Continuación de la emocionante zaga. ( )

While a great continuation of characters from his two previous novels, Zafon stumbles a bit here in trying too much (in my opinion) and ends up making a novel that demands more resolution than is provided. That's the only thing that's knocked this down from 4 starts to 3 for me. ( )

I wondered if I'd get through this one as it was a bit dark, a bit lagging, and a bit cheesy---but in the end, everything came together for a pretty satisfying read. While refreshing myself on the plots of the previous two stories online, I found that there's a fourth and final book to be released in the coming year! Yay! At over 800 pages (paperback) I hope it knocks our socks off... ( )

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxIrUbrr7MY/

Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Prisoner of Heaven: This installment felt like the most regular thriller of the series, but anything Zafón does is far and above most authors of thrillers. #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )

El prisionero del cielo
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Publicado: 2011 | 254 páginas
Novela Intriga
Serie: El Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados #3 /sL2QN79Y_ZG4

Barcelona, 1957. Daniel Sempere y su amigo Fermín, los héroes de La Sombra del Viento, regresan de nuevo a la aventura para afrontar el mayor desafío de sus vidas. Justo cuando todo empezaba a sonreírles, un inquietante personaje visita la librería de Sempere y amenaza con desvelar un terrible secreto que lleva enterrado dos décadas en la oscura memoria de la ciudad. Al conocer la verdad, Daniel comprenderá que su destino le arrastra inexorablemente a enfrentarse con la mayor de las sombras: la que está creciendo en su interior. Rebosante de intriga y emoción, El Prisionero del Cielo es una novela magistral donde los hilos de La Sombra del Viento y El Juego del Ángel convergen a través del embrujo de la literatura y nos conduce hacia el enigma que se oculta en el corazón de El Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados.

Ik denk dat ik het eerste deel van dit boek ooit eerder gelezen heb, ik had namelijk continu het idee dat ik het al eens had gelezen, maar ik wist totaal niet hoe het verhaal verder zou gaan. Vanaf zo'n beetje het midden had ik niet meer zo'n déjà vu en sleepte het verhaal me ook veel meer mee.

Het las makkelijker dan de eerste 2 delen en het is absoluut een intrigerend verhaal. Ik geniet van de schrijfstijl van Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Hij beschrijft zeer beeldend de omgeving en de sfeer waarin de hoofdpersonen zich bevinden. Ik ga absoluut deel 4 ook nog eens lezen, maar omdat zijn boeken me toch steeds wat moeite kosten, ik denk ook vooral om de vaak toch wat naargeestige sfeer, zal het nog wel even duren voor ik aan deel 4 begin. ( )

Una tercera entrega forzada que bien pudo haber entrado como preámbulo de la que será la cuarta y en la que se pudieron ahorrar al menos 100 paginas. Cuando leí "El juego del Ángel" quedé cautivada y no pude esperar a "La sombra del viento," de hecho, las dos primeras partes las califiqué con 4 y 5 estrellas respectivamente. Decepcionante una tercera entrega de una serie de muy buenas historias. ( )

I burgosuri i Qiellit lidh sërish dramat e Hijes së erës dhe Lojës së engjëllit, dhe hedh dritë mbi misteret që kishin mbetur të pazgjidhura, vetëm për të hapur pyetje të tjera shqetësuese.

The year is 1957. It’s just before Christmas in Barcelona and Daniel and Bea are living with their son above the bookstore Sempere & Sons. The faithful servant Fermín is about to get married. One day an old man visits the bookstore and he wants to buy an old and valuable version of The Count of Monte Cristo. But he doesn’t take the book with him instead he leaves the books with a dedication…

The book continues the story that started in The Shadow of the Wind and also has ties with The Angel's Game which story takes place before The Shadow of the Wind. In many ways it’s a really good story, you get to know what happened to David Martin from The Angel's Game and his connection to the Sempere family. Well, you don’t get all the answers, the ending has a “to be continued” feeling over itself. And since the book had only 300 pages (the Swedish version) and I just think Carlos Ruiz Zafón could have written well at least 100-200 pages more and just given the book a better ending instead of leaving one hanging. Well, it’s a smart move because now one just has to have the next book… when it comes…

