El laberinto de los espíritus
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- Create Date：2021-06-25 09:56:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- ISBN：0525562885
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Summary
The internationally acclaimed， New York Times bestselling author returns to the magnificent universe he constructed in his bestselling novels The Shadow of the Wind， The Angel’s Game， and The Prisoner of Heaven in this riveting series finale—a heart-pounding thriller and nail-biting work of suspense which introduces a sexy， seductive new heroine whose investigation shines a light on the dark history of Franco’s Spain。 In this unforgettable final volume of Ruiz Zafón’s cycle of novels set in the universe of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books， beautiful and enigmatic Alicia Gris， with the help of the Sempere family， uncovers one of the most shocking conspiracies in all Spanish history。 Nine-year-old Alicia lost her parents during the Spanish Civil War when the Nacionales （the fascists） savagely bombed Barcelona in 1938。 Twenty years later， she still carries the emotional and physical scars of that violent and terrifying time。 Weary of her work as an investigator for Spain’s secret police in Madrid， a job she has held for more than a decade， the twenty-nine-year old plans to move on。 At the insistence of her boss， Leandro Montalvo， she remains to solve one last case: the mysterious disappearance of Spain’s Minister of Culture， Mauricio Valls。 With her partner， the intimidating policeman Juan Manuel Vargas， Alicia discovers a possible clue—a rare book by the author Victor Mataix hidden in Valls’ office in his Madrid mansion。 Valls was the director of the notorious Montjuic Prison in Barcelona during World War II where several writers were imprisoned， including David Martín and Victor Mataix。 Traveling to Barcelona on the trail of these writers， Alicia and Vargas meet with several booksellers， including Juan Sempere， who knew her parents。 As Alicia and Vargas come closer to finding Valls， they uncover a tangled web of kidnappings and murders tied to the Franco regime， whose corruption is more widespread and horrifying than anyone imagined。 Alicia’s courageous and uncompromising search for the truth puts her life in peril。 Only with the help of a circle of devoted friends will she emerge from the dark labyrinths of Barcelona and its history into the light of the future。 In this haunting new novel， Carlos Ruiz Zafón proves yet again that he is a masterful storyteller and pays homage to the world of books， to his ingenious creation of the Cemetery of Forgotten， and to that magical bridge between literature and our lives。'
Reviews
Lieve Melis
，
Een indrukwekkende finale van een schitterende reeks！ Meesterlijke verhaallijnen die met elk boek dat je leest meer en meer in je lijf gaan zitten！ Om te lezen， te herlezen en telkens weer te genieten！
Jill Ann Lim
，
I loved these 4 books。 His writing is so beautiful。 The way he blends and mixes the characters between books is unexpected and brilliant。 Closing this last book， I immediately want to start over again with the first， Shadow of the Wind。
Nimhesil
，
Foto effettivo: 4。5 （un po' lento all'inizio） Foto effettivo: 4。5 （un po' lento all'inizio） 。。。more
Elf
，
Me atrevería a decir que es la mejor de todas。 Sin embargo， también hay que reconocer que no se lee en un vacío。 Precisa que hayas leído las anteriores。
Camila Vallejos Bustamante
，
El Laberinto de los Espíritus de Carlos Ruiz Zafón， cómo decir que lo he amado， pero aún así no sería suficiente para expresar todo lo que me ha gustado， y no sólo este libro， sino la tetralogía en sí， está perfectamente escrita， hilada， conserva cada detalle， que aunque crees que lo olvidaste， el autor dirá día palabras y llegarán a tu cabeza todos los recuerdos de los libros anteriores。 Zafón， se pasa cuatro libros hablando de libros y escritores， de obras maestras y siento sinceramente que es El Laberinto de los Espíritus de Carlos Ruiz Zafón， cómo decir que lo he amado， pero aún así no sería suficiente para expresar todo lo que me ha gustado， y no sólo este libro， sino la tetralogía en sí， está perfectamente escrita， hilada， conserva cada detalle， que aunque crees que lo olvidaste， el autor dirá día palabras y llegarán a tu cabeza todos los recuerdos de los libros anteriores。 Zafón， se pasa cuatro libros hablando de libros y escritores， de obras maestras y siento sinceramente que esta saga lo es， para es y será unos libros que se han robado mi corazón， me siento orgullosa de ellos， avergonzada de no haberlos leído antes， pero quizás antes no le hubiese dado la importancia que les doy algo， me quedó con que por algo los leí en este momento。