The Fountains of Silence

Ruta Sepetys

Oct 2019 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray comes a gripping, extraordinary portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship.

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography--and fate--introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War--as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

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, repercussions of war, and the hidden violence of silence--inspired by the true postwar struggles of Spain.

Includes vintage media reports, oral history commentary, photos, and more.

Praise for The Fountains of Silence

"Spain under Francisco Franco is as dystopian a setting as Margaret Atwood’s Gilead in Ruta Sepetys’s suspenseful, romantic and timely new work of historical fiction . . . Like [Shakespeare's family romances], 'The Fountains of Silence' speaks truth to power, persuading future rulers to avoid repeating the crimes of the past." --The New York Times Book Review

“Full of twists and revelations…an excellent story, and timely, too.” --The Wall Street Journal

"A staggering tale of love, loss, and national shame." --Entertainment Weekly

* "[Sepetys] tells a moving story made even more powerful by its placement in a lesser-known historical moment. Captivating, deft, and illuminating historical fiction." --Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW*

* "This gripping, often haunting historical novel offers a memorable portrait of fascist Spain." --Publishers Weekly, *STARRED REVIEW*

* "This richly woven historical fiction . . . will keep young adults as well as adults interested from the first page to the last." --SLC, *STARRED REVIEW*

* "Riveting . . . An exemplary work of historical fiction." --The Horn Book, *STARRED REVIEW*

Ratings and reviews

This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. The writing style is lyrical and sprinkled expertly with historical facts and Spanish vocabulary, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed as I learned about a historical time and place I knew nothing about until reading this novel, and the Spanish words were easy to interpret contextually. The author's research notes showed me the in-depth look she took into this time and place, even visiting and interviewing people at the hotel and meeting people who lived during the dictatorship. The characters are ones I fell in love with and they popped out of history and became real. The friendships, family drama, romance, social struggles, and cultural differences between Americans and Spaniards made this a favorite book of 2019 for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed Between Shades of Grey and Salt to the Sea. In fact they are two of the novels I most often recommend, so I had high expectations for the latest book by Ruta Sepetys. I'm happy to say it met them. Like those other two books, this one sheds a light on a hidden part of history, but it does so more gradually. Like in Salt to the Sea, there were multiple narrators. I felt they were all necessary for the telling of this story, and I liked them all, though initially I found one less sympathetic than the others. The danger the characters faced here was not as overt as in the other books, but there was a tension, a sense of it lingering in the air. And while I'd describe the other two novels as being about a struggle to survive, I'd describe this one as being about a struggle to live, for what kind of life is it if you can't ask questions or even hope for anything better? I enjoyed this and have already recommended it. I'm thankful for the early read from BookishFirst, and I liked it so much that I've purchased the hardback.

Disclaimer: I was given an advance reader copy from Penguin Teen via Bookish First in exchange for an honest review. I found The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys to be completely enthralling and I couldn't put it down. I did find it a bit hard to follow at first due to the constant changing point of view and short chapters but I quickly found the rhythm of the story. I did not know very much about Spain under Franco's rule and the aftermath of the Spanish civil war, so it gave me a very minimal glimpse into that history and has made me want to learn more. I did find the culture shock that Daniel, an American teen visiting Spain, experienced to be eye-opening because there are freedoms that are often taken for granted. I would highly recommend this book.

About the author

Ruta Sepetys (www.rutasepetys.com) is an internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a "crossover" novelist, as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. Her novels Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, and Salt to the Sea have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists. Between Shades of Gray was adapted into the film Ashes in the Snow, and her other novels are currently in development for TV and film. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, to the European Parliament, in the United States Capitol, and at embassies worldwide. Ruta was born and raised in Michigan and now lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @RutaSepetys.