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    The Labyrinth of the Spirits: A Novel
    The Labyrinth of the Spirits: A Novel
    The Labyrinth of the Spirits: A Novel
    Audiobook27 hours

    The Labyrinth of the Spirits: A Novel

    Written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

    Narrated by Daniel Weyman

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    New York Times Bestseller

    ""Packed with suspense. . . a gripping edge-of-your-seat thriller.” — Washington Book Review

    The internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author returns to the magnificent universe he constructed in his bestselling novels The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel’s Game, and The Prisoner of Heaven in this riveting series finale—a heart-pounding thriller and nail-biting work of suspense which introduces a sexy, seductive new heroine whose investigation shines a light on the dark history of Franco’s Spain.

    In this unforgettable final volume of Ruiz Zafón’s cycle of novels set in the universe of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, beautiful and enigmatic Alicia Gris, with the help of the Sempere family, uncovers one of the most shocking conspiracies in all Spanish history.

    Nine-year-old Alicia lost her parents during the Spanish Civil War when the Nacionales (the fascists) savagely bombed Barcelona in 1938. Twenty years later, she still carries the emotional and physical scars of that violent and terrifying time. Weary of her work as an investigator for Spain’s secret police in Madrid, a job she has held for more than a decade, the twenty-nine-year old plans to move on. At the insistence of her boss, Leandro Montalvo, she remains to solve one last case: the mysterious disappearance of Spain’s Minister of Culture, Mauricio Valls.

    With her partner, the intimidating policeman Juan Manuel Vargas, Alicia discovers a possible clue—a rare book by the author Victor Mataix hidden in Valls’ office in his Madrid mansion. Valls was the director of the notorious Montjuic Prison in Barcelona during World War II where several writers were imprisoned, including David Martín and Victor Mataix. Traveling to Barcelona on the trail of these writers, Alicia and Vargas meet with several booksellers, including Juan Sempere, who knew her parents.

    As Alicia and Vargas come closer to finding Valls, they uncover a tangled web of kidnappings and murders tied to the Franco regime, whose corruption is more widespread and horrifying than anyone imagined. Alicia’s courageous and uncompromising search for the truth puts her life in peril. Only with the help of a circle of devoted friends will she emerge from the dark labyrinths of Barcelona and its history into the light of the future.

    In this haunting novel, Carlos Ruiz Zafón proves yet again that he is a masterful storyteller and pays homage to the world of books, to his ingenious creation of the Cemetery of Forgotten, and to that magical bridge between literature and our lives. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateSep 18, 2018
    ISBN9780062864741
    The Labyrinth of the Spirits: A Novel
    Author

    Carlos Ruiz Zafon

    Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of eight novels, including the internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed Cemetery of Forgotten Books series: The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel’s Game, The Prisoner of Heaven, and The Labyrinth of the Spirits. His work, which also includes prizewinning young adult novels, has been translated into more than fifty languages and published around the world, garnering numerous awards and reaching millions of readers. He lives in Los Angeles.

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    Reviews for The Labyrinth of the Spirits

