catedral del mar, La

Excelente novela . Un manejo inteligente y con gran conocimiento de la sociedad de Cataluña de 1300. Muy recomendable

An exciting historical novel set in Barcelona and immediate surroundings, where the cathedral of Santa Maria de la Mar plays an important role. At times it seems as if the main character, Arnau, unwittingly has to run through too many historical roles for the plot to really be believable, but on the other hand, the descriptiions of mediavel Barcelona are fantastic and it's a page turner.

I was disappointed in this story - it had been written up as " another Follett" and unless something very large was lost in the translation , this author is no Follett in my opinion. Never the less, although I found myself bored during te first part of the book, it seemed to pick up later on and keep my interest whereas earlier I was thinking about not finishing it. So, what does that say?

Historical Fiction based on the bulding of a Barcalona Cathedral - the men that built it but mainly one man's life. I enjoyed the entire 600 page story - couldn't putit down. Wish I could have visited the cathedral as I read it because it truly made you appreciate the labor and that it was complete in 50 years.

An interesting story and a good immersion into life in medieval Barcelona, but I didn't come away feeling like I had gotten much out of it. It was such a long story but the whole thing was just a simple straightforward narrative with not a lot of deeper thought.

Simple, but good read. Not very illuminating or stimulating.

With all the elements that make a gripping historical novel: larger-than-life characters, emotions and the times. The book is well-researched and based on true events, and although it does not belong to finer examples of fiction, it was great to dive into and learn about the 14th century Barcelona. Even though they are known as the times of prosperity (for some), those were very hard times, and the terrible laws and habits people had, the beliefs they accepted or protected, especially in regard to women, ar woven into almost realistic stories that serve as terrible examples. The stories from this true pageturner are sure to reemerge when I go to visit the city, which I am planning to do soon. Being familiar with some of its past will surely help me see things better, or at least differently.

it was so much fun to dive into the old Spain with their laws and traditions. It was like diving intoa different world. interesting characters, pageturner. very easy to read for a historical fiction.

Set in Barcelona during the 14th Century, this book traces the life of Arnau Estanyol, born a serf in a rural village. His father flees to Barcelona to avoid a murder charge, taking his young son with him. The book then proceeds to chart Arnau's rise to wealth, his fall and his resurgence. It is a compelling story, littered with well-researched detail about life, politics, class, religion and trade in the 14th century. The changes in Arnau's fortunes may sometimes seems a little unrealistic; but that argument can be reasonably counterbalanced with the fact that history has many examples of people from humble origins achieving prominence. Comparisons to Pillars of the Earth are inevitable, and so some extent justified, particularly given the Cathedral in this novel's title. However, the construction of the Cathedral in this book really is no more that a backdrop, unlike Ken Follet's work. Just occasionally, I found the writing style a little simplistic; but that may be more to do with the translation than the author's original prose. It is also a very minor fault; if you are interested in medieval history, this is well worth reading.

This magnificent novel has been translated from Spanish and has sold over two million copies in Europe as well as winning many prizes. Set in Barcelona in the 1300s during the construction of the spectacular gothic Santa Maria del Mar Church, there have been many comparisons to Ken Follett's earlier novel Pillars of the Earth. I might as well state at the outset that whilst both historical fiction novels are epic page-turning sagas featuring the construction of a Church/Cathedral, Pillars of the Earth is more focussed on the building of the Cathedral, whilst in the Cathedral of the Sea, the building of the Church is almost a back drop, and never really the main focus of the story.The Cathedral of the Sea is a good solid read at over 630+ pages, and is set over a period of more than 60 years. The story begins in 1320, with the parents of the soon to be main character Arnau. His parents experience terror first hand when the local lord arrives on their wedding night to exercise the right of firma de espoli forzada, which gives the lord the right to sleep with a bride on her wedding night. Needless to say the novel is gripping from the very beginning and I was instantly hooked.Falcones is able to convey the sights, sounds and smells of this period brilliantly and throughout all of the various classes from the very rich to the destitute and the poor. Various conflicts feature throughout the book; we learn about the relationship between the King, Barcelona and the Pope, we witness the terrible treatment of Jews and the powers of the Inquisition. This novel really has it all. The main character undergoes several twists and turns in his life, and several changes in occupations, but I won't spoil the book by mentioning any of them here.As you would expect in such an historical epic, the plot is rich with family secrets, sex, power, riches, religion and conflict. Oh, and of course the building of the Santa Maria del Mar Church is going on in the background although the reader is able to enjoy the progress and the architectural beauty without being bogged down by pages and pages of tedious detail.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth or World Without End, and of course anyone who enjoys their historical fiction rich in substance.

If you liked Pillars of the Earth, you will like Cathedral of the Sea. It describes the vicissitudes of a peasant/freeman/tradesman in 12th century Barcelona. The book (like Pillars of the Earth) is fairly long however it is not a hard read. I must confess that I finished it, enjoyed it, but thought it was 12th century soap opera.

