Absolutely wonderful

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The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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This takes place in Madrid, 1957, during the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Tourists and foreign businessmen are heading to Spain, including Daniel Matheson, son of a Texas oil tycoon. He is a young photographer and meets Ana, who works in the hotel he's staying at and she introduces him to different aspects of the culture there. ⁣

I did not know much about the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco in Spain or what the people of Spain lived through during his rule and how far it extended. There were some chilling descriptions of what the people had to endure and keep quiet and it deeply saddened me.⁣

The characters were challenged by their family and societal needs, their struggles were poignant and deep, and the need to keep secrets hidden was of life or death for some. Ana and Daniel's love story was so lovely and I really enjoyed their journey and those that supported them. ⁣

This had a similar story line as in Before We Were Yours and it was heartbreaking to learn more about how this impacted over 300,000 families under Franco's dictatorship.⁣

Clocking in at 500 pages, this book initially overwhelmed me, but, they are extremely short chapters, told in alternating POVs. Don't let the size of this one feel daunting or that this is YA turn you away. ⁣