Prisoner of Heaven (Ruiz Zafon) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[A novel] with the blissful narrative drive of a high-class mystery… Ruiz Zafón is a splendidly solicitous craftsman, careful to give the reader at least as much pleasure as he is evidently having.
Guardian (UK)


The story has heart, menace torture, kindness, cruelty, sacrifice, and a deep devotion to what makes humans tick.
New York Journal of Books


Full of stylish writing, Gothic atmosphere and love letters to 19th-century novels
Yvonne Zipp - Washington Post


Perhaps his wittiest [novel] and the darkest to date, a stylistic feat that Ruiz Zafon handles deftly…Savor this book.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel


There is an air of magical realism to Zafon’s tales. The prose is robust and the dialogue rich with smart irony. But mostly, reading Zafon is great fun.
Miami Herald


A deep and mysterious novel full of people that feel real…This is an enthralling read and a must-have for your library. Zafón focusses on the emotion of the reader and doesn’t let go.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer


Characters from The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game reconvene in Zafon's newest literary thriller. When a stranger shows up at the struggling Sempere & Sons bookshop in Barcelona in 1957 to buy a rare and expensive volume, Daniel Sempere—the son—sets out to uncover the mysterious man's motives. The resulting mix of history and mystery drives this third installment in Zafon's cycle about the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a "sprawling labyrinth…like the trunk of an endless tree." What Daniel discovers will implicate those he loves, has lost, and loathes—from his soon-to-be-wed friend, Fermin; to Daniel's mother, Isabella, who died under questionable circumstances; his father; his wife, Bea, and infant son, Julian; and a host of schemers, torturers, corrupt governmental officials, writers, and lovers, many of whom have changed identities, hurriedly penned secret missives, and stashed keys to hidden treasures. Zafon's storytelling is deft and well-paced, and his vivid prose brings the cultural riches and political strife of Franco-era Spain to life. Though the book will undoubtedly please readers familiar with his other novels, as the introduction explains, the book is a "self-contained tale" capable of standing alone—something it does with aplomb.
Publishers Weekly


Invoking the atmosphere of Dumas, Dickens, Poe and Garcia Marquez, Carlos Ruiz Zafon retains his originality and will hold his rightful place among the storytelling masters of literature.
Book Reporter


Gripping…suspenseful…The magic of the novel is in the wonderfully constructed creepy and otherworldly setting, the likable characters, and the near-perfect dialogue.
Booklist


Daniel [Sempere] sells a rare copy of The Count of Monte Cristo to a shadowy stranger who uses it to send a message to a helper in the store: "For Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from among the dead and holds the key to the future." Who is the stranger, and what does his dark message mean? ... Ruiz Zafon's story takes off, resembling a Poe story here, a dark Lovecraft fantasy there, a sunny Christopher Morley yarn over there. The...story soon takes twists into the fantastic and metaphorical..... Ruiz Zafon narrowly avoids preciousness, and the ghosts of Spain that turn up around every corner are real enough. Readers are likely to get a kick out of this improbable, oddly entertaining allegory.
Kirkus Reviews