Son libros con alma， con corazón y sonará extraño que lo diga， si ya leíste la saga la sabes， pero es que es la mejor forma de describirlos， el autor se dejó todo， cada emoción， cada caracterización de sus personajes， cada descripción de esa Barcelona lúgubre。 Conocer a Daniel en La Sombra de el Viento y reencontrarnos con él ahora， crecido y oscuro， donde la vida lo ha vuelto triste。 Ver cómo cada historia y personaje tiene su qué， y por qué de ser， de estar… todo nos lleva a la familia Sempere， aunque cuando empiezas esta cuarta entrega piensas ¿qué me estás contando？ De donde salió todo esto， pero no te desanimes （para mi fue un no parar） pero continúa， qué es una historia que tiene tanto que entregar。 Conocer a Alicia， definitivamente fue atravesar por un laberinto oscuro y emocionante， sus intrigas。 Lo sucedido con Valls y todo aquellos presos de Montejuic， vaya qué historia。 El trasfondo de los crímenes cometido en la guerra y postguerra civil española。 Es un libro， una saga que tiene tanto para dar， y yo amé cada página， hasta su final。Pero con el Preludio de El Laberinto de los Espíritus es MARAVILLOSO。 Con la parte de Julián por momento tuve reparos， pero termino con ganarme。Mis respetos y admiraciones infinitas a mi personaje favorito Fermín Romero de Torres， lo extrañare！ Siempre aportando su gracia， y sinceridad。 。。。more
Alison Peters
，
Oh my， all the character's stories of the series come together。 Any reader of this book should read （or reread if you don't remember the names） at least "Prisoner of Heaven" first to really know the background。 I scanned and took notes of all 3 of the previous books because it had been too long which made this book so much more enjoyable。 I will miss all the characters - Fermin， David， Daniel， Alicia， Isabelle， Julian。 And Barcelona。 Oh my， all the character's stories of the series come together。 Any reader of this book should read （or reread if you don't remember the names） at least "Prisoner of Heaven" first to really know the background。 I scanned and took notes of all 3 of the previous books because it had been too long which made this book so much more enjoyable。 I will miss all the characters - Fermin， David， Daniel， Alicia， Isabelle， Julian。 And Barcelona。 。。。more
Stephen
，
Brilliant Will be a while before I find books of this quality I imagine。 Loved all 4。 Fermin is one of my all time favourite characters
David
，
A satisfying conclusion to a story of enormous proportions， and a book that seems to get better each time I read it。 This one uses the well-travelled trope of the text that ultimately is about how it came itself to exist。 The fact that Ruiz Zafon is able to use such an old tried-and-true formula in a way that carries plenty of surprises and unexpected twists is a credit to his imagination。 I will re-read the whole sequence again。 Many times。
William Jr。
，
This book was poetry。 Literary story telling at the highest level。 True art。
سلمى العاقل
，
الجزء الأخير من رباعية المقبرة المنسيّةتأثير الكتاب؛ بحياة الإنسانالرواية طويلة؛ لكنها ممتعة。。。 الجزء الأكبر عن ألـيـثـيـا الفتاة الذكيّة؛ التي سرقت الحرب والظلم منها حياتها؛ رغم أنها لاتزال موجودة فيها؛ لكنها بقايا شخصيّة تنكريّة، لا تشبه ألـيـثـيـا الأصليّة بشيء، لم يبقى من ألـيـثـيـا إلا ذكرى في ذاكرتها؛ وذاكرة فرمين。。。。 عاشت فيها تلك الطفلة الذكيـة الحالمة، وإن بقي شيء من أليثيا الأصليّة، فهو ولعها بالكتبعن الظلم، عن قهر الحرب ووحشيتها، وحشية الإنسان، عن كم الوحشية القادر الإنسان ابتكارها، ا الجزء الأخير من رباعية المقبرة المنسيّةتأثير الكتاب؛ بحياة الإنسانالرواية طويلة؛ لكنها ممتعة。。。 الجزء الأكبر عن ألـيـثـيـا الفتاة الذكيّة؛ التي سرقت الحرب والظلم منها حياتها؛ رغم أنها لاتزال موجودة فيها؛ لكنها بقايا شخصيّة تنكريّة، لا تشبه ألـيـثـيـا الأصليّة بشيء، لم يبقى من ألـيـثـيـا إلا ذكرى في ذاكرتها؛ وذاكرة فرمين。。。。 عاشت فيها تلك الطفلة الذكيـة الحالمة، وإن بقي شيء من أليثيا الأصليّة، فهو ولعها بالكتبعن الظلم، عن قهر الحرب ووحشيتها، وحشية الإنسان، عن كم الوحشية القادر الإنسان ابتكارها، الوحشيّة التي يبتكرها السياسيون، وعن مبررات هذه الوحشيّة، بل وحتى إلباسها ثوب الصواب والواجبعن زيف رجال الدولة والسياسة، ووحدتهم، لا؛ عن موت الإنسان بداخلهم؛ موت الشعور 。。。。 عما تقدر السلطة أن تفعله، كيف تحول الإنسان إلى وحش مهذب أنيقرواية تقول الكثير عن الإنسان، الكتاب وهي الأفضل في السلسلة، بعد ظل الريح👍🏻😊 。。。more
Alejandra Gómez
，