    4.5/5

    324 ratings18 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book is a masterpiece. The entire series has been an amazing adventure of Barcelona through such fascinating characters. I’m in awe of Carlos’ unbelievable talent to weave together so many characters over so many books and create this final installment that comes together beautifully. I am grief stricken that it’s over. RIP, Carols. I’m grateful you shared your literary talents with the world.
    • 5/5
      I loved the history of this story. Multi generations mingling in a love story, and the romantic secret and sacred world of authors and book lovers.
    • 5/5
      The best book. Awesome series. Fabulous writer. OMG the words were so lyrical.
    • 5/5
      A complex and engaging epic story. Definitely worth the time until the pieces come together.
    • 4/5
      I got through 27 hours of listening to this audio book. The narrator did an excellent job, although I think the accidental "r" may have been inserted at the names ending in "a" or "i" as some British people do. Since my eyes are going bad, I have not been able to acquire "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books" book one, but have read on nevertheless from book 2, "The Angel's Game" - this book is one of my Gothic favorites. Without reading "The Shadow of the Wind", probably a huge mistake, I have not been able to ascertain whether David Martin had been "mad" all along, or really did make some kind of deal with the devil in the form of Andreas Corelli. It reads like he HAD been "mad", but then again, maybe not. At some point, I will listen again to this exhaustive work that Carlos Ruiz Zafón has written for us. Senor Zafón has shown us once again that Gothic fiction is NOT dead.
    • 4/5
      I love all books in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series! The writing is just so good. I will say this one was probably my least favorite .... mostly because it was so long and just didn't have the "magic" that the original books had. However, still worth my read and I am now inspired to re-read Shadow of the Wind (which everyone should read!).
    • 5/5
      This novel is brilliant. Ruiz Zafòn is a genius, and I adore this novel more than all the others that this novel is connected to. Beautifully written, Ruiz Zafòn outdoes himself with the end of this series.
      Warning, the ending is so sad and bitter sweet, I teared up a little. It’s not just a revisit however for there is more of Zafon’s magic in the Gothic city of Barcelona. Meeting Zafon’s latest creation, Alicia Gris, was a memorable moment. She has to be one of the most extraordinary characters ever to be captured on the pages of a novel. And an epic novel at that.

      It’s going to be difficult to find a book to follow this one, but I will try. I was spellbound reading this, and very excited to return to the Cemetery of Books, back with old friends and the meeting new ones. The streets of Barcelona are the perfect setting for the maze of secrets and puzzles contained within the plot.
      Daniel Weyman is the narrator for this audiobook, and he was superb. His Spanish pronunciations were spot on.

      The style is literary and witty and makes the experience well worthwhile, resulting in a wonderful novel, and it’s highly recommended.

      5 stars.
    • 5/5

      After reading two previous Carlos Ruiz Zafon books, I looked forward to reading the 800 pages of The Labyrinth of the Spirits. I bought it a couple of months before embarking on a long trip I was planning saved it until then so that I would be able to drown myself in the flow of the beautiful writing for long bursts of time every time I picked it up and then finish the book faster than I ordinarily could get through 800 pages in my regular day to day living. It turned out to be a wise plan.
      Zafon sweeps readers into his stories quickly and then enthralls and dazzles them with the complexity of his marvelous plots and the mesmerizing beauty of his language. No one writes as beautifully and lyrically as a Spaniard.
      The book is marvelously complex, plots within plots, suspenseful episode followed my more suspense yet accompanied by some moments of tenderness and love and even some occasional and wonderful humor. What more could a person want in a book?
      The story takes place in Spain at the end of the civil war that brought him to power and the years of his reign of terror. The intrigues of the story rest in the evil, ruthlessness, and violence that those with absolute power wield in order to protect their positions. The plot contains some very grisly and detailed scenes of violence that fully utilize the author’s talent for conveying the pain and suffering of the victims while also exploring the cold-hearted ruthlessness of those applying the torture. It is not a book for children or those easily disturbed by such descriptions.
      Just as masterful as Zafon’s capacity for writing suspense and complex plots is his capacity to develop authentic seeming characters, each of which displays characteristics that differentiate one character from another. Each of the villains in the story, and there are many, is unlike the others, displaying different “skills”, motivations, and techniques of their trade, yet each of the villainous characters feels no shame, guilt nor remorse for what they do. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, yet few books so fully demonstrate to readers exactly what that chinches actually means.
      This is a long book. Even the more avid readers among us generally shy away from such lengthy books. I often make my own reading choices influenced by how long the book is, seldom deciding to read books of 500 or more pages. The Labyrinth of the Spirits deserves every second readers invest in savoring its 800 pages. Those who do will probably feel as if they’d like to read everything Zafon has ever written, a feeling which I personally derive from very few authors, but very few authors write this well, tell stories this engaging, or satisfy reader expectations so well.
    • 5/5
      I'm sad to discover I have not already written a review on this! The publisher sent me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review back in August or September 2019. Short story: I loved it. It was an immensely full and satisfying read, creating new stories and resolving others, bringing life and love together, and overall proving, once again, what a wonderful writer Zafon is. Although I think this book is best enjoyed after having read the other 3 books in the "series," as with the others, this one also can stand on its own. But... do yourself a favor, pick up Shadow of the Wind and enter Zafon's world. I am sure I will see you there again, one of these days...FIVE of five stars.
    • 5/5

