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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Magnificent: a dizzying tale of drama, intrigue and passion’ MAIL ON SUNDAY

‘A colossal, genre-crossing achievement’ GUARDIAN

As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul.

Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish Franco regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war. She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price.

Reviews

Irish Times
Moving and engaging. This is a novel to lose oneself in, and it promotes the sort of reading experience we remember from childhood - of complete absorption into a fantasy world
Sunday Times
Rich, ambitious storytelling
Guardian
A colossal, genre-crossing achievement
Saga
By the author of the brilliant Shadow of the Wind, this is a good long read to relish on chilly winter evenings.
Sunday Express
Sprawling, seductive and hugely atmospheric
Mail on Sunday
Zafón is a master storyteller, combining the postmodern and the traditional in an enchanting hymn to literature... Magnificent: a dizzying tale of drama, intrigue and passion
Independent
This is a suspenseful story of loss, betrayal and redemption
Daily Mail
Neither too geeky nor too highbrow, Zafon's genre-mashing novels provide a high-definition, alternative account of Spain's turbulent 20th-century history, with added Hollywood blockbuster thrills. I was hooked