The Fountains of Silence
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4.5 • 316 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray comes a gripping, extraordinary novel of love, silence, and secrets under a dictatorship in 1950s Spain.
“Suspenseful, romantic and timely . . . speaks truth to power, persuading future rulers to avoid repeating the crimes of the past."—The New York Times Book Review
Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera.
Photography—and fate—introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War, as well as the chilling realities of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. Lives and hearts collide when he's backed into a corner to protect those he loves, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.
Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys once again shines light into one of history's darkest corners in this epic, heart-wrenching novel. Featuring vintage media reports, oral history commentary, photos, and more, The Fountains of Silence provides a memorable portrait of the true postwar struggles of Spain.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sepetys (Salt to the Sea) again deftly explores a painful chapter in history, this time Franco's Madrid. In 1957, 18-year-old Daniel, an aspiring photojournalist from Texas, visits Spain with his Spanish mother and American oil tycoon father. After arriving, he hones his lens on the culture, in some cases capturing forbidden images that earn the wrath of the menacing Guardia Civil, and he forms a relationship with his enigmatic hotel attendant, Ana, and her family, who are barely surviving, in stark contrast to Daniel's family's affluence. The tension heightens as a mystery involving orphans unfolds and Daniel and Ana's magnetic romance progresses. The novel revolves around Ana's brother, Rafa, a bullfighting promoter; her cousin Puri, who works at an orphanage; a lecherous American ambassador; and an experienced newspaper bureau chief, who mentors Daniel. Sepetys skillfully conveys Spain's atmosphere under Franco who limited women's rights and squelched rebellion with a pervasive feeling of fear and economic oppression. Compelling primary source materials, such as memos from U.S. presidents, oral history excerpts, and even hotel brochures, precede some chapters and contextualize the narrative. This gripping, often haunting historical novel offers a memorable portrait of fascist Spain. Ages 12 up.
Customer Reviews
A Very Interesting and Sobering View of Franco’s Fascist Dictatorship
This is a book everyone wanting to know more about Spanish History during those dark days would enjoy reading.
My first visit to Spain was during this time in the seventies as a young man. I now live in Marbella as a much older one and appreciate the country’s development as a leading democratic and successful economic European nation.
The Fountains of Silence
A beautiful love story.
The Fountains of Silence
A historical novel in which the reader learns about the history of a country that lived thru a dictatorship and has learned to smile again.