The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

TITLE: The Fountains of Silence⁣

AUTHOR: Ruta Sepetys

PUBLISHER: Penguin Random House

STARS: ★★★★★⁣

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REVIEW: I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book. Between the short chapters and quickly shifting characters, it took me a while to really fully understand the plot. But once I did … man was it a treat!⁣

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★ Sepety’s illustration of post-war Spain, for me, was a heartfelt adventure. ★⁣

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I didn’t know much at all about Spain’s history prior to this book. But, wow … such a crazy period of time … Franco’s rule was subtly catastrophic, and most of the issues Spain found itself submerged in were boiling just under the surface. Secrecy was — sadly — almost celebrated as the “patriotic” thing to do, and the corrupt government found itself seeping into every single institution even (what should be) the comforting arms of the Church. ⁣

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So in comes Sepetys, with a tender and beautiful novel about some courageous teenagers who said “Enough is enough! This is not the Spain we want!” ⁣

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And then there is a sweet love story. Ah. SUCH a sweet love story. It wasn’t a corny or (on the other end) overly-sexualized romance, BUT rather a real, heartfelt, moving friendship turned romantic relationship. ⁣

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Overall, just absolutely LOVED this one. Despite the slow start, this is absolutely one of 2019’s books I’ll be appreciating for a very long time. ⁣

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SENSITIVITY WARNINGS: Talk of family lost to war, one instance of murder, and institutionalized kidnapping. ⁣

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*Rating Scale: https://www.bookmamareviews.com/post/how-i-rate-my-books