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itchyfeetreader's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
anamhernandezv's review against another edition
5.0
No hay palabras para describir lo que te hace sentir y cómo te deja sintiendo este libro. Excelente. Léanselo ya.
lezreadalot's review
3.0
For years Manuel had been an idiot looking out to sea.
3.5 stars. Books about grief always get me in some way. This isn't the best book of that genre that I've read, and the translation is far from perfect, but it hit a lot of emotional buttons for me. Half mystery, half literary fiction; a combination that isn't perfect for me, but worked well enough. A famous author gets the news that his husband suddenly died in a car crash, miles and miles away from where he was supposed to be. Distraught, Manuel travels from Madrid to Galicia, and is soon embroiled in the mystery of his husband's death, who or what might have caused it, all the secrets he discovers about his husband's life, and the wealthy noble family at the core of it all.
Álvaro is dead at the beginning of the story; we never meet him alive. And yet he's the most vibrant, well-realised character in the whole book, all of his secrets and flaws notwithstanding. I love when a book about grief can make me feel that way; can so completely craft a character and make their loss feel so gutting. The entire book has a very melancholic feel as a result (somewhat undercut when Manuel goes through his periods of doubt and anger, and as he tries to solve this mystery) and while I didn't enjoy feeling that way for such a long period of time, it was still really effective. So much so that I wanted... more? I'm about to say a thing I never say: I actually wanted more flashbacks! The parts where we get to see Álvaro and Manuel meeting were so good and so heart-wrenching (they had genuinely one of my favourite meet cutes I've ever read in a book) and I wanted to see more of their romance, see more of the person Manuel was with him. When I realised we weren't getting many more of those scenes, my enthusiasm for the reading experience did peter out quite a bit. I really did like the descriptions of the setting though, how lush and natural it was in that part of Spain. I adored the descriptions of the vineyard. And it was really interesting to get a peek at European nobility that isn't British.
As for the mystery, it was very slow, very quiet, and when it built up it did get more interesting, but it took a while to get there. And I wasn't in love with where it went. I can't say I called it from the beginning, but it just wasn't stuff I enjoyed reading about, or stuff that was amazingly original. It got quite heavy, and as we were already dealing with the grief, I wasn't sure I was up to holding all that weight. Manuel has two sorta sidekicks as he investigates: a bigoted ex-cop and a priest who was Álvaro's friend. Let's just say I wish we got more of the priest. I liked how all the moving parts came into play, but I do also wish we could have had more restricted POVs and a little less melodrama near the end. There was also a mild magical realism/very slight fantastical bent that I absolutely did not like. I guess it could be interpreted in a religious way? But I just vastly prefer that contemporary books stay that way, without any other trappings. Especially when we're dealing with grief. If there's a fantastical element, it needs to be done in a very particular way for me to like it.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Timothy Andrés Pabon, a new-to-me narrator that I enjoyed quite a bit. I didn't fall in love with any of his different character voices, but the general narration was pretty good. I think this author mostly writes mysteries, so I might check out her other works that have been translated? Even though the mystery wasn't my favourite thing about this. The parts of it that I did like literally made me weep.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
child rape (flashback, on page, not graphic), marital rape, homophobia, internalised homophobia, slurs, violence, bloodlittletaiko's review
4.0
Excited that I've finally read another of the World Book Day selections as I've downloaded all 18 for the last two years and have now read two. I had never really thought it possible that a slow paced thriller could exist but yet that is what I swear I just read. The book opens slowly with Manuel getting the news of his husband's, Alvaro, death. Manuel quickly learns that Alvaro had been hiding some important things from him, including his family. At the funeral, Manuel meets Alvaro's mother, brother, and various other relatives that he never knew existed. They in turn are less than thrilled to see him and treat him with hostility, especially when the will is read and it turns out that Manuel inherits the estate. When a policeman tells Manuel that he thinks Alvaro was murdered but that it was hushed up, they end up investigating with the help of a local priest who was friends with Alvaro.
The first half of the book was all about setting up the story, characters, and exploring what it means to grieve all the while not knowing if you really knew the person who you're grieving for. The second half becomes more of a traditional thriller as the trio starts unraveling the family secrets to get at the truth. Lots of themes explored along with some lovely writing.
The first half of the book was all about setting up the story, characters, and exploring what it means to grieve all the while not knowing if you really knew the person who you're grieving for. The second half becomes more of a traditional thriller as the trio starts unraveling the family secrets to get at the truth. Lots of themes explored along with some lovely writing.
laura_editor's review
dnf @15%
Troppo troppo lento, mi sembra di rileggere le stesse tre frasi in un loop infinito.
Troppo troppo lento, mi sembra di rileggere le stesse tre frasi in un loop infinito.
pachypedia's review against another edition
3.0
Me ha parecido un libro muy lento, con una prosa sobrecargada que no se entiende muy bien en un libro de misterio. Tampoco me ha gustado nada cómo se refleja Galicia en este libro, no he sentido que estuviera hablando de mi tierra. También hay varias cosas que, para mí, no son verosímiles, cosa que se espera en un libro contemporáneo (y no me refiero al elemento sobrenatural).
daniellersalaz's review
4.0
A mystery wrapped in charm
I had a hard time putting this book down. I found myself drawn into the story and was surprised each time I looked up and realized I wasn’t in the Spanish countryside. I found the mystery aspects and resolution satisfying, and I think the relationships that developed over the course of the book were believable. I’d read more by Redondo.
I had a hard time putting this book down. I found myself drawn into the story and was surprised each time I looked up and realized I wasn’t in the Spanish countryside. I found the mystery aspects and resolution satisfying, and I think the relationships that developed over the course of the book were believable. I’d read more by Redondo.
strawfly14's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5. Me daba miedo coger este libro porque su precedente en mi caso fue la trilogía del Baztán (que AMÉ), pero la verdad es que me ha gustado bastante. Reconozco que hay tramos que se me han hecho pesados; creo que le sobra descripción y bastantes páginas que lo han alargado innecesariamente. Pero su forma de escribir me gusta, la ambientación creo que está muy lograda y la trama bien construida, si bien había algún que otro tópico. La amistad entre Manuel y Nogueira me parece muy curiosa y entrañable, y aunque el final me parece algo telenovelesco, no está mal. Próximo: La cara norte del corazón para reecontrarme con Amaia Salazar.