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There are currently 15 member reviews
for The Angel's Game
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Marcia S. (Hendersonville, NC)
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Another author I can add to my list of favorites. Thank you BookBrowse. After reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Angel’s Game I will definitely add his first book, The Shadow of The Wind, to my list of ‘must reads’. The author’s lyrical style and insightful descriptions of Barcelona balanced the darkness of his themes of good and evil, gothic mysticism, death and deals. Though tedious in places, The Angel’s Game is a great read and should be ranked as a masterful classic novel.
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Liz G. (South Pasadena, CA)
Another book not to be forgotten
Although this novel includes the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, it is not a sequel to the author’s popular novel The Shadow of the Wind. It is set in Barcelona and includes many elements of a gothic horror story: old houses, hidden rooms, secrets, decay and mysterious characters. The reader can decide if the book includes any ghosts. Zafon is a really good story teller. The descriptive passages about views of the city from various vantage points make it almost like a surrealistic travel log. Many book clubs will really want to add this title to their reading list.
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Hollie D. (Sunbury, OH)
Nothing lost in translation!
After a friend sent me an advance copy of The Shadow of the Wind, I've been watching for Carlos Ruiz Zafon's next effort, and hooray for BookBrowse for making it available! Zafon's plot construction and writing are just as beautiful here as in Shadow, and The Angel's Game is one of those wonderful books that you keep picking up and putting down, because as badly as you want to read it, you also want to make it last as long as possible.
And, if you never understood the quibbling over various translations of classic text, then you need to read Zafon translated by Lucia Graves. I can't imagine a translator doing more to preserve and convey an author's work, and her deftness with his sarcasm and humor are remarkable.
Now, we just need to get Guillermo del Toro to bring one of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's works to the big screen!
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Cathy W. (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA)
Outstanding
I loved Shadow of the Wind and when I had the opportunity to request an advance copy of Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s latest novel, I jumped at the chance. The language is beautiful -- I was hooked from the first paragraph. The power of the written word and love of literature are key components of this prequel. The Sempere and Sons bookstore and Cemetery of Forgotten Books are once again part of the framework. The plot is complicated and the story is much darker than Shadow of the Wind, but the diabolical characters, obsessive love interest, and supernatural events are woven into the story in such a masterful way that despite the unlikely chain of events, the book is impossible to put down. I would read anything by this author.
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Jim R. (Goleta, CA)
He's Done It Again!!!
How does he do it? Another masterpiece from Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Another brilliant homage to books and reading. Another novel rich with language, amazing characters, and fraught with mystery and adventure. If you liked The Shadow of the Wind;, you will love The Angel's Game. As I read the last page of The Angel's Game tonight I literally closed the book and whispered “Oh, my God.” And if Señor Zafon holds true to his word from an interview several years ago, The Angel's Game; is only the second of a quartet of novels he has planned with beautiful Barcelona as their backdrop. And lest we forget her, kudos to Lucia Graves who translated both The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game. Please Señor Zafon never stop writing!
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Susan F. (Doral, FL)
A Superb Read!
If you liked his previous book, "Shadow of the Wind" then you will undoubtedly like this one too. I do. Although I haven't quite finished this book yet I'm savoring every word written as I'm mesmerized by this Gothic tale and don't want it to end.
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Judy K. (Sunland, CA)
An Irresistable Tale
For readers who loved The Shadow of the Wind, Zafon's follow up novel will not disappoint. Set once again in Barcelona, a young writer struggles with loneliness, ambition, unrequited love and a puzzling character who seems to offer David Martin a chance to achieve his wildest dreams. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books figures in the tale as well as the dark and disturbing currents of the city. Best of all, Zafon delves into philosophy, questions of good and evil, the purposes of literature and the personal tragedies that underlie society's troubles. The novel is a page turner that also addresses the issues of the world with intelligence, wonder and even humor. Who can resist a book about books, writing, love and danger?
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