Una historia increíble， me encantó el personaje de Alicia， la historia de la mamá de Daniel （Isabella） que se conoce más a profundidad en el segundo libro （El juego del ángel）。 El misterio de la trama fue un punto que capturó mi atención junto a las diversas historias que se iban contando de cada personaje， no esperaba ciertos giros y el final me dejó con un sentimiento de nostalgia。Comencé a leer esta saga cuando estaba en el colegio todavía y la terminé justo cuando estoy culminando mis estudi Una historia increíble， me encantó el personaje de Alicia， la historia de la mamá de Daniel （Isabella） que se conoce más a profundidad en el segundo libro （El juego del ángel）。 El misterio de la trama fue un punto que capturó mi atención junto a las diversas historias que se iban contando de cada personaje， no esperaba ciertos giros y el final me dejó con un sentimiento de nostalgia。Comencé a leer esta saga cuando estaba en el colegio todavía y la terminé justo cuando estoy culminando mis estudios universitarios。 Me ha acompañado en este recorrido y sin duda， la recordaré siempre。Algunos de mis frases o quotes favoritos son:"Se bebe para recordar y se vive para olvidar""Uno solo es libre hasta donde desconoce la verdad""Qué hermosa sería la vida si fuésemos capaces de querer a quien lo merece" "En el poder las puñaladas nunca llegan de frente， siempre por la espalda y con un abrazo""Cuéntele al mundo nuestras historias y jamás olvides que existimos mientras alguien nos recuerda" 。。。more
Karolina Konduracka
，
ja to dokończę， ale nie teraz
Cse Mrtn
，
A grand finale to the cemetery of forgotten books series。 Zafon is a master of weaving together a massive storyline that spans generations and ties it together perfectly at the end。
Samar Al otaibi
，
من اعظم السلاسل
Martina Rumas
，
Esta saga es excepcional， de 10。 Es una mezcla de casi todos los géneros: histórica， thriller， drama， romance， fantasía。。。 Todo tan bien narrado， con un estilo tan exquisito， que es imposible no amarla。A este le doy 4 estrellas porque a pesar de que estos libros me encantan， este se me ha hecho muy largo por momentos。 En algunas ocasiones estaba deseando que acabara ya， otras quería que fuera lento para disfrutarlo。 Así que supongo que esos sentimientos de aburrimiento aparecieron en algunas par Esta saga es excepcional， de 10。 Es una mezcla de casi todos los géneros: histórica， thriller， drama， romance， fantasía。。。 Todo tan bien narrado， con un estilo tan exquisito， que es imposible no amarla。A este le doy 4 estrellas porque a pesar de que estos libros me encantan， este se me ha hecho muy largo por momentos。 En algunas ocasiones estaba deseando que acabara ya， otras quería que fuera lento para disfrutarlo。 Así que supongo que esos sentimientos de aburrimiento aparecieron en algunas partes porque， a mi parecer， sobraban。Volvemos en este tomo a la Barcelona de mediados del siglo XX。 Estas obras transcurren entre la guerra y la posguerra civil española， entre los 30， los 40 y los 50 más o menos。Aparecen aquí todos los personajes de los libros anteriores， lo que lo convierte en un final de saga espectacular。La trama intermedia （ya que se enredan unas cuantas）， la de Alicia y sus investigaciones， es la que a veces me ha sobrado。 He amado a Alicia， es una protagonista fuerte y empoderada。 Una mujer de armas tomar muy digna de admirar。 Para mí Alicia ha sido belleza， erotismo， elegancia y explosión。 Muy Mata Hari la muchacha。Pero en algunos momentos sentí que esa trama sobraba， pues no le veía relación directa con la familia Sempere， que es la que viene importando en esta saga。 Tiene relación， sí， pero no tantísima。 No sé cómo explicarme。Es verdad que era intrigante todo， y el como se resuelve es muy propia de un thriller de altura， pero en muchas ocasiones me hallé pensando: y dónde están Fermín y Daniel？Con ellos empieza esta historia y con ellos termina， sí， pero entre medias se teje esa historia llena de subtramas y de tejemanejes que pa qué。 Vaya portento el Zafón para crear todo eso。Es muy disfrutable， por supuesto。 Toda una novela llena de intrigas en la que no sabes qué papel juega cada uno。Pero me quedo con mi Fermín y mis Semperes。 Y es que ese final。。。 🥺🥺🥺 El último libro， ese en el que Julián cuenta su historia。。。 Creo que he empezado a llorar con la primera palabra。 Vaya final más emotivo， ese encuentro de personajes， ese momento en que entiendes de dónde nace todo。 He llorado como una magdalena。 No hubiera pensado en un final mejor para esta saga。 。。。more
Dania
，
La historia se quedó conmigoExiste un antes y un después de Carlos Ruíz ZafónAnimo a los que no han leido esta saga， que lo hagan y la disfruten。 El maestro del cementerio de los libros olvidados。 Me encantó de principio a fin
Parascovia Belschi
，
Am ascultat acest roman cu sufletul la gură， am savurat frazele bine rotunjite， personajele conturate deplin， misterul， filosofia subtilă și umorul。 Deși primele cărți ale seriei le-am citit cu câțiva ani în urmă， istoria orașului umbrelor m-a cuprins și mi-a readus în inimă Barcelona și personajele ei frumoase
