmonique's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

vivatomatoes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.0

michieldecock_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

"The Cemetery of Forgotten Books is een metafoor niet enkel voor verloren boeken, maar ook voor verloren ideeën, verloren mensen, voor de herinnering..."