The Angel's Game was such a great book that really pulled you inside and this book for all its promises didn’t really reach the same level, it was good and I love the connection to The Count of Monte Cristo (need to re-read the book), loved to know what happened to David Martin, how and where he wrote his book. I just want more…more Daniel Sempere and more David Martin…more about the Cemetery of Forgotten Books... ( )

Recensione qua: http://thereadingpal.blogspot.it/2017/02/recensione-69-il-prigioniero-del-cielo....


"Quella notte le ho raccontato soltanto una piccola parte della storia, Daniel."
"Credevo che si fidasse di me."
"Io, a lei, affiderei la mia vita a occhi chiusi. Non è questo. Se le ho raccontato
solo una parte della storia, è stato per proteggerla."
"Proteggermi? Da cosa?"
"Dalla verità, Daniel... Dalla verità."


Ebbene, mi ritrovo ad aver finito anche il terzo libro di questa tetralogia firmata Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
In questo libro i volumi precedenti si congiungono e tutti i nodi vendono al pettine. Anche se il migliore resta L'ombra del vento, in il prigioniero del Cielo Zafon recupera parte del terreno perduto in Il gioco dell'Angelo, che non mi aveva convinta del tutto.
Qui ritroviamo Daniel e Bea, ormai sposati e con un figlio. I Sempere hanno tenuto a galla la libreria, anche se ci sono sempre dei problemi. Férmin è, sorprendentemente, ancora con Bernarda, e i due si dovrebbero sposare a breve, sennonché qualcosa sta turbando Férmin dopo l'apparizione di uno strano uomo in libreria che lascia per lui un emblematico regalo. Il nostro "don Juan" sembra l'ombra di sé stesso, ha perso peso, è sempre più agitato e non ha più la sua lingua affilata.
Così, ci addentriamo in questo romanzo, che si concentra molto di più sul passato di Férmin, fino ad ora lasciato poco più che sconosciuto. Ritroviamo David ed Isabella e David in particolare sarà un personaggio importante, un legame tra Férmin e Daniel fin da prima della fuga del primo dal castello di Montjuïc. Se quell'elemento "fantastico" ne Il gioco dell'Angelo non mi aveva convinta, è perché non lo è. Fin da subito, grazie agli occhi esterni di Férmin e degli altri internati, capiamo che David è un uomo ormai fuori di testa, completamente pazzo, ma ancora legato ad Isabella da una profonda amicizia. Ad un certo punto ci viene anche il dubbio, seppur piuttosto flebile nel mio caso, che Daniel sia il figlio di David e non di Sempere.
Com'è ovvio ormai in questa serie, troviamo un nuovo antagonista. Questa volta il "cattivo" prende la forma di un certo don Mauricio Valls, legato a Férmin in quanto suo carceriere, ma anche a Daniel, per ragioni emblematiche e che probabilmente ritroveremo nel prossimo volume. Letterato di poco talento, legato al regime, uomo viscido e subdolo, fin da subito Valls mi ha ispirato una profonda antipatia.
Ci viene qualche dubbio anche sulla lealtà di Bea nei confronti di Daniel. Questo penso sia più qualcosa id legato al fatto che, a parte i racconti di Férmin sui tempi del carcere, la storia è raccontata da Daniel in prima persona, e la comparsa dell'ex di usa moglie lo mette in agitazione. Daniel è diverso da come lo ricordavo, una differenza che nota anche Férmin stesso, che glielo fa notare.
Una piccola gioia personale è stata il matrimonio tra il nostro e la sua Bernarda: finalmente Férmin può lasciare andare il passato, almeno in parte, e godersi il proprio futuro. Rimane irrisolta invece il "file" Valls, in quanto l'uomo sembra essere scomparso, ma Daniel ha ancora sete di vendetta.
Vedremo come andrà a finire! ( )

I loved the original book and was hoping the second would be as enchanting. The plot was patched together and the female characters were as dimensionless as the paper they were printed on. Also, the depictions of violence are not for the faint of heart. ( )

Zafon is so good that I not only completely enjoyed The Prisoner of Heaven, but I also remembered why I loved Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game so much. I wanted to read them again and I will. And I will enjoy them even more for having read The Prisoner of Heaven.