Sage
，
What an amazing author and even more amazing translators！ This is not a genre I would typically choose but highly recommend Carlos's books to any and everyone。 His last three books I read in one sitting。 This one I wanted to savor。 When a regime （fascist or democratic） changes， "。。。setting aside the puppet shows， the only thing that matters is who will be ruling， who will have the keys to the register， and how they're gong to split up other people's money among themselves。" This is STILL true。 E What an amazing author and even more amazing translators！ This is not a genre I would typically choose but highly recommend Carlos's books to any and everyone。 His last three books I read in one sitting。 This one I wanted to savor。 When a regime （fascist or democratic） changes， "。。。setting aside the puppet shows， the only thing that matters is who will be ruling， who will have the keys to the register， and how they're gong to split up other people's money among themselves。" This is STILL true。 Even the child trafficking talked about in the book is not fiction nor past history but still history in the making -- be brave enough to seek out Truth， go down the rabbit hole。 。。。more
Lily
，
An incredible end to one of my favourite series of books ever。 I'm honestly gutted to have finished this book series。 800 pages of brilliant storytelling and I can't wait to reread the whole thing。 The pacing was perfect and I didn't feel bored at any point。 It really wraps up every characters plots completely and thats a very satisfying （but rare！！） way to end a series of books。The only reason I took away a star is that some of zafon's female characters feel a bit 2D。 All the women are femme fa An incredible end to one of my favourite series of books ever。 I'm honestly gutted to have finished this book series。 800 pages of brilliant storytelling and I can't wait to reread the whole thing。 The pacing was perfect and I didn't feel bored at any point。 It really wraps up every characters plots completely and thats a very satisfying （but rare！！） way to end a series of books。The only reason I took away a star is that some of zafon's female characters feel a bit 2D。 All the women are femme fatales and largely unrealistic。 The other reason is the brief marital rape scene。 It comes fairly near the end and is only a few paragraphs long and is stopped before its started but it still took me by surprise and made me feel quite uncomfortable。 Whilst i understand that COFB is quite grim as a whole， I'm of the opinion that detailed sexual assault scenes really aren't at all needed and this one was so random and upsetting that I feel it was completely unnecessary to the point where it made a 5 star book less than that。 。。。more
Fatima097
，
''فيرمين''الصديق الذي نتمناه جميعاً❤️ ''فيرمين''الصديق الذي نتمناه جميعاً❤️ 。。。more
Nikki Javurek
，
I loved everything about this book。 I am sad the series is over but am so glad I got to enjoy it over the years。
Marzena
，
My review of this series can be found in 'The Shadow of the Wind' My review of this series can be found in 'The Shadow of the Wind' 。。。more
Bbarrett
，
Love this series。 I have built the labyrinth in my mind。
Vincent Vega
，
من افضل الكتب التي قرأتها ترجمة احترافية من استاذ معاوية
Lyndon Goodacre
，
"Certainty is reassuring， but one can only learn by doubting。" - Carlos Ruiz Zafón， The Labyrinth of the Spirits4。5/5 again， rounded down to compensate for rounding to 5 for all the others。 The plotlines in these books are written or told by characters inside them， who may also explain （directly or indirectly） why they tell them a certain way。 So。。。 as intended， Labyrinth is a microcosm of the whole series， a potpourri of everything great （and not quite great） about it。 The tomb-sized culminatio "Certainty is reassuring， but one can only learn by doubting。" - Carlos Ruiz Zafón， The Labyrinth of the Spirits4。5/5 again， rounded down to compensate for rounding to 5 for all the others。 The plotlines in these books are written or told by characters inside them， who may also explain （directly or indirectly） why they tell them a certain way。 So。。。 as intended， Labyrinth is a microcosm of the whole series， a potpourri of everything great （and not quite great） about it。 The tomb-sized culmination is the longest and in several aspects the best entry of the tetralogy。 If you wanted a living encyclopedia of narrative tricks authors have dreamed up， you could do much worse than closely reading The Cemetery of Forgotten Books， and this is no exception。Something I've learned to accept about these books is a big old cliché， but it applies: they're about the journey。 