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A review by megsbookishtwins
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
5.0
disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The year is 1957 and Spain is under a fascist dictatorship. General Francisco Franco has opened spain up to tourism and while tourists and foreign businessmen flood into the country under the welcoming guise of sunshine and wine, there is a dark and violent underbelly for the people who live there. Among the tourists is 18 year old Daniel Matheson, the son of a Texan oil tycoon. He comes to spain in hopes of finally seeing his mother’s home country through the lens of his camera. He meets Ana, a worker at the hotel and as the two get closer he learns about the lingering grasp the Spanish Civil War has on her family and the danger he is now involved in.
I’ve read every one of Ruta Sepeyts’ books and I adore each and every single one of them. She has an obvious passion for history and always treats the stories she writes with lots of care and compassion. In The Fountains of Silence she delves into fascist Spain focusing on the oppression and violence that the population of Spain faced. In a time where Europe was busy dealing with the consequences of Nazi Germany and the atrocities committed there, suffering of other places were often overlooked.
The characters were what really brought the story to life, as is usually the case with Sepetys’ novels. I loved Daniel and his passion for photography and his strong belief that photographing will show the realities of fascist Spain to the world. He was genuinely a good and kind character. I loved Ana and her family too and how her family highlighted the lasting effects that a civil war and a dictator has.
As a lover of history myself, I was already aware of the history of fascist Spain, its civil war and following dictatorship. However, I know for a lot of people, this is something that they are not aware even happened, so for that reason alone I think this is an important book. The Fountains of Silence is a book I would highly recommend for fans of historical fiction.
The Fountains of Silence is a sad book full of suffering, pain, and oppression but also a book full of hope, love, family, and compassion.
The year is 1957 and Spain is under a fascist dictatorship. General Francisco Franco has opened spain up to tourism and while tourists and foreign businessmen flood into the country under the welcoming guise of sunshine and wine, there is a dark and violent underbelly for the people who live there. Among the tourists is 18 year old Daniel Matheson, the son of a Texan oil tycoon. He comes to spain in hopes of finally seeing his mother’s home country through the lens of his camera. He meets Ana, a worker at the hotel and as the two get closer he learns about the lingering grasp the Spanish Civil War has on her family and the danger he is now involved in.
I’ve read every one of Ruta Sepeyts’ books and I adore each and every single one of them. She has an obvious passion for history and always treats the stories she writes with lots of care and compassion. In The Fountains of Silence she delves into fascist Spain focusing on the oppression and violence that the population of Spain faced. In a time where Europe was busy dealing with the consequences of Nazi Germany and the atrocities committed there, suffering of other places were often overlooked.
The characters were what really brought the story to life, as is usually the case with Sepetys’ novels. I loved Daniel and his passion for photography and his strong belief that photographing will show the realities of fascist Spain to the world. He was genuinely a good and kind character. I loved Ana and her family too and how her family highlighted the lasting effects that a civil war and a dictator has.
As a lover of history myself, I was already aware of the history of fascist Spain, its civil war and following dictatorship. However, I know for a lot of people, this is something that they are not aware even happened, so for that reason alone I think this is an important book. The Fountains of Silence is a book I would highly recommend for fans of historical fiction.
The Fountains of Silence is a sad book full of suffering, pain, and oppression but also a book full of hope, love, family, and compassion.