      I got the feeling about 3/4 of the way through this book that Zafon didn't want to stop writing this story, which was ok, because I didn't want to stop reading it.
      I'm feeling a bit lost without Alicia Gris, since she was an important part of my daily life this past month.
      It's rare that I tackle a book this long, but after reading the first 3 books of this series, I absolutely had no choice. I needed another trip to the Labyrinth, and Sempere's bookshop. It's even more rare for me to read a multi-book series that contains elements of the supernatural. But I was hooked from the first pages of the Angel's game.
      I'm emotionally exhausted by this series and feel as though I am still stuck in Zafon's labyrinth. And I think that's exactly how I'm supposed to feel. Because as he explains at the end of this novel, books are like labyrinths, with no beginnings or endings, just different points of entry.
      And really, the great thing about this series, is that the author genuinely wants people to start at different points along the way.

      Finally, I need to visit Barcelona, like now, and visit all the places mentioned throughout this series and see if I can find the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and find one that might be waiting there for me.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful conclusion to a group of interrelated but independent series of books.
    • 5/5
      Completing this book finishes a literary journey for me that has lasted a month. I had read the first book in the series about 10 years ago and recall enjoying it a lot - enough to make me want to travel to Barcelona. When I started ths book: Labyrinth of the Spirits, I discovered there was little I recalled of the first book so I suspended reading this one and went back and read the whole series in order of publication. There are so many details and scenes in the books it is a challenge for this reader to maintain his orientation. In the end both locations in the city of Barcelona and characters from the novels became increasingly real and interesting. Perhaps like any story about people there are loose ends and uncertainty. However I felt the end brought me closure. I would say this last book is the most complex and meandering of the series. For me one test of a good novel is whether I care about the characters. This book passes that test with flying colors. While it has elements of a mystery or puzzle, it must be experienced rather than figured out. I almost felt I should mind map the book to help keep characters, places and events straight. A tennet of the cemetery of lost books is that books carry the souls of the writers and readers in them. Ruiz Zafon has put a lot of soul into the book. Each reader will discover what of him or herself goes into the book as well.
    • 5/5
      Exceptional
    • 5/5
      In The Labyrinth of the Spirits, Carlos Ruiz Zafon brings his Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet to a full circle conclusion. At the outset, we meet Alicia Gris, a tough-ass seductress, who, after suffering both physical and emotional scars from the Spanish Civil War, is recruited to help locate Minister of Culture Mauricio Valls (who astute readers will remember from the previous book The Prisoner of Heaven). From there, a large number of new characters emerge, as well as re-introductions to characters from Zafon's previous books, both good guys and bad.I have such bittersweet feelings about this final book of the series. The Shadow of the Wind is one of my, if not MOST, favorite novels of all time. There's really almost nothing that can top it, and it was almost inevitable that any book following it would be disappointing, at least to some extent. And I'll admit that while I enjoyed The Angel's Game (book 2), I found it confusing, leaving me with more questions than answers. The Prisoner of Heaven (book 3), though short, was dark and depressing, and I found it somewhat lacking, not sure how it really added much to the series. Though each book referenced The Cemetery of Forgotten Books in some way, I just wasn't sure how it all linked together. But.Now here we are with The Labyrinth of the Spirits. It's a massive tome, and though I love Zafon's writing, I will admit that this took me almost a full two months to work my way through. It's not a book that you can necessarily race through. There are so many characters, both old and new. I would almost recommend taking notes, because it's a bit hard to keep track of them all. Though Zafon himself states that this series of books is like a labyrinth and that they can be read in any order, I feel that reading them in the order that they were published makes the most sense. Additionally, because of the many characters and