Where to start?

The writing: lyrical and vivid don't do Zafon's skill justice. They are just words. My words. Sort of like someone giving you a brush and the exact colors that Degas used to paint a masterpiece. A nice start, but you won't get there. I will just say that very, very few writers have ever painted a picture like Zafon does. Old school, classical, timeless, beautiful. I feel lucky to have his books to read.

The characters: Dickens and Dumas would love these characters. They are complex, endearing, vivid...alive. Brimming with humor and menace, they leap off the page. It just doesn't get any better.

World building: you and feel the damp and smell the aroma of Barcelona. You can't get closer without a time machine.

Tone and style: Gothic with a sense of humor and rapier wit. You will run out of note cards on which to copy quotes. I really feel that Mr. Zafon is a modern Dumas. What is it about these Spanish writers (also thinking of Arturo Perez Reverte) that makes them so good? They are throw-backs in such a good way. Every time I read them I feel that someone discovered a great lost Dumas novel in their attic.

Story: seamlessly weaving into the prior books, it made me want to re-read them just to experience them again in light of this wonderful new story that provides both a present story and a back story to a central character---so the action both follows AND predates the other books. Don't be afraid to read them out of order, but you really should start with Shadow of the Wind as it really sets the whole Zafon world in motion. My only gripe? I was done too fast. You fly through Zafon's books and while it was a satisfying story, I wanted more. He is the only writer that I can think of that I wish every book that he wrote was 1,000 pages long.

He may not be to everyone's taste, but if you like gothic, atmospheric, old style dark adventures; if you really love Dumas; if you love to visit vast, ancient cities and meet characters both sinister and angelic, then you will love Zafon's books. ( )

🤯🤯🤯
Ok. So the book itself is great. Of course. But I just couldn't remember enough of The Angel's Game to satisfy me, so when I finished this, I went back and read a couple summaries to remember. And then. Ohmygosh, combined with what happened here. What I ... think happened/is happening.. well. Zafon. 👏🏽. 👏🏽. 👏🏽. 👏🏽. 👏🏽. My hat is off to you. 🎩

I look forward to the 800-page "last book," which I will call the conclusion. ( )

I made a mistake on this and read what is the 3rd(II think ( )

Had to refresh my memory about a few familiar characters by reading some of my reading notes of previous books in the series. I enjoyed this book nearly as much as I did the previous two.

I have to admit I am a bit befuddled as to who is using Fermin's name to find him. Also, not clear why David Martin returns after years of successfully avoiding authorities. And accompanying that question is a few about Christina: where is she and who is caring for her.

Is it possible Zafon is modifying a few key points of the story to create more options for the 4th book in the series?

Better than the second one, but not nearly as perfect as the first of the series.
Peter Kenny is the narrator of the audiobook.
3.75 stars, and recommended.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/412591577?book_show_action=true&from_r... ( )

I was looking forward to this having enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind a couple of Years ago, but i was a little disappointed.

The story was relatively easy to follow, though the telling of the tragic treatment of Fermin in jail and the way that he escaped and made a new life. It didn't have the atmosphere or intrigue that The Shadow of the Wind had.

That said, it is still well written and translated, and a pleasure to read. ( )

Though I could sense there were tangential connections among this series of books by Ruiz Zafón, I didn't realize upon previous completion of book two that the plots of all four would be so unexpectedly intertwined. Comparatively brief, The Prison of Heaven focuses on Fermín's surprising and horrifying back story as a political prisoner under Franco's regime, and reveals his connection to the Sempere family. Well done -- I enjoyed it and look forward to the series conclusion, The Labyrinth of the Spirits. ( )

I liked this story better than the second one, this felt more concise and I appreciated it being more linear. I really like how the story line is all coming together, and I'm looking forward to the 4th book. ( )

Marvelous! ( )

The third in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, The Prisoner of Heaven draws together the lives of the previous two books' main characters, but also gives sufficient back-story for the book to work on its own.

