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The 2011 Award

 

Zafon

zafon

The Angel's Game

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Translated from the original Spanish

by Lucia Graves

 

 

 

 

Nominated by:

  • Birmingham Libraries, England.
  • Cork City Libraries, Ireland
  • Gateshead Libraries & Arts, England
  • Biblioteca Municipal Central de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.

 

Publisher of Nominated Edition:

Orion Publishing, UK.

Weidenfeld & Nicholson

Doubleday, USA

 

The complete A-Z listing of nominated authors
ABOUT THE BOOK

 

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man - David Martin - makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house are letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Then David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home. Set in the turbulent 1920s, The Angel's Game takes us back to the gothic universe of the Cemetery of the Forgotten Books, the Sempere and Son bookshop, and the winding streets of Barcelona's old quarter, in a masterful tale about the magic of books and the darkest corners of the human soul.

The stunning new novel from the author of The Shadow of the Wind.

(From Publisher).
 

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carlos Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona and is the author of six novels, including The Shadow of the Wind, the most successful novel in Spanish publishing history after Don Quixote. His work has been translated into more than 35 languages and has received numerous international awards. His books have sold over 15 million copies worldwide and The Angel's Game was the fastest selling book of all time in Spain. 

LIBRARIANS' COMMENTS

An action packed modern Gothic novel set in a Barcelona that is brought hauntingly to life. The gem of a novel is part thriller, part supernatural mystery and an achingly beautiful love story.

An engaging page-turner of a book. this is an evocative, rich tale of mystery and intrigue.

Selected by a Reader's Group

An interesting way of writing, with a well structured novel. The writer attracts the reader to take part in the process of the romance, taking him from a dark, labyrinth universe to an adventure of intrigue and tragedy that takes place in an abandoned mansion in Barcelona.

 

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