layers to this story/stories, it might be best to read them back-to-back. I re-read books 1 and 2 prior to reading books 3 and 4, and that definitely helped me connect characters and events that I most certainly would've forgotten about had I just read each book once, immediately after its release date. Having said all of that, I thought this last book in the series really made the difference for me. I think The Shadow of the Wind is a great stand-alone book. If, like me, you were blown away by that one but were a bit disenchanted with books 2 and 3, I'd really recommend persevering through to the end of this one. It pulls all of the characters and events from all of the books together beautifully. I'm sad to see this series end, as I'll dearly miss many of these characters and their stories, but I do feel that it was a satisfying ending to a wonderful, sad, engrossing tale.
    • 5/5
      Never have I read a series of books quite like The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, and this last book is hard for me to describe. I’m sad, in many ways, that it’s all come to an end, but then has it really? I read the series in the order it was published, and reading this last book made me want to revisit each story all over again, looking for all the extra details I missed the first time, perhaps to gain a better understanding of the characters and all the details of the story as a whole, but also to truly admire what Zafón has managed to accomplish in these four volumes. While The Shadow of the Wind has been one of my favorites and one that I regularly, highly recommend, it will be hard to recommend the first book on its own in the future now knowing that the true magic is the story found within all four novels.At some point I’ll return to provide a fuller review here, but in the meantime, I think I’ll be lost in the labyrinth of thoughts for a bit.
    • 5/5
      Carlos Ruiz Zafón says in this novel that the beginnings of books are merely entry points and that his quartet, The Cemetery of Forgotten Books can be jumped into at any point. While possible, I do think that this is a series that rewards being read in order, in seeing the Sempere family change over time, and in truly enjoying the way this final novel ties up old story-lines. Each of the four novels is different from the other, and The Labyrinth of Spirits is an old-fashioned noir, where the hard-boiled, quick-witted, world-weary and self-destructive detective is also the femme fatale.Alicia Gris lost her mother to a wartime bomb in Barcelona, Spain. She is escapes across the rooftops as the city burns, pulled from the wreckage by a family friend, who loses her when she falls through a glass dome and into the mysterious cemetery of books, a labyrinthine library. She is terribly injured in the fall, and those injuries still affect her now that she's an adult and working in Madrid for a secretive agency working for Franco's government. When a powerful cabinet member disappears, leaving behind his daughter and a banned book, Alicia is pulled in to partner with a police detective to find him. Their path takes them to Barcelona, to secrets from the past and to a small bookstore run by the Sempere family.No one does atmosphere like Zafón. His version of Barcelona appears like an old movie, all fog and shadows, a black and white homage to a complex and colorful city. Alicia is a wonderful character to follow. She's the one men fall in love with, but she also terrifies them. She's good at her job, and her job is not one for the faint of heart. Still, she is drawn to the warm family life of the Semperes and will need their help to not only solve the mystery, but to survive. This novel was a delight. The plot was convoluted and tended to wander off into lengthy tangents, but the whole journey was just so entertaining that I was happy for each of the more than 800 pages.
    • 4/5
      This is the fourth and final book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. To begin, The Shadow of the Wind will always be one of my favorite books. It is the first book in this series and a classic gothic novel. At this point, I've fallen so in love with Zafón's characters and his rich descriptions of Barcelona, that I have a hard time being objective about his work. I am more forgiving when there are plot hiccups because I'm already invested in the world he created. That being said let me dive into this latest installment. The Labyrinth of Spirits picks up shortly after The Prisoner of Heaven ends. Our main protagonist is the troubled Alicia Gris. She's a bit of a femme fatale with her own troubled past and wounds, both physical and mental. The book pulls you in immediately with a scene from Fermin's past, but then we move forward in time and the middle has some