Marina

A sentimental tale of youth and adventure. As always CRZ takes us on a series of tales within tales blurring the lines of love and darkness. Always a bit macabre and filled with his tell-tale trademarks, vengeance, Angels, demons, mechanical marvels and lots and lots of fire, he is a hopeful (not hopeless) romantic whose unlikely heroes face unfathomable villains but almost always lose at love. Maybe that's the way life is?

Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of my favorite writers. I fell in love with Shadow of the Wind years ago. His other novels weave similar tales intertwining old Madrid with characters familiar from each novel. Marina is good; it layers the tale in intrigue and mystery which keeps you turning pages. It isn't my favorite book of his but if you are hooked into Zafon, you have to read them ALL.

If you are fresh to Zafon's deliciously gothic writing style, Marina is a great read - flesh tinglingly creepy (without being horror), rich with evocative description and tender in its portrayal of doomed love.

If you're a keen Zafon fan, you may be disappointed. I found the combination of adolescent boy enamoured of beautiful blonde in creepy house very reminiscent of The Shadow of the Wind. The character of Oscar (the protagonist) is a dead ringer for Daniel Sempere, which I found detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Despite this, Marina is a tale that intrigues - combining a story full of sorrow with sumptuously skin crawling settings and characters. Torrid, tender and tantalising, Marina leads the reader into the dark depths of madness and murder, balancing the bloodbath with two characters (Oscar and Marina) who seem at times almost impossibly innocent. A good read with a forgettable plot.

I have never read a book where the protagonists, in this case Oscar, Marina, and German, have touched me so deeply. I lived every moment with them throughout my journey as I read this magnificent piece of literature. I will never forget any of them, I feel enriched for having met them and joined them on their grand, dark adventure. I will love all three of them forever.

I'm on the last 20 pages. The writing, character development and descriptions are great. The story line sometimes is a little "out there" for me, but I couldn't give him only "good" because of my personal tastes.
This is the fourth of Ruiz Zafon's books I've read, and I've ended up becoming a fan.

Very good read

Very good read
.
Fast moving story. Would recommend to just about any one
Would like to read more by this author.

Now this becoming a pain in the but.

Why can't I get out of this screen
?

I'm happily reading along in the paperback, (Spanish version) and I'm on page 64 and a page into chapter 8 and
right there in the middle of the sentence, the next page is page 81 and the beginning of chapter 10. And then there's one page of chapter 11, and then chapter 10 all over again. Then there's a gap and no pp 113 to 129. Then I get pages 129 to 144 twice. "I'm telling the store!"

Every book I've read by Zafon is captivating from the first chapter to the last. This book is no different. The writing is simpler than his later books, but no less enchanting. The city of a long ago Barcelona is described in such detail it becomes another character. If you're the kind of reader that gets totally immersed in a great story, you will find this an enjoyable journey filled with love, friendship, death and life.

Another fantastic read by my favorite author. His prose is so beautiful that I find myself reading entire paragraphs over again. Like a great meal, an amazing movie or a perfect song, you don't want it to end.

Zafon is the master. It has some fantastical elements that perhaps appeal to a more youthful spirit but is still a quality and thoroughly enjoyable read that is on par with the cemetery of forgotten books series.

I believe Carlos Ruiz Zafon will go down in history as one of the worlds great writers. When I was in the bookstore and discovered Shadow of the Wind, it began a quest to find all the books he had written. I am in awe of his work. Marina was the last book for young adults but like the Harry Potter series his books are for every age. I look forward to reading more from this truly talented man.

Just discovered Zafon after taking a trip to Barcelona. He certainly captures the feel of the Gothic Quarter, and it was fun to re-live places where I spent time. I'm on book #4 of his now and will read them all.

It is clear that Carlos Ruiz Zafon loves old Barcelona. This book is like his others -- well written, fast moving, interesting and full of the flavor of Barcelona. I have a good set of road and city maps of Spain, and am able to follow the action as he moves along. This book is short, and has a sad ending, but is certainly a good read and well worth the time and money. I like it.

Zafon has done it again. Marina is the cross-over book that straddles the style he would use later in Shadows of the Wind. The story was moving as well as terrifying, taking me to a foreign land in a strange time and yet making me feel like I belonged there. He is a brilliant writer and he has a wonderful translator.

A real ghost/Frankenstein story. I did not realize it was written for young adults. That did not hinder my enjoyment. The feel is very much like Zafron's Shadow of the Wind series. Atmospheric Barcelona.

Not quite as satisfying as Shadow of the wind, which has been my favorite of Zafon's books, but still a good read. I can definitely see how this was written for more of the young adult audience, but it was a nice story. I would have prefered something a little heavier. The ending seemed to take the book in a different direction that I didn't think was necessary, and just felt a little trite.

This book was beautifully written and a truly magical story that drew in , I read the book in two days. It was haunting tale of suspense with a touch of love and lasting friendship. I would highly recommend.

I'm grateful they have translated it into
English as best they could. Ruiz zafon is one of the few authors who consistently can put you into the shoes of the main character and make you forget to blink. He is awesome!

Este libro es especial, me gustó muchísimo. Marina es un ser especial, podría decir que angelical, su forma de ser, a pesar de ser tan joven tiene una personalidad interesante, es valienta, servicial, profunda, madura, tierna. Me cautivó; toda la trama de la historia está llena de muchos misterios, que sólo seguir la lectura con mucha atención, puedes ir desenrredando los misterios. Me dio mucha tristeza y nostalgia, el final de la historia. Definitivamente es un libro que recomendaría, como todos los libros de Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Están llenos de personajes misteriosos, que cautivan. La manera como describe las ciudades en donde viven, uno se traslada fácilmente a esas épocas, y se mete en sus pequeños mundos. Yo viví intensamente este libro, como lo he hecho con todos los de El.

Having first gone through "The Shadow of the Wind ", I was hooked by Carlos Ruis Zafon. Although this book is for younger readers, or young at heart. It is very well written. I read it in Spanish, the Author's language.This is a story about the first love of your life, and the tragic circumstances that followed, and what I would translate into a real life setting. Tragedy is around the corner, for all of us, we do not know when it will show up, hopefully, it never will. The pain of living is what we go through; on the bright side, the marvelous love of young adults, what we once experienced as "puppy love". Quoting Paul Anka . . ." Is it really Puppy Love". . .

Haunting, exciting romantic and heartbreaking. I got to the end of the gorgeous novel and literally started at the beginning again. I can't say that I have done that with many other books. The author's gift for description in captivating and his characters are people I long to know. The structure of the story is fast pace and never ever boring. The ending was painful but in beautiful symmetry to the theme and the moral of the overall story. I am going to recommend this to my 15 year old son, who is a freshman at a Jesuit school and a avid fan of Poe and Kafka! I think he will enjoy it for obvious connections. I will recommend it to my daughter for the romantic, beautiful heart wrenching story. This novel has so much to offer and I only wish I could read it for the first time again.

Como antecesor a la obra la Sombra del Viento, me parece una obra excelente, narrativa extraordinaria y los personajes justos y bien llevados hasta el final donde adquiere un tono romántico esta gran novela. A mi gusto es más ligera que la Sombra del Viento ya que es más corta pero con el mismo ritmo y estilo de este gran escritor que apasiona a cualquiera. Acaban de editar la última edición en español. No se la pierdan. Muy recomendable !!!