Sunday, July 04, 2010

A Spanish mystery

I loved The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, so I was delighted when The Angel's Game was published. I enjoyed this almost as much, although I was surprised by the ending. Personally, I had a different ending in mind. But, it is a highly complex story, and perhaps I need to read it again, to understand the chosen ending. The story is superb and completely captivating, although a little scary in places. So much is implied and I think that adds to the fear element. Barcelona sounds so full of passion, life and history, and the characters in the story were so full of drama. I couldn't put this book down. It centers on the life of a writer and his relationship with a kindly bookseller who encourages him from an early age to read and then write his own stories, and his wealthy mentor, also a writer, but not on the same scale. The story tells of betrayal, secrets, lies, madness, love, and desperate deals to prolong life, made with mysterious and fearsome publishers. It is beautifully written; a complete treasure; unputdownable.