FROM CARNEGIE MEDAL WINNING AUTHOR RUTA SEPETYS Madrid, 1957.
Daniel, young, wealthy and unsure of his place in the world, views
the city through the lens of his camera. Ana, a hotel maid whose
family is suffering under the fascist dictatorship of General
Franco. Lives and hearts collide as they unite to uncover the
hidden darkness within the city. A darkness that could engulf them
all . . . 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 and the hidden violence of
silence. **PRAISE FOR THE FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE** 'Ruta Sepetys is
the finest writer of historical fiction working today.' The Wall
Street Journal 'Captivating, deft, and illuminating historical
fiction.' Booklist 'Gripping.' Publishers Weekly 'A stunning novel
that exposes modern fascism and elevates human resilience.' Kirkus
'An exemplary work of historical fiction.' The Horn Book
General
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My review
Wed, 8 Jan 2020 | Review
by: Breakaway R.
For more than 20 years Spain has given blood ….. and what else?
Ana is tired of silence, tired of unanswered questions and tired of secrets. A girl of patched pieces, she dreams of new beginnings. She works at the Castellana Hilton in Madrid – after twenty years of nationwide atrophy Franco is finally allowing tourists into Spain. She lives in a one-room shack with her brother and sister, her sister’s husband and their baby girl. They need to live in silence; their father was executed, mother imprisoned – their crime – teachers who hoped to develop a Montessori school with methods based on child development rather than religion. But Franco commands that all schools in Spain must be controlled by the Catholic church and any Republican sympathizers must be eradicated; but what can be built through silence?
Daniel Matheson is the son of an oil magnate, destined to inherit the business but he would rather be a photojournalist. He takes photo’s with sincerity and is competing in a photo contest to win the prize money because it would fund the journalism program he wants to attend – unbeknown to his parents. His mother is Spanish and the Matheson’s come to Madrid to seal an oil deal with Franco. Ana is assigned to the Matheson’s suite and a friendship develops between the two young people as Ana helps Daniel to try to tell the human story of Spain with his photographs. There are whispers of babies disappearing – it began after the war. Children of Republicans were taken as punishment to the parents and it is still happening – parents are told that their baby died when that’s not really the case. The babies are then given or sold to a family that is deemed more worthy.
The author did a lot of research for this novel and the knowledge she gained allows her to weave a web around you and the characters, intertwining you together. It never ceases to amaze me that as I grow older I realise how much more I still have to learn and how many things I know very little about. In this book, I learnt more about the Spanish civil war, bullfighting and photography and met some unbelievable characters who survived more heartbreak than any one person should.
Saphira
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
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