The McGuffins are sometimes kind of interesting secrets， but it's really about the multifarious storytelling， obsessive setting， endearing characters， sometimes luscious prose， and snippets like the one I used to start this review。The review in The Guardian gives a terrific overview without revealing too much。Some readers find this difficult to get into。 Personally I didn't， and that's often an issue for me， but we all respond a bit differently， so who knows。 Zafon does beginnings really， really well， in my world， and I was promptly hooked and transported。 （I took my time， though， as I know there aren't going to be any surprise sequels， and I wanted to draw it out。） 3/5 or 4/5 of this book feels really solid and seamless even though it keeps switching protagonists， and paced fantastically。 But YMMV。 It's sprawling。 It's elephantine。 It has many POVs， I'm not sure how many， but many more than any other book in the series （except possibly The Shadow of the Wind， which has tons of flashbacks from different eyewitnesses， but not necessarily from their POV）。 The Cemetery of Forgotten books is all about this sort of tentacled literary leviathan， a hydra of stories all flowing together and apart and swirling around and filling in later and losing heads and growing more， and， yeah， anyway， that's the idea， so it has to sound appealing to you or don't bother。Here's a short passage that was so vivid it felt like I was experiencing it myself:"Once free from Leandro’s presence， Alicia bolted the door， got under the shower， and abandoned herself to the steam and the needles of hot water for almost forty minutes。 She didn’t bother to turn on the light， but stood in the faint glow that filtered through the bathroom window， letting the water rub the day off her。 The Hispania boilers were probably buried in some part of hell， and the metallic rattle of water pipes behind the walls created a hypnotic music。 When she thought her skin was about to peel off in shreds， she turned off the taps and stayed there a couple more minutes， listening to the drip of the shower and the murmur of the traffic on Gran Vía。"And here's an ambiguous example of the many sayings that crop up （there are many， many better ones， but I copied this down because I wanted to think about how much I agreed - if you've read The Angel's Game， it's more like the kind of mischievous thing Andreas Corelli would say）:"A legend is a lie that has been whipped up to explain a universal truth。 Places where lies and fantasy pepper the earth are particularly apt for the development of these tales。"I've seen a number of comments from people who consider various subplots unnecessary （a fair observation， but personally I found them all valuable）， or who simply don't like the new central protagonist， Alicia - a dark spin on Alice in Wonderland， let's say her shadow or spectral reflection （though there are at least three other characters who are pieces of Alice's reflection）。 She's a femme fatale （written by a man， and imperfectly） who believes she is entirely lost。 And she's my favorite character in Labyrinth， putting her among my favorites from the series （Fermin， Daniel， Alicia， Martín， Isabella， Clara， Nuria， Carax， Fumero， Vargas， the Chief Inspector from The Angel's Game， and Corelli）。Why exactly she's so "dark" is a bone of contention among readers， and I kept wondering myself。 We hear over and over that she's scary， but is she？ It's true that she's in the secret police， would have no problem shooting you dead if necessary， and was inducted into the organization because she'd begun a life of crime。 Highly talented， she was caught young when a crime syndicate went down。 It was that or prison。 Anyway， Alicia believes she's a lost soul because as a small child， she lost her family and was severely injured in an aerial bombing raid。 She has never quite healed physically （walking causes her pain） or mentally。 When something hits you that young， it leaves deeper marks than it would later， and anyone would be deeply marked by this experience， at any age。 It's the author's job （partly， and the reader's） to bring that home， though。 There's some possibility that her "darkness" is amped up simply because she's a woman and isn't supposed to be badass。 I did keep asking myself if that was what was going on， and I suspect it's a component （more in a second）。 At the same time， if I think back to The Angel's Game， I actually had much the same set of reflections about David Martín， who was constantly described as dark， but didn't really seem very dark to me。 （And， looking back further， it was similar with Nuria Montfort， the least dark of the three in practice， though it would be fair to call her personality shadowy， secretive， a little reclusive， perhaps doomed。） What's interesting here about the two big examples is that for many readers， Martín and Alicia are both quite unlikable because they're somewhat amoral and gothic in their attitude toward life。 So。。。 different readers see them as bad， unlikable people， or as decent， likable people with some gloominess。 （Maybe their narrative reputation precedes them？）Anyway， Alicia kind of has been lost， and I think her dark side is implicit in her life over the last 10 or 20 years， which we don't see， but can gather was probably rather lurid。Reputation aside， she does have a heart and is actually quite sensible， just terrifyingly effective in amoral situations。 A woman would almost certainly not have written her the same。 And I could see this while reading， along with a few flaws （she's sexualized in a way that isn't sufficiently counterbalanced）， but unlike some readers， I didn't find her unlikeable or unsympathetic。 I just felt that the image she seemed to project to everyone she met as "bad news，" this sort of black widow， was a little bit unsubstantiated by the events or dialogue。On consideration， I realize that it has to do with several things。 It's what she believes about herself， it's the way she carries herself， it's the people she's been associated with， it's the way she's broken free from feminine stereotypes and expectations in a culture still very much enmeshed in traditional norms and roles and Christian notions about the evils of sexuality。 So a woman who feels no compunction about flirting or teasing or glamming her way through obstacles， or relying on her street smarts， wits， and intelligence in general rather than on a man or propriety， is a little bit beyond the pale in that culture。 But if that much can make sense， it's also true that gender representation - while not repressive or hostile by any intent I can see （beyond the early to mid 1900s culture depicted） - is a little bit off throughout this series。 I agree with the Guardian reviewer who says that Alicia is one of Zafon's attempts to balance things out。 And while we can remember that the series reflects a specific culture in a specific time and place， it was written in the 21st century and has higher standards to live up to， even if it is love letter to so many genres and so many antique stories （and Barcelona - real， spiritual， magical， gothic， brutal， historic， elaborate， daunting， troubled， etc）。On that note， I was hoping Clara would make another appearance， and she didn't。 She was such a great character， and the way she faded from The Shadow of the Wind was emblematic of this whole issue， for me， at the time。 Personally I have no trouble with several femme fatales （Nuria was really interesting in Shadow）， or with some of the central women portrayed as almost saintly at times （they're still imperfect and are very different， but。。。 yeah， it's a thing）。 There are also men who are portrayed as almost saintly （though in their own way）。 And if women are often sexualized， that isn't ideal， but， well， "sexualized" isn't automatically bad， either。 The author is a guy and many of the POVs are guys， usually fairly young， falling in love for the first time， or again， and those men are also shown and described （or in the case of Fermin， love to describe themselves） in a sexual light。 But I can see the tropes。 There's no denying it。 Where it circles back around and might really affect the story， though， is in a character like Clara （underused， seemingly discarded） or 。。。 from The Angel's Game （too much of a blank slate， and I'm even forgetting her name）。 These were missed opportunities。Leandro （Alicia's boss） was an especially interesting foil for Alicia， I thought， though I felt ambivalent about his eventual arc。 He seems to represent the patriarchy and what's wrong with it。 This was actually one of Zafon's most self-aware choices on this topic， I think。Anyway， acknowledging that Zafon fell short in some key aspects of gender representation， my only other real qualm with The Labyrinth of the Spirits is that， like 2 of the other 3 novels in the quartet， after a spectacular setup and rising action， the conclusion really feels like it's yanking you around， trying to play you like a marionette。 If it weren't all so interesting and vivid and complex and downright engrossing and full of great epithets a little reminiscent of Oscar Wilde， this would be a serious problem。 Instead， it just leaves a bit of a sinking feeling after what was such a wonderful experience。 