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Barcelona, 1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife, Bea, have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julián, and their close friend Fermín Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades in the city's dark past.
His appearance plunges Fermín and Daniel into a dangerous adventure that will take them back to the 1940s and the early days of Franco's dictatorship. The terrifying events of that time launch them on a search for the truth that will put into peril everything they love, and will ultimately transform their lives.
Prisoner of Heaven is Carlos Ruiz Zafron's third book and is a sequel to his other two books, The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game.
It is set once again in Barcelona, Christmas time in 1957. Daniel Sempere is married to his wife, Bea. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julian, and their close friend Fermin Romero de Torres is about to be wed. A mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop. His appearance takes Fermin and Daniel into an adventure that takes them back to the 1940s and the early days of Franco's dictatorship. In this book we learn the background of Fermín Romero de Torres. Not only are secrets revealed about Fermin but Daniel also discovers secrets about his connection with David Martin which were touched upon in The Angel's Game.
Although, all three books can be read in any order, my suggestion would be to read The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game first. There are many references to these two books throughout The Prisoner of Heaven.
Carlos Ruiz Zafron is one of the word's most read and best-loved writers and I was anxiously awaiting this novel for another dose of his beautiful prose. He did not disappoint, as this novel was an excellent bridge beween the first two and answers some questions but not all. Zafron does leave you at the end with an added anticipation for the last and final novel of the series.
I highly recommend this book and I give it 5 stars!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz-Zafón, translated from Spanish by Laura Graves
The last installment in the Zafón trilogy that deals with the “Cemetery of Forgotten Books”--the other two being The Shadow of the Wing, and The Angel’s Game.
Plot:
The book is narrated by Julián Sempere, son of the owner of Sempere Bookstore in Barcelona. It’s Christmas 1957 and sales have not been good. Mr. Sempere starts a Nativity scene on the store’s display. Things pick up. One day, when Julián is left alone to manage the store, a stranger buys the most expensive book in the store--300pesetas--with a 1000 peseta bill and leaves the change. The book is for Fermín Romero de Torres, Julián’s best friend and co-worker in the bookshop. The stranger leaves a note: For Fermín Romero de Torres, who came back from among the dead and holds the key to the future.
Julián can’t resist his curiosity and follows the stranger back to an hourly hotel where the man has rented a room for two weeks.
The strange man plunges Fermín--who’s about to marry Bernarda in two months--and Julián into a dangerous adventure that will take them back to the 1940’s and a prison in the early days of Franco’s dictatorship.
The terrifying story deals with the governor of the Prison--Mauricio Valls--an evil man responsible for Julián’s mother death, Fermín as prisoner number 13, his infamous escape from that prison, and David Martin--The Prisoner of heaven--who masterminds Fermín’s escape and writes The Angel’s Game--as a gift to Julián--and tells the story that transforms all of their lives.
Comment:
The three books can be read in any particular order and are the best I’ve seen come out of Spain. They read easily and once you start them, you can’t put them down. I strongly recommend them to everyone....
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 25, 2013
When I was turned on this writer I was not sure I would his work. How wrong was I. With each page I read I am in Barcelona at Sempere Book Store. Carlos Ruiz Zafron paints a picture and you can't help but feel drawn in. You get to know and feel his characters as if they can be you or someone you know. A book like this you don't want to ever finish but when you are done all you can say is damn that was good book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Prisoner of Heaven is the third book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon hooked me with The Shadow of the Wind (Book 1), left me desiring a little more with The Angel’s Game (Book 2), but tied it all together fabulously with The Prisoner of Heaven (Book 3).
The author says that the books can be read in any order, and when you change the order, you change the way you experience the story. This seems to be true, however, I loved reading the books in the order they came out, where The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game were somewhat related, but I wasn’t sure how until The Prisoner of Heaven came along and basically slapped me in the face with its awesomeness.
The Prisoner of Heaven may have been my favorite of the three books. I could not put it down, reading all 300 pages in less than a day.
Daniel Sempere is happily married and running the family bookstore with his father and best friend Fermín Romero de Torres. Fermín will soon be married, but something is in the way. When Fermín opens up to Daniel about what really has occurred in his past, secrets are revealed, questions are answered, and more questions arise.
The Prisoner of Heaven was a phenomenal read that sucked me in and kept me turning the pages without wanting to put the book down. Carlos Ruiz Zafon did a great job tying up loose ends while still leaving the book open at the end for another in the series (which I would read in a heartbeat if you are writing it!). And of course, Daniel visits the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, which is one of my favorite fictional places in the entire world.
