by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I had mixed feelings about this book, recommended by my book group. I didn’t finish it, nor do I intend to!
On the plus side, the characters are interesting, and the setting, even for someone who doesn’t really know Barcelona, comes across very vividly. I can imagine the narrow labyrinth of streets. The description makes me want to visit the city again.
The story has some clever twists and turns, but it doesn’t really work for me, for the following reasons:
1) the references to the Faust story are too laboured
2) the fantasy or magical parts are somewhat annoying and unnecessary
3) I find the text – or maybe it’s just the translation – a bit lumpy.
These are the comments I sent to the book group (I couldn’t make it to the meeting where the book was to be discussed. I don’t think I have anything to add, really. I don’t often give up on a book, but this one just didn’t grab me. Especially as I had some much better things to get my teeth into…
A rug and a book 