Zafon likes to end novels with these big cheerful poignant send-offs where people have children named after people we know， and coincidentally guess who we run into， and look at how picturesquely that happens， and oh wouldn't you know， and so on and so forth。 It's just artificial。 Neat， with a big fluffy curling ribbon tied in a bow on top， and sometimes as moving as it's supposed to be， but very artificial。 The Angel's Game aside， you get the feeling every ending is shouting "yep， happy ending， this is a comedy not a tragedy"！ So， the endings are old-fashioned in that sense， a bit too much for my tastes。 The Angel's Game has a downright weird or even disturbing ending， making it my favorite， and The Prisoner of Heaven's milder celebration is mixed with a low-key cliffhanger， making it my second favorite ending。 Labyrinth has maybe a more interesting ending than Shadow， but there was also more expectation at the end of a series。 We could still humor this， I suppose。 As is said by multiple characters， and attributed to Julian Carax， a story has no beginning or ending， only an assortment of entrances and exits。 The Borges-inspired Cemetery is supposed to be a four-volume labyrinth。 There's something unsatisfying about an ending， and you either go back into the maze through another entrance， or you leave and remember。On that note about going back， many reviewers compare The Angel's Game to Faust， but I don't think I've heard anyone admit that Corelli is just as reminiscent of the centrally sinister character in Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita。 If you guess that Corelli is simply Satan， I don't think you've got it。 You missed at least half the point。 Corelli is far more interesting than some one-dimensional Prince of Darkness。 If you've read the Bulgakov novel， you have some idea what I'm talking about。 （If not， you should read it。）For all the twisting and rambling， the series does know what it's about from the start。 On the first page of the first book， I guessed from a clue what the conflict was going to be。 By the end， I thought， ah， well， this was a surprise， and the conflict I expected wasn't really addressed （or if so， very obliquely）。 Bit of a red herring。 Yeah？ Uh， no。 False false alarm。 The next three books wind around from the starting direction into a crystal clear response to that first page。 It's almost like getting onto a highway at a clover leaf junction， fast。 You do a clean but rather hair-raising 360 and end up headed where you thought。 Not bad。 Not bad at all。The story nestles in its metafictional frame - every fragment of the whole saga is told or written by someone or other in it （so not just the narrator but the writer of the narrator might be unreliable， or might even not be who they claim to be）。 Noticing the way it pays its respects to classics that may have been melodramatic or rather artificial themselves， you can understand why artificiality （camp/pulp/gothic/expressionist/grand guignol/etc） might make sense to a writer who otherwise shows such a keen eye， who can turn your head around five different ways at once and animate a slippery wall or the tracks under an empty tram or the stones of a necropolis - or make you cry and leave you asking for more。 But。。。 I must reemphasize， this style of wrapping things up isn't the kind of ending I'd wish for。 The Prisoner of Heaven is the only book that didn't take the ending to 11， and I think that's probably because it was so understated overall and so clearly a set-up for something bigger; as I said above， it ends on a very subdued but definite cliff-hanger （one that， incidentally， is recapitulated here， clothed in more detail， put in context - a very nice effect， and not the only time Zafon does it）。These books are all about broad strokes and filling in with fine details much later， and other broad strokes - it's a lot like watching a painter work， where you expect them to start at one point and go in lines and curves clockwise around a shape， but instead it's something over here， and what's that over there， and now an oval or dab or smudge here， etc。 After a while， you see the picture emerging， and there's a delight in just watching。 That meandering with a hidden purpose is the "labyrinth" of the title， and I imagine （this is more or less stated directly， several times， throughout the series） the spirits are all the souls we've been following， and all the souls anywhere attached to books that， like the volumes inside this one， are associated with their own elaborate webs - the makings-of and the people connected by that flowering of letters and paper - and the souls of readers who meet them on the other side。 。。。more
Amy Ivey
，