Daniel Sempere, of The Shadow of the Wind, is now married with a young son, and that book' best character, Fermin, is planning his own wedding to Bernada. But he is not as happy as one would expect, and one evening (and over the course of several chapters), he explains his councerns to Daniel.

This process of bringing the previous two strands together by means of Fermin's back-story makes this work feel a little clunky. In its own right, this book is average. Inevitably, as part of a series, it must be compared to its predecessors, and while it is an immense improvement on The Angel's Game, it is, well, a shadow of Shadow of The Wind. It's a lightweight read, with little depth, and no great character development. And I was rather annoyed to find most of The Angel's Game appears to be written off, in this book, as the imagination of a man in the process of losing his mind

It also leaves a huge number of mysteries and unanswered questions. Why does Valls seem to disappear from public life in 1956? Where is Salgado's fortune? Where did Bea go if she didn't meet her former fiancé? Why was said fiancé asked by his employer, a company owned by Valls, asked to reconnect with Bea? It feels as if Ruiz Zafon will inevitably write a fourth in the series, but I'm unconvinced that the last two have been strong enough to maintain the momentum. ( )

This felt more like a very long prologue to the final book in the series. I really enjoyed the first 2 books and part of my issue with this book was more a personal issue of my memory fading of the previous story so I got confused at times. The meat of the story is in the last 5% of the book, so I am glad I did not abandon this book. I will definitely read the final installment when it comes out, but may need to revisit the entire series before then. ( )

Audiobook performed by Peter Kenny

Book three in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series.

Just before Christmas 1957 a mysterious stranger appears in Barcelona’s Sempere bookshop. He knows much more than he lets on but it’s clear he poses a threat to Fermin Romero del Torres. Fermin is about to be married and the secrets the stranger threatens to reveal will destroy him. Daniel pledges to help but first he must understand the events of 1940s Barcelona during the Franco regime.

Oh, I love Zafón’s writing! The book is very atmospheric; I can feel the chill of a wintery wind, smell the candlewax and dust, practically taste the delicacies offered at 7 Portes restaurant (a dining establishment I have, in fact, visited in real life), or feel the pain of blows inflicted by a ruthless prison guard.

There are twists and turns and changes in time line that confuse, obfuscate, tease the reader and illuminate the plot. I caught references that helped tie in the first two books, though, in fact, any of them can be read as a stand alone novel, and they do not need to be read in any particular order.

Peter Kenny did a fine job of narrating the audiobook. He had many characters to deal with and managed to give them sufficiently unique voices to differentiate them. HOWEVER, he chose to use British accents for everyone and that drove me nuts. The book is Spanish, the characters are Spanish, NONE of them should have a Cockney accent! Lost a star there. ( )

I really enjoy these books. They aren't action packed and full of intensity, quite the opposite really. The story unfolds slowly and I can understand how that wouldn't appeal to every reader, but it has ne invested in these characters. Each book compliments the previous and adds to the character's lifetimes. I feel like I know them all personally as if they were real, not fictional. Another great story and wonderful to listen to on audio. ( )

Continuing the story, pulling some loose ends together and unraveling others

My third book in a binge read of the Cemetery of lost books series. Some questions raised by prior volumes are answered and the background of characters fleshed out.
Ruiz says he tries to create scenes as in a movie and the books hang together almost like the serials at Saturday Matinees of yore.
Was David Martin Crazy or not. Was his ‘the boss’ the devil? Not answered here, but the suggestion that the next volume will reveal more answers.
I find my effort to keep track of people and places is helping me to fit the whole story together.
On to the Labrynth. ( )