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2011 Longlist

The Angel’s Game

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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.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Carlos
Ruiz Zafón

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of six novels, including the international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind, and The Angel’s Game. His work has been published in more than forty different languages, and honoured with numerous international awards. He divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles, California.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of six novels, including the international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind, and The Angel’s Game. His work has been published in more than forty different languages, and honoured with numerous international awards. He divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles, California.

ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Lucia
Graves

NOMINATING LIBRARY 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.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country
Spain
Original Language
Spanish
Publisher
Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Orion Publishing
Translator
Lucia Graves

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