pacing issues. The plot is so convoluted with extra characters and layers upon layers of history that at times it’s hard to follow. I didn’t barrel through it as quickly as The Prisoner of Heaven or savor the atmosphere like The Shadow of the Wind. Instead I found that I enjoyed it most when I could sit and give it my full attention for a large chunk of time. Clocking in at over 800 pages (at least in ARC form), you need to sink into this world to juggle the different characters. Once you do, you are rewarded with slow but sure development. Obviously my favorite moments are when we return to the Sempere family. Once Alicia's path crossed with theirs I felt more connected. ***After this point my review assumes you’ve already read the whole series, but there are no spoilers for this book*** There's a moment in the book when Zafón actually explains the arch of the series. It's just perfect and gives an insider's wink to anyone who has read all four books. About The Labyrinth of Spirits he says, “The fourth installment, fierce and enormous, spiced with perfumes from all the earlier ones, would lead us at last to the center of the mystery, uncovering all the puzzles with the help of my favorite fallen angel of mist, Alicia Gris.”It's a perfect summary. Despite the author's sometimes loquacious tendencies and a pile of characters that it's easy to confuse (Gris' detective partner Vargas, her mentor Leandro, Inspector Fumero's apprentice Hendaya, the banker Sanchís and his wife Victoria Ubach, the author Víctor Mataix and his daughter Ariadna, the fumbling stalker Rovira, the journalist Vilajuana, the missing political minister Mauricio Valls, the besotted Fernandito, Daniel's cousin Sofía, and on and on...), the book is still a delight. It's a bit of work, but it's worth it in the end because it ties the whole world together. I'm so glad we get to know Isabella Sempere's character a little better. Often when we lose a parent at a young age, it's easy to turn them into an idealized saint. Seeing the real person, full of flaws and bad decisions, can be painful, but it's so much more real. We finally have a chance to meet her, full of fire and grit, and hear her story in her own voice. It’s always been a flaw out Zafón’s to paint women as either whores or saints instead of giving them depth. I felt like this book gave us a few that were more developed, although it's certainly still focused more on the men. I wish we'd had a chance to explore the world through Bea's eyes, but we never get that privilege. Instead, the story comes full circle with Daniel and Bea's son Julián. We also spend more time with Fermin, who I've grown to love in all his irreverent glory. BOTTOM LINE: Heartbreaking and beautiful, the story brings all of his characters together, somehow turning all four books into one complete tale. It's a must for anyone who loves the series. If you're new to his work I’d recommend try The Shadow of the Wind first to see if it's for you. “At the time I was just a kid and life was still a few sizes too big for me.”“However many sorrows you drag along with you, you’ll only have walked a few steps before bumping into someone who will remind you that there’s always another person with a far worse set of cards then yours in the game of life.”“Some would argue that no genre is more fictitious than a biography.” “With the possible exception of an autobiography,” Mataix granted.“Learning how to differentiate between why one does things and why one says one does them is the first step toward getting to know oneself.”“The most sincere pain is experienced alone.”
    • 5/5
      *Free e-book ARC provided by the publisher through Edelweiss/Above the Treeline in exchange for an honest review. No money or other goods were exchanged, and all views are my own.*The fourth in a series of interconnected stories that began with The Shadow of the Wind, The Labyrinth of the Spirits begins soon after Julian's birth to now-married Daniel and Bea in about 1959. When a high-ranking minister, Valls, goes missing a young woman Alicia Gris is partnered with policeman Vargas to find out what happened to him. But as they dig deeper into the story of Valls and his connection to ill-fated literary figures such as David Martin and Daniel's mother Isabella, they soon find out that someone doesn't want them to get to the bottom of Valls' disappearance.Though the four books can be read in any order, this one really draws all the threads together and a thoroughly satisfying read that glories in the art of storytelling and the joy of reading. The connecting threads, the past of the Spanish Civil War, and teasing out relationships between characters made this really challenging and rewarding to read. Almost as good as the first book, and totally worth the wait.