Another meticulously researched book!
Ruta Sepetys does an incredible job of meticulously researching a time period and location. Honestly, you can tell she truly pours herself into getting all of the details correct and paying homage to the people who lived out those experiences. Fountains of Silence is truly no different. I'm ashamed of how little I know about the Spanish Civil War, but under Sepetys's care, I want to learn so much more now.
The story itself is beautiful and heartbreaking. I thought I knew where it was going to go, and I'm surprised that I didn't guess it all entirely. That, to me, is the mark of a good book--familiar enough but still surprising. I truly felt for all of the characters. Daniel's wide eyed optimism that slowly gets punctured, Ana's realism about her situation, and the side characters that truly flush the story out, all of them are incredible. There were moments I audibly gasped out loud.
The story itself is beautiful and heartbreaking. I thought I knew where it was going to go, and I'm surprised that I didn't guess it all entirely. That, to me, is the mark of a good book--familiar enough but still surprising. I truly felt for all of the characters. Daniel's wide eyed optimism that slowly gets punctured, Ana's realism about her situation, and the side characters that truly flush the story out, all of them are incredible. There were moments I audibly gasped out loud.