I highly recommend that you read all three books in this series, but I have to say, I think this book was the best of all three so far!
Who’s up for a trip to Barcelona???
I received this book from TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.
What do you think about reading a series out of order?
Thanks for reading,
Rebecca @ Love at First Book
KrittersRamblings
Posted September 8, 2012
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
The third in a sort of series that made me fall even more in love with the characters and the setting of this bookshop in Barcelona. With repeating characters, this book was easy to get into and even harder to put down - I loved revisiting some of the characters at a different point in their lives and seeing what they were up to at this moment.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jessie93
Posted August 24, 2012
This book answered several questions left from The Shadow of the Wind
and The Angel's Game. It is set, again, in Barcelona. Daniel is alone
in the Sempre & Sons bookshop when a mysterious old man walks in
asking for Fermin. Once he leaves Daniel decides to follow him. After
confronting Fermin about the mysterious man Fermin starts to tell him
"the truth". Fermin's back story finally comes to light and
the web of corruption and old secrets starts to unravel. You will hear
about the connections between Daniel and other characters from The
Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's game. Although all three books can
be read in any order, I would NOT recommend you start with this book.
First read either The Shadow of the Wind or The Angel's Game then
proceed to read The Prisoner of Heaven and the remaining book in any
order.
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the third book in the Forgotten Books series. The first two books, The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game have been international best sellers.
Daniel Sempere and his wife Bea are content with their life and their beautiful new baby, Julian and that their good friend, Fermin Romero de Torres is about to get married. But when a strange walks into Sempere's book shop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret about Fermin, their happiness subsides.
Daniel and Fermin go down a path which they might never come back, and if they do, they will never be the same. The story jumps from Barcelona 1957, to 1940 -- a terrible time in Spain's tumultuous history to reveal, piece by piece, more about the characters which we thought we knew.
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is also set in Barcelona, much like the other books. This time though the story toggles between the 1940s and the late 1950s .
This book is almost impossible to put down, if you liked the first two (especially The Shadow of the Wind), you will love this book is it keeps the same storytelling and most of all, the same wonderful sense of humor. The book is shorten than its predecessors, the structure, which as mentioned above still follows a past/present thread is more clearly defined. In the previous books the thread was intermingled and took some getting used in order to follow properly.
Out of the three books, this one is the least self-contained. I would actually recommend reading the other two, especially The Angel's Game first because The Prisoner of Heaven ties up a lot of loose ends which can only be understood in the reference of the back story and familiarity with the prior books.
I forgot how much I liked the fabulous character of Fermin Romero de Torres, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite literary characters. A romantic at heart, linguist in mind and a dreamer by trade, Fermin's outrageous and often hilarious observations leave me in envy and awe with a thirst for more.
I remiss not to mention another one of the author's unsung characters, the city of Barcelona which is revealed, throughout the series in all her grit and glory in both sun and shade.
One could not also forego Zafón's tributes to previous masterful storytellers. From obvious Dumas to Cervantes, Dickens to Hugo these masters would be proud of the homage paid to them (in purpose or just in this reader's mind - does it even matter?) in another masterful tale.
The great narrative, prose and wonderful comedic timing continue in the strong tradition of the Forgotten Books series. I read many translated books and I have to say that this series is probably the finest translated (even though I don't read in Spanish). Usually there are
BeautifulBelief
Posted August 5, 2012
Overall, I liked this story because it was quintessentially Zafón's style and prose, but it seemed to be lacking in detail when compared to "Shadow of the Wind". Although I did enjoy reading about Fermin's backstory, I would have liked to have seen more of a development with Daniel, especially in regards to his relationship with Bea. It was an interesting story that kept me invested, but it was not the author's best work. Furthermore, I would've liked for the book to be longer; it just seemed too brief and restrained to its brevity. I am not sure if the lack of detail in the prose relates to the translation, but that is another issue. Final verdict: if you've liked Zafón's other work(s), then you should definitely read this, but don't be expecting anything near the accomplishment of "The Shadow of the Wind".
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 3, 2012
I must confess I read the hardback edition. "Prisoner of Heaven" is the third book in a wonderful cycle of novels. Others have suggested that it's the last or the next-to-last volume. Ha! Start with any of them, read them all, and don't believe the cycle is finished until the author says so.
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Overview
Barcelona, 1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife, Bea, have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julián, and their close friend Fermín Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades in the city's dark past.
His appearance plunges Fermín and Daniel into a dangerous adventure that will take ...