I received this book for free from Purchased, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Narrator: Daniel Weyman
Length: 7 Hours 30 Minutes
on July 22nd 2014
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Action & Adventure, Horror, Mysteries & Detective Stories
Pages: 336
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: Purchased, Publisher
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"We all have a secret buried under lock and key in the attic of our soul. This is mine."When Fifteen-year-old Oscar Drai suddenly vanishes from his boarding school in Barcelona, no one knows his whereabouts for seven days and seven nights. His story begins when he meets the strange Marina while he's exploring an old quarter of the city. She leads Oscar to a cemetery, where they watch a macabre ritual that occurs on the last Sunday of each month. At exactly ten o'clock in the morning, a woman shrouded in a black velvet cloak descends from her carriage to place a single rose on an unmarked grave. When Oscar and Marina decide to follow her, they begin a journey that transports them to a forgotten postwar Barcelona--a world of aristocrats and actresses, inventors and tycoons--an reveals a dark secret that lies waiting in the mysterious labyrinth beneath the city streets. Carlos Ruiz Zafon's haunting Marina has long been a cult classic in Spain and is now an international bestseller.
Why Did I Listen To Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon?
Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon made my TBR list for several reasons. The first being that a few years ago, The Shadow Of The Wind seemed to have massive popularity. It was such a big book that I bought a copy and it has sat upon my shelf ever since. However, Marina popped up on Netgalley and seemed a whole lot more approachable. It’s a young adult book and I tend to really like books that are put out by its publisher. So, I picked up a copy via audiobook because I figured that was going to be the most easy way to finally check Zafon off my list.
What’s The Story Here?
Marina takes place in Barcelona, in May 1980. It is about this boy named Oscar Drai who vanishes from his boarding school for a week. Essentially, this is the story of where he goes for that week. You see, Oscar meets this girl named Marina and her father, who paints portraits. Marina takes him to see something kind of weird – an old woman who goes to a graveyard on the last Sunday of the month, clad in black with a single rose. She goes to a grave with no name. This then sets the two on quite the journey through the upper crust world of Barcelona. The story gets weird and horrifying from there.
What Did I Think Of Marina?
I do kind of regret not reading a physical copy of Marina. I’ll admit that I thought the story was quite unique. Plus, Barcelona makes for a fantastic setting – one we do not get often enough. This is quite the introduction to Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It makes me definitely want to pursue reading The Shadow Of The Wind, however, I’ll definitely physically read that and not listen to the audiobook.
How’s The Narration?
The audiobook of Marina is not all that great. It’s narrated by Daniel Weyman. I just didn’t care for his narration. Granted, I think most people will think that he did a fine job. However, for me, I just had a rough time paying attention to his voice or really caring about the story based on the voicing. Perhaps this was just a case of wrong audiobook at the wrong time, but I felt like my experience with this book was not all that superb due to just not liking the narration.
Other reviews of Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon:
- A Dream Of Books – “I struggled my way through most of this book“
- Respiring Thoughts – “an inventive, thrilling modern Gothic“
- The Book Musings – “had me in suspense and dread, and yet I found it to be a page-turner“
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Ooh, Barcelona! That alone is enough to put this book on my radar. Thanks for the review!