My Book Reviews
The Prisoner of Heaven
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
In my review of the previous Zafon novel, The Angel’s Game, I said that I could find no sympathy for the main character, David Martin. In this novel, the third of the series, most of what I didn’t understand in The Angel’s Game is explained in a more detailed look at the character’s life. Zafon is a brilliant story teller, weaving mysteries with three dimensional characters and vivid pros.
Characters from The Shadow of the Wind show up again in this novel and we are expertly drawn into the mystery, anxiously awaiting the next clue or the next path that will explain the unexplained.
I thought this was a trilogy but I have recently learned that there is a fourth and final novel, Labyrinth of the Spirits, and I am anxious to read this novel also.
The Angel's Game
This is the second psychological mystery of Zafon’s trilogy. Although mysteries or thrillers are not the genre that I would usually choose, I enjoyed Shadow of the Wind immensely and expected the same kind of excitement in this novel. There are several reasons why I thought Shadow of the Wind was a much better read. I didn’t realize until I was almost at the end of the novel that this is really a prequel.
It took me a really long time to read this book. Besides the fact that life just got in the way, I could find no empathy for the main character, David Martin. As he followed an array of disjointed characters and clues, he did one stupid thing after another. As his life unraveled, I found no sympathy because it seemed as if he pulled the threads of his existence. A mild curiosity that I can’t explain kept me turning the pages. I must say that I love Zafon’s prose. He is an excellent writer but this story was just one I could not really get into.
My niece assures me that the final novel, The Prisoner of Heaven, ties it altogether with a satisfying ending. Guess I’ll have to read it to see if she is right.
My 10 Most Favorite Books
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