Brilliant！ I read all four books in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series in order without reading other books in between。 I read The Shadow of the Wind ten years ago but reread it so that I could remember all the details。 I can only describe it as an incredible EXPERIENCE。 The stories are amazing and engaging。 The character development is so exquisite that the people come alive。 There is mystery and intrigue， love and loss， good and evil， all interwoven in a labyrinth of words and books and be Brilliant！ I read all four books in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series in order without reading other books in between。 I read The Shadow of the Wind ten years ago but reread it so that I could remember all the details。 I can only describe it as an incredible EXPERIENCE。 The stories are amazing and engaging。 The character development is so exquisite that the people come alive。 There is mystery and intrigue， love and loss， good and evil， all interwoven in a labyrinth of words and books and beauty and history。 Absolutely beyond my expectations！ I’m sad it’s over。 “Welcome to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books。 Every book， every volume you see here， has a soul。 The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it。 Every time a book changes hands， every time someone runs his eyes down its pages， its spirit grows and strengthens。。。In this place， books no longer remembered by anyone， books that are lost in time， live forever， waiting for the day when they will reach a new reader’s hands。 In truth， books have no owner。 Every book you see here has been somebody’s best friend。” 。。。more
Fahad Mandi
，
كتاب رقم: 06 لسنة 2021اسم الكتاب: متاهة الأرواحالكاتب: كارلوس زافونترجمة: معاوية عبدالمجيدالناشر: منشورات الجملعدد الصفحات: 1035 صفحةمكان الشراء: المكتبة الوطنية - الرفاعتاريخ الشراء/الإهداء: 07 فبراير 2021سعر الشراء: 9。500 دينار بحريني الطبعة: الاولى 2020تاريخ بداية القراءة: 25 فبراير 2021تاريخ الانتهاء من القراءة: 13 مارس 2021التقييم: 5/5 الملخص:يكشف الروائي الإسباني كارلوس زافون في روايته “متاهة الأرواح”، التي تعتبر الجزء الرابع من سلسلة “مقبرة الكتب المنسية”، كل الأسرار المتبقية، والتي تراكم كتاب رقم: 06 لسنة 2021اسم الكتاب: متاهة الأرواحالكاتب: كارلوس زافونترجمة: معاوية عبدالمجيدالناشر: منشورات الجملعدد الصفحات: 1035 صفحةمكان الشراء: المكتبة الوطنية - الرفاعتاريخ الشراء/الإهداء: 07 فبراير 2021سعر الشراء: 9。500 دينار بحريني الطبعة: الاولى 2020تاريخ بداية القراءة: 25 فبراير 2021تاريخ الانتهاء من القراءة: 13 مارس 2021التقييم: 5/5 الملخص:يكشف الروائي الإسباني كارلوس زافون في روايته “متاهة الأرواح”، التي تعتبر الجزء الرابع من سلسلة “مقبرة الكتب المنسية”، كل الأسرار المتبقية، والتي تراكمت في الأجزاء السابقة。تحمل الرواية مفاجآت عدة تتعلق بالشخصيات، عبر ألف صفحة تختم حكاية عائلة سيمبري في مدينة برشلونة الإسبانية。تبدأ الرواية مع المحققة إليثيا غريس، التي يطلب منها، بالاشتراك مع محقق آخر، البحث عن وزير مشهور وله ثقل ثقافي وسياسي، اختفى بظروف غامضة في عهد الجنرال الإسباني فرانكو، وهو الوزير الذي كان حاضرًا في الجزء الثالث من السلسلة في منصب آخر وحكاية أخرى تتعلق بشخصية فيرمين روميرو。ا يبدو الرابط واضحًا في البداية بين المحققة وعائلة سيمبري وماوريسيو فايس، ورويدًا رويدًا سيعرف القارئ ما يجمع هذه الشخصيات كلها، ليست تلك الموجودة في الجزء الرابع فقط، بل منذ الجزء الأول وحكاية دانيال سيمبري والكاتب خوليان كاراكس، وصولًا إلى خوليان سيمبري في الجزء الرابع。تمشي أحداث الرواية بطيئة لما تحمله من شرح لحيثيات قضية جنائية وعلاقات معقدة، تحضر شخصبات وتغيب قبل أن تظهر في الوقت المناسب تمامًا لتكون جزءًا من الحبكة، التي ستوصل القارئ في نهايتها إلى معلومات توضح أكثر العلاقات بين الشخصيات الرئيسة التي حضرت عبر ما يقارب الـ2400 صفحة، هي مجموع صفحات السلسلة المكونة من أربعة أجزاء。ما علاقة ديفيد مارتين وخوليان كاراكس وخوليان سيمبري وأبيه دانيال وفيرمين روميرو بمقبرة الكتب المنسية؟ هنا في هذه الرواية تشكل المقبرة عصب حياتهم وملاذهم الأخير من القسوة والظلم، وفرصة جديدة للحياة في عهد صعب عاشته إسبانيا، وبرشلونة مع فرانكو。لم يتغير سرد زافون في السلسلة الرابعة، رغم طولها بالمقارنة مع الأجزاء السابقة، والتفاصيل الكثيرة التي تحتويها، فاستمر في تركيب أحداث الرواية بطريقة معقدة حتى يصل القارئ إلى نهايتها، وما كان ناقصًا في حكاية كاراكس في الجزء الأول يكمله زافون في الرابع، وكذلك الأمر مع ديفيد مارتين، وفيرمين روميرو، ومع دانيال سيمبري نفسه。تخلت السلسلة عن الفانتازيا التي اتبعتها في الجزأين الأول والثاني، واتجهت إلى واقعية أكبر في الثالث والرابع، وتعطي أمثلة تكسر الصورة النمطية عن الكتّاب بشكل عام، وتمنحهم صورة أخرى، وتحكي عن حياتهم وعذاباتهم، خيباتهم وتحدياتهم، وتحمل ما يكفي من الإثارة。صدرت الرواية عن دار الجمل في عام 2020، ونقلها إلى العربية المترجم معاوية عبد المجيد، في حين صدرت بلغتها الأم （الإسبانية） في عام 2017。 。。。more
Ahmed Farghly
，
لقد قضيت مع أجزاء المتاهة الأربعة وقتا أكثر من رائع شكرا كارلوس زافون
Ignacio
，
El cierre perfecto para la tetralogia del cementerio de los libros olvidados
Pilar
，