A sweeping historical novel that breaks silences
Ruta Sepetys' The Fountains of Silence is a powerfully imagined reclaiming of voices and stories from Francoist Spain (dictadura franquista... the Francoist dictatorship).
This "crossover" historical epic intertwines the life of eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson (the privileged son of a Texas oil tycoon father and a Spanish-born mother) with the lives of Ana and Rafa (siblings working to survive the dictatorship, each in their own ways). Daniel's drive to be a photojournalist does more than conflict with his father's wishes; it forces him to truly see Spain's capital city, Madrid, in all its beauty and ugliness. And he will carry those pictures, those stories, with him.
What I loved about The Fountains of Silence...
-Sepetys' beautiful and evocative prose
-The historical background informing author's purpose
-The well-drawn central characters
What I didn't love so much about The Fountains of Silence...
Structure and pacing... These read as a bit off to me. In particular, the exposition is a little difficult to move through. Also, I would've liked to see a more consistent use of primary sources.
Thank you to Ruta Sepetys, Philomel Books/Penguin Random House, and Bookish First for my copy of The Fountains of Silence. This is a beautiful and important book.
This "crossover" historical epic intertwines the life of eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson (the privileged son of a Texas oil tycoon father and a Spanish-born mother) with the lives of Ana and Rafa (siblings working to survive the dictatorship, each in their own ways). Daniel's drive to be a photojournalist does more than conflict with his father's wishes; it forces him to truly see Spain's capital city, Madrid, in all its beauty and ugliness. And he will carry those pictures, those stories, with him.
What I loved about The Fountains of Silence...
-Sepetys' beautiful and evocative prose
-The historical background informing author's purpose
-The well-drawn central characters
What I didn't love so much about The Fountains of Silence...
Structure and pacing... These read as a bit off to me. In particular, the exposition is a little difficult to move through. Also, I would've liked to see a more consistent use of primary sources.
Thank you to Ruta Sepetys, Philomel Books/Penguin Random House, and Bookish First for my copy of The Fountains of Silence. This is a beautiful and important book.