Take a photo of a barcode or cover
abbie_ 's review for:
The Fountains of Silence
by Ruta Sepetys
(#gifted | @penguinteen) What do you think of when you think of Spain? Sun? Sangria? Tourists? But the country has a relatively recent, dark past so often forgotten about outside of Spain, as it lived under dictator rule for 36 years. In Francoist Spain, Catholicism was the only accepted religion, workers’ wages were pitiful, women were expected to adhere to the traditional homemaker role and severely repressed, and censorship reigned. The Fountains of Silence is set in 1957 Madrid, when tourism and business relations from the US were beginning to take off, all the while Spaniards were still living under dictatorship.
.
Eight years of research went into this novel, and I applaud Sepetys’ level of dedication to her topics - she lists all her sources at the end and everyone who helped her, and you can just tell she has such passion for telling stories that also shed light on history. I had no idea of the horrifying practice of ‘stealing’ babies from Republican or ‘Red’ families thought to be degenerates under the dictatorship and putting them up for adoption with fascist families, and Sepetys does an admirable job of handling this storyline sensitively.
.
The characters are likeable and fleshed out - Daniel, a Texan with a passion for photography, but naive about the situation in Spain; Ana, a maid at an American hotel with plenty of secrets; Puri, a rather innocent cousin of Ana’s who believes in the regime but really does care for the children at the orphanage where she works. There was one whose storyline I liked yet didn’t know if it quite fit with the rest, but it was tied up quickly (and heartbreakingly).
.
The writing is simple yet effective, and her use of short chapters makes for a page-turning work of historical fiction. I devoured 465 pages in around a day and a half one weekend, I just couldn’t stop! Sepetys’ work is marketed as YA but can be read by all, but I do think some adults might not be a fan of the clear cut, tied up ending - I myself am not complaining (for reasons I can’t divulge for fear of spoilers), but yeah just putting that out there!
.
A well-researched, deftly plotted and emotional novel all round!
.
Eight years of research went into this novel, and I applaud Sepetys’ level of dedication to her topics - she lists all her sources at the end and everyone who helped her, and you can just tell she has such passion for telling stories that also shed light on history. I had no idea of the horrifying practice of ‘stealing’ babies from Republican or ‘Red’ families thought to be degenerates under the dictatorship and putting them up for adoption with fascist families, and Sepetys does an admirable job of handling this storyline sensitively.
.
The characters are likeable and fleshed out - Daniel, a Texan with a passion for photography, but naive about the situation in Spain; Ana, a maid at an American hotel with plenty of secrets; Puri, a rather innocent cousin of Ana’s who believes in the regime but really does care for the children at the orphanage where she works. There was one whose storyline I liked yet didn’t know if it quite fit with the rest, but it was tied up quickly (and heartbreakingly).
.
The writing is simple yet effective, and her use of short chapters makes for a page-turning work of historical fiction. I devoured 465 pages in around a day and a half one weekend, I just couldn’t stop! Sepetys’ work is marketed as YA but can be read by all, but I do think some adults might not be a fan of the clear cut, tied up ending - I myself am not complaining (for reasons I can’t divulge for fear of spoilers), but yeah just putting that out there!
.
A well-researched, deftly plotted and emotional novel all round!