The Prisoner of Heaven: A Novel

The author pulls the reader into the place and time with all of his novels. He weaves the story like fine silk and the reader begins to be one of the characters in the book. The characters become friends who one cares about, and has concerns for. My biggest regret is that I have finished it and there are no more in this series.

Every single one of Carols Zafon's books are over the top. I can never put them down. And he always ties the endings up in a pretty little bow. The characters are very true to life.Excellent, excellent writer.

There's something about the Gregariousness and zest for life that makes for a Spicy combination when listening to a tale told by a Spanish Author. Particularily Carlos Ruiz Zafon.Its a special blend of Romance, Spirituality and Mystery which is something I seek out and enjoy when I want to relax with a good story. This book is part of a Trilogy which I would highly recommend.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a superstar. I loved this book but "Shadow of the Wind" is still number one.
I have read all of his writings, young adult as well as adult. All very well written. Love his writing.

The mystery about Zafon is why his Cemetery Of Forgotten Books series isn't a phenomenon similar to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. I have read all of the books in the series and have enjoyed every one of them, proven by the fact that I have finished all of them in less then two days. For the record LOTTE (Length Of Time To End) happens to be my criteria for assigning stars.

A wonderful beginning book for the Trilogy 'The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.' Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a world renown author from Spain.
This story grabs for attention on page one, heading to the mystery. H
The other two books in this trilogy work backwards then again forward to the ultimate conclusion.

3.5 stars. Prisoner of Heaven, like Carlos Ruiz Zafon's other books is engaging, witty and mysterious. It is also confusing and contradicts the ending of Angel's Game, the prequel to Prisoner of Heaven. I am torn to chalking it up to forgetfulness on my part, or deliberate intent to cause the reader to re-read the previous books. It does lack a cohesive ending, which (hopefully) indicates a final book that will tie them all together. Fermin is delightful as always, and fills any void that the story may have. A good read, but I was left wanting more.

A good read although it is sometimes hard to remember the characters and their relationship to one another. Although "The Angels Game" was advertised as a prequel to "Shadow of the Wind" it is actually a sequel to "Prisoner of Heaven". The events are quite tragic at times and the story line takes a bit of following and is a bit unsettling. Still as yet unfinished I will have to read the next episode.

I loved this book and the author's writing style. This book takes place in Barcelona with the same characters from his other Book Shadow of the Wind. I would recommend Reading Shadow of the Wind before this book. I think certain parts of the story would make more sense having read that book first as this story takes place after the events of that book. Otherwise, this is a great book that is well written.

This was a great story that clues the reader into the background of Fermin Romero de Torres, one of the main characters in The Shadow of the Wind. The story ends with lots of unanswered questions concerning Daniel, his father and Bea. Surely there will be a fourth book in the future.

I like to read these wonderful novels in Spanish, but I need a translation. I'm rather shocked at the liberties the translator has taken. Now and then phrases and even whole paragraphs are omitted; references to Spanish and Barcelonan culture history are leveled. For example, books about the "desamortizacion of Mendizabal" are removed, and the English is reduced to books that "scare customers away."

Come on! We can look up Mendizabal!

David

I loved, loved, loved The Angel's Game and Shadow of the Wind. Loved them. Loved the characters, the stories, the language...Both novels were so evocative. This one is well-written and lyrical, but if you haven't read the first two, or read them recently, you will be totally lost with this one. I spent much of my time trying to remember characters and story lines and details from the other novels to put this one in proper context. There were numerous references made, and if you haven't read the others, this one won't make much sense, and won't satisfy you. This book read more like a transition than a complete story/novel. It sounds like there will be another one after this, and I will probably read it, but I sincerely hope Zafon returns with a complete story.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a wonderful writer and while this trilogy finale is at least for the author relatively short it is not short on quality in terms of content and imagination. Although part of the author's trilogy the book is a stand alone pleasure to read.

Zafon is considered on of the great writers of this generation and this book is truly a testament to that. He is a exciting, nuanced, clever, creative author that thrills, frightens, saddens, and evokes so much in his reader. All of the Cemetery books are terrific.m

Thoughly enjoyable but not as good as shadow of the wind. Did keep me occupied and the writting is supperb however the ending left me abanded as if it is now a soap opera. The litreature is superb sometimes l feel we think the same. As though the author is talking to me.

THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN is a spellbinding book that continues the saga
of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and Daniel Sempere. Zafon has made this
third addition to the series of books an excellent read! I plan to re-read the novel
so as to savor the writing of Zafon. Highly recommend this book, as well as the
other novels which Zafon has written.

Disappointing third installment from a master storyteller like Ruiz Zafón of Shadow of the Wind Fame, especially after such a long wait since Angel's Game. He still enthralls with his words and descriptions, creates suspense that keeps you turning page after page, and makes you experience the action, not just read it. For that quality of writing I must give it at least three stars, since few if any writers can approach his talent. But the plot doesn't deliver on the promise and completely fizzles out in the end. The centerpiece of the story is the description of hellish life in prison. Beyond that, it almost seems like the rest of the book revolves around Fermin's wedding, which in the context of the series is pretty much irrelevant. Issues raised come to no resolution. Worst of all, the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, which got us hooked on these intertwined novels, is not part of the story at all, and only makes a pathetic appearance at the end. Compared to other novels, Prisoner of Heaven may deserve more than three stars, but within the context of the series and the expectations of his readers, it's the most it deserves. Carlos Ruiz Zafón can do so much better. We're waiting.

I agree with a number of the other reviewers that this book was just not as good as Shadow of the Wind or the Angel's Game. Both of those novels could stand on their own and tell a story - Prisoner of Heaven was too derivative of the other novels to stand on its own. I found myself having to look back at the previous books to see what was being referenced.

I completely fell in love with the first two books. I felt that the story, characters and prose took me back to when I was much younger and enjoyed reading as an escape. This third installment left me disappointed. There were flashes of the earlier mystery and magic, but overall the feeling was not the same. This was almost like a placekeeper or a filler that was designed to keep you interested until the next installment.

Some books hold within their pages an ability to transcend the ordinary and walk in places of the soul. This such a book. Zafon weaves a tale of colour, intrigue, and longing vividly set in a faded sepia image of Barcelona.