The Fountains of Silence

by Ruta Sepetys

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray comes a gripping, extraordinary portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship.

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 chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, 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 about identity, unforgettable love, repercussions of war, and the hidden violence of silence--inspired by the true postwar struggles of Spain.

Includes vintage media reports, oral history commentary, photos, and more.

Praise for The Fountains of Silence

"Spain under Francisco Franco is as dystopian a setting as Margaret Atwood’s Gilead in Ruta Sepetys’s suspenseful, romantic and timely new work of historical fiction . . . Like [Shakespeare's family romances], 'The Fountains of Silence' speaks truth to power, persuading future rulers to avoid repeating the crimes of the past." --The New York Times Book Review

“Full of twists and revelations…an excellent story, and timely, too.” --The Wall Street Journal

"A staggering tale of love, loss, and national shame." --Entertainment Weekly

* "[Sepetys] tells a moving story made even more powerful by its placement in a lesser-known historical moment. Captivating, deft, and illuminating historical fiction." --Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW*

* "This gripping, often haunting historical novel offers a memorable portrait of fascist Spain." --Publishers Weekly, *STARRED REVIEW*

* "This richly woven historical fiction . . . will keep young adults as well as adults interested from the first page to the last." --SLC, *STARRED REVIEW*

* "Riveting . . . An exemplary work of historical fiction." --The Horn Book, *STARRED REVIEW*

• ISBN10: 0399160310
• ISBN13: 9780399160318
• Publish Date: 1 October 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Random House USA Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 512
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780399160318

Reviews

[Steph L]

If you're looking for a book that's about a time few people know about, consider this one. I went in knowing nothing about the Spanish Civil War, and I felt like I learned something. This book also has a wonderful cast if characters and a plot to keep you engaged.

[reveriesociety_]

Beautiful, beautiful book. There's so much I want to say about it!

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I knew early in this book that The Fountains of Silence would be a five star read for me.

Ruta Sepetys has such a beautiful writing style that brings the past to life in such a way that it feels modern day, and I absolutely adore it. The way she wrote… this book made me feel so many different things. It made me smile, and it clawed at my heart. It made me angry, as so many of the injustice of history do. I wanted the love story, and I wanted the sleuthing. I wanted all of it. And I also wish that the event that inspired it never had to happen.

The Fountains of Silence revolves around the stories of Daniel and Ana, as well as a few of their loved ones. We enter the story in the late 1950s, when Franco is still in power and the people of Spain live in a constant state of fear. The mood of the country came across to the point it gave me chills – and yet? The artificial cheer of the hotel felt exactly like the way the tourist trade goes, where naive and rich outsiders are encouraged to come and pour some money into the economy and see nothing of the truth. There are a lot of things going on right away in the story – from Ana’s secret to Daniel’s struggle with his family, to Fuga’s aspirations… every character in this book is keeping secrets and every character wants more, though most as afraid to reach for it. But this is not a whimsical fantasy and to reach above one’s station can have real, fatal consequences.

In particular, the writing style appealed to me. While Ruta Sepetys writes very well and brought Madrid to life, I appreciated the snippets and short chapters. Daniel is a photographer, and each chapter felt like a photograph captured of a moment for each of the different characters. Not all photographs are pretty – most of them are painful – but the style worked perfectly with the character of the novel. Even the historical documents and quotes included enhanced the story, and I do not normally enjoy those. The style of writing also helped keep a brisk, trotting pace, which made the middle feel even more dire as one after another, things began to fall apart.

Fall apart in the best way. The kind of way that keeps you on the edge of your seat like, “No, nothing else could possibly go wrong… could it?”

It is easy to care about the plot not only because it is based in truth, but because each of the characters is so likable. They are rounded and real and you absolutely care about what happens to each of them. Even more detached characters like Fuga and Antonio have something to offer the reader so you want to pick up their torch. You want to see justice for everyone. I even found myself rooting for the love story, which longtime blog readers know is untypical for me and my jaded heart.

I’ve heard a few people talking about The Fountains of Silence as one of the good books they read last year, but I am utterly convinced that not enough people have been screaming about it, so let me add my voice to the masses. The Fountains of Silence is a powerful book about fear and love and injustice and secrets and it is beautiful and heartbreaking and it absolutely must be read. Don’t read historical fiction? Start with this book and see if it changes your mind.

[Amber]

Read this review on my blog!

I am a massive fan of Sepetys’ work, and I have been ever since I read Between Shades of Gray when it first came out. I find her writing to be very emotional, so it was a shame when The Fountains of Silence managed to drag on for me and didn’t evoke many emotions at all.

My main issue with The Fountains of Silence was that it was far too long. At 140 small chapters, the plot both dragged and jumped around from person to person, and I found myself extremely bored in the middle and completely disconnected. I was often just getting used to one point of view before the book switched to someone else’s, and so I had a hard time getting attached to any of the characters. I also found the romance to be really unbelievable, but I’ve also been told that I’m too cynical so who knows? Although I’d like to point out that it wasn’t the YA romance that I had a problem with.

I normally adore Sepety’s writing style, but unfortunately The Fountains of Silence was rather bland. I have found that I tend to connect to her WW2 fiction more than her other work.

Having said all of that, I have given The Fountains of Silence three stars because I did really enjoy learning more about post-WW2 Spain. This isn’t a topic that was covered in school here in the UK (at least in my area), and I honestly had no idea that Spain was under fascist rule for so long after the Second World War ended. It’s definitely opened my eyes and it’s now a topic that I’d like to look into more. I had the same experience with Don’t Date Rosa Santos and Cuba, as Cuba vs. the US is another topic that isn’t covered by the curriculum here. It’s always nice when there are gaps in my knowledge to fill (lol).

I would recommend checking this book out if you’re an avid fan of Sepetys, just so you don’t miss out on anything. As I said above, it’s also a good read if you want an introduction to post-war Spain and the issues there. If this is your first Sepetys book, please don’t be put off by it, as her other books are so. much. better.

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[Terri M. LeBlanc]

The history in this novel is revealing and fascinating. I didn't connect with the characters as much as I have in past Sepetys novels. As a result, I was a bit disappointed in this novel.