Scan barcode
A review by namelikescrabble
Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
4.0
I adored this book for several reasons. Firstly, I think that, in his books for young people, CRZ mastered the art of the Gothic fairy tale, the spirit of which he has carried over seamlessly into his adult works. The subtle, yet gloriously melodramatic plot twists which need to be read to be appreciated made this book a little gem.
Secondly, the narrator, Oscar Drai, provided a wistful and yet engaging voice with which to tell the story. CRZ captured beautifully the innocence of childhood friendship which turns gradually to the blind longing of first love, marking a pivotal "coming of age" in Oscar's character (again, I won't spoil the plot twist, as it's better savoured in the flesh.) With him we are intrigued, enthralled, amused, beguiled, as the various interlocking mysteries of the novel unwind themselves to a (typically overblown and) dramatic climax. The kicker, of course, is always in the ending.
Thirdly, as with all CRZ books, I will give another thumbs up for what I've taken to calling his "Barcelona City Porn". 'Marina' offered a change from the other books of his which I have read by showing the change in the city from the romantic Gothic of the 1920s, 40s or 50s, to the decrepit, decaying splendour of the 1980s as the city began to regenerate. Gone are the streets of David Martín's Barcelona, the Ravel quarter now the home of the impoverished, marking a subtle shift in the tone and dynamic of the world within Barcelona which CRZ has created in his fiction.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although it may have been seen to lack the complexity of his adult works, the overtly melodramatic charm of this novel (and melodramatic charm is something which this little book has in oodles) made up for any discrepancies. The characters were memorable, particularly the title character Marina and her father, the scenes artfully constructed (and rendered wonderfully as always by the translations of Lucia Graves) and finally, and most importantly, the ending was... well, it was well worth the adventure!
Secondly, the narrator, Oscar Drai, provided a wistful and yet engaging voice with which to tell the story. CRZ captured beautifully the innocence of childhood friendship which turns gradually to the blind longing of first love, marking a pivotal "coming of age" in Oscar's character (again, I won't spoil the plot twist, as it's better savoured in the flesh.) With him we are intrigued, enthralled, amused, beguiled, as the various interlocking mysteries of the novel unwind themselves to a (typically overblown and) dramatic climax. The kicker, of course, is always in the ending.
Thirdly, as with all CRZ books, I will give another thumbs up for what I've taken to calling his "Barcelona City Porn". 'Marina' offered a change from the other books of his which I have read by showing the change in the city from the romantic Gothic of the 1920s, 40s or 50s, to the decrepit, decaying splendour of the 1980s as the city began to regenerate. Gone are the streets of David Martín's Barcelona, the Ravel quarter now the home of the impoverished, marking a subtle shift in the tone and dynamic of the world within Barcelona which CRZ has created in his fiction.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although it may have been seen to lack the complexity of his adult works, the overtly melodramatic charm of this novel (and melodramatic charm is something which this little book has in oodles) made up for any discrepancies. The characters were memorable, particularly the title character Marina and her father, the scenes artfully constructed (and rendered wonderfully as always by the translations of Lucia Graves) and finally, and most importantly, the ending was... well, it was well worth the adventure!