The Angel's Game

by Carlos Ruiz Zafon | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0753826496 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingDelphi_Readerwing of Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on 4/21/2017
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2 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingDelphi_Readerwing from Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Friday, April 21, 2017
This book starts its journey with Book Crossing from Delphi, Greece
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"The stunning new novel from the internationally bestselling author of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND. In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man - David Martin - makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner.
Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Then David receives the offer of a lifetime: he is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home..."



~~~~~~To the person who found this book:~~~~~~

Welcome to BookCrossing.com, where we are trying to make the whole world a library!

If you have not already done so, please make a journal entry so we know this book has found a new home. Drop a few lines on where and how you found this book and what you thought of it. You don't need to join BookCrossing and you can remain completely anonymous. However, I encourage you to join so that you can follow this book's future travels. It's fun and free, and your personal information will never be shared or sold.

This book is now yours, and you can keep it if you choose, although I would love you to read and then share it. You can pass it on someone you know or release it once again in the wild, leaving it on a park bench, a phone booth, a hostel lobby...wherever you think it's suitable for the book to continue it's journey. If you pass it along, please make a release note to let others know where you left it.

I hope you enjoy the book!


Journal Entry 2 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Monday, May 1, 2017
I read this book sometime on 2015 in Greek, my native language. I bought this English edition book for Book Crossing purposes.

This is the second book of the "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" trilogy by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and chronologically the story comes before the first book, the Shadow of the Wind. Third book is called The Prisoner of Heaven. Latter the author published a few other books that sort of fit on the same "circle" . The Angel's Game is not exactly a prequel of the Shadow of the Wind though and one can read the books independently.

So, trying to write a review here without adding spoilers, let me clarify that when I read this book, I haven't read any other book by this author.
I absolutely loved Zafon's prose, using beautiful and original similes in nice, flower-ish, but not too complicated, sentences, making reading a joy. The book is a large one but features small-ish chapters and this helps too.

I enjoyed a lot the description of Barcelona in the '20s and I appreciated the fact that this came as a background of the story. Some authors do a lot of research about a specific time period and/or area of the world and then force facts and descriptions down the throat of the reader. But this book did not try to feed people with history or else, the information was coming naturally through the narration of the story.

Now, some characters of the book were shallow and rather obnoxious, but who said that book characters should always be likeable? If they are well-painted and interesting and/or if their presence helps the plot development, that's fine for me.

Some less possitive points I ought to mention though: Till about half of the book the ambiance was dark and intriguing and the plot very interesting. Maybe some incidents were not so realistic, but one could oversee those in favor of adding some "spice" to the story and help the plot flourish.

I admit that I read all kind of books, some thriller/mystery/horror/fantasy genre included, but I'm not a devoted fan, so maybe that's why I felt that the Angel's Game got a bit too much for my own taste about half way through. I don't want to spoil it for others, but after a certain incident described, although I was really reading the book very pleasantly till then, I suddenly felt the plot was turning so "heavy" and some scenes so unpleasant, that I had to make a break for an hour or two before returning to the book. All that said, my interest about what happens next did not drop!

Towards the end of the book, there seems to be lots of mayhem. Lots of murders, the paranormal and gothic element becomes stronger, there are lots of black magic and splatter scenes which are not my favorite... Still, I wanted to finish the book and understand why all these happened.

This is my main pet-peeve. The narration of the book contains some elements that one could interpret one way or another and lead the reader mostly on two different explanations of the story. Often some details supported one interpretation and contradicted the other and v.v.

I like books that leave some space for the reader's own imagination but here there are many sub-plots remaining unresolved and too many questions remaining unanswered. The book didn't come to a conclusion and the final scenes are less good than expected. I got really dissapointed by this.

All in all though, albeit some omissions and weak points and the disappointing ending, the story was really interesting , while reading was quite attractive due to the author's prose. So, I think this is a book worthing to be read. Having a look online, my understanding is that some plotlines will be explained on the third book of the trilogy, the Prisoner of Heaven which I haven't read yet.

Since reading the Angel's Game, I've read the Shadow of the Wind and I found it somehow more complete, but as I wrote before, both books worth a try.
Honestly, how can a book lover/a Book Crosser resist the idea of a Cemetery of Forgotten Books???

Journal Entry 3 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at By Mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, May 11, 2017

Released 6 yrs ago (5/11/2017 UTC) at By Mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book left Delphi, Greece this morning in order to travel the world and make many new friends! First stop: Finland. And then...who knows?

Good Luck my book and don't forget to write home from time to time...


Journal Entry 4 by Chania at Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Thursday, May 18, 2017
Thank you!! I've read the Shadow of the Wind and liked it a lot, so this will be interesting!!

Journal Entry 5 by Chania at Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Wednesday, January 9, 2019
I was going to start this book, but noticed that I've read it already. So it's free to go!

Released 5 yrs ago (3/8/2019 UTC) at Juustoportti, Jalasjärvi in Kurikka, Etelä-Pohjanmaa / Södra Österbotten Finland

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Enjoy the book!

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