SOME SPOILERS. Proud Spanish families, medieval times, the feudal system, lords, serfs, peasants, submission, the plague, and, of course, beautiful Barcelona....all of this and more are the makeup of Cathedral of the Sea.Beautiful Barcelona was the salvation and dream of all peasants and serfs...it promised freedom if you lived there for one year and a day. Bernat Estanyols and his infant son Arnau fled to Barcelona to obtain their freedom after they lost everything to the Llorence de Bellera, lord of Navarcles. Llorence was a brutal, greedy man. Luckily Bernat's sister lived in Barcelona and was married to a wealthy potter. His sister allowed him to live in their complex....Bernat worked for his brother-in-law but had to live with the peasants and slaves. Arnau was educated along with his cousins and was allowed to live in the mansion. Bernat and Arnau achieved their year and one day in Barcelona with hardships and heartaches happening in that time frame and then Arnau was forced out of the house because of an incident, became sad because of the incident, and was no longer allowed to live in the mansion and be educated along with his cousins. Arnau has nothing to do during the day but watch his cousins play. One day he meets a tattered young boy with nothing to do either, and they become friends. During their daily searches and playtime, they find the Santa Maria church under construction. They are fascinated with the way the HUGE stones are pulled to the top and put into place. They spend their days at the site providing water to the workers and enjoying their company. As much fun as they were having and despite the friendships they were making, Arnau's father was still despised by his brother-in-law's NEW wife and so was Arnau. She tried to get them in trouble and forced her serfs to do things that would make Bernat and Arnau look like the guilty party. Misfortune continued to plague Arnau and his father as everyone in Barcelona except the rich and noble were starving because there was no wheat to feed anyone or it was at an unreachable price. Arnau gets into some trouble of his own, and the heartache continues in beautiful Barcelona....serfs were never respected and blamed for things they didn't even commit. One piece of good fortune does come to Arnau through his friendships with the bastaixos, the workers who carry the giant boulders for the building of the great cathedral, and Father Albert's kindness and feelings for young Arnau. Arnau becomes favored among his fellow bastaixos and his adopted brother, Joan, studies for the priesthood. Arnau becomes enamored by a girl whose father won't let him marry her and then marries another since his brother said he won't go into the priesthood until Arnau is married and has someone to take care of him. Arnau can't refuse his brother or let him not become a priest so he marries someone he really doesn't love. His wife, Maria, was so kind, affectionate, loving, and trusting and Arnau was not being faithful. He got tired of being unfaithful to his wife since she was such a good person and decided the only way to get away from his mistress was to join the army. His wife was accepting, but his mistress was not. Adventures continue for Arnau...good and bad adventures that include his mistress. When the war was over, Arnau came back home to his wife but happiness still avoided him...the plague had arrived in Barcelona. The Jewish people were blamed for the plague...the citizens of Barcelona were killing the Jewish children and adults...Arnau came between three small children and a citizen who was going to kill them. Arnau was hurt while defending the children, but it turned out to be the best thing that happened to him. The Jewish family nursed Arnau back to health and became very fond of Arnau. To repay Arnau for saving his children, the children's father helped Arnau become a money changer.Another Jewish child had no parents and Arnau was asked to adopt her. Mar lived with Arnau and was educated and very happy. Mar was devastated when the King demanded that Arnau marry his ward, Eleanor, for repayment of saving Barcelona from another invasion. He didn't want to get married, but couldn't refuse the King so he married. As you can imagine, it wasn't a happy union...in fact, they rarely talked to each other or slept together. Eleanor got tired of waiting to consummate their marriage not because she loved Arnau, but because she was worried what would happen to Arnau's fortune if he died. She didn't want Mar to receive all the riches, and that could be done because under the law at that time, if a marriage was not consummated, then the wife had no right to anything. Because of this concern, Joan and Eleanor devised an unthinkable plan for Mar.Everything went downhill for Arnau after the incident with Mar...friends betrayed him, the de Belleras came back for revenge along with others, and his business was in jeopardy, but his beloved church was progressing and his Virgin of the Sea was still there for him. The book was a little slow at first, but the history of Barcelona, the building of the church, and the way people lived and were ruled was fascinating. It also makes one glad to not be living during that era. It is a long book, but it gets better so don't give up. I enjoyed the history lesson and, of course, the descriptions of ancient Barcelona...what a beautiful, historical city then and now. 5/5

UKOne of the most, eventually the most unexpected book I ever read. The history of a intense life, an amazing storyline, which gives you a good perception about the medieval Barcelona.Really, really good..., in my humble opinion... you should not miss this history.PTUm dos livros, senão o livro mais inesperado, completo que já li. A história de uma vida intensa, bem escrito, enredo impressionante, dá uma percepção do que foi a Barcelona da época medieval.

I started listening to this book because it was phenomenally successful in Europe and it has been compared with Kent Follett's Pillars of the Earth, which I loved. Maybe it was just the English translation, but I found the writing style so awful I just couldn't finish it. A pity; the subject matter seemed really interesting.

This deservedly award-winning book is an epic life story of one Arnau Estanyol, born a serf in 14th-century Spain. Right from the start, the story has twists and turns of poverty, romance, intrigue, deceit, comraderie, politics--all set in the culturally unique setting of Middle Ages Spain. While the book is educational, it is not overly didactic, and only bogs down occasionally in explaining the architecture and construction of the cathedral--the physical linchpin that the story revolves around. The writing is charged and draws the reader into having reactions to the feudal laws, religious authorities and realities, and is solid while not inspired--the story is the strong point here.

Story of a family living in Barcelona during the building of thee church Santa Maria del Mar in medieval times.Gives an idea of what life might have been like back then. The horrors of war, plague and the Inquisition. Life of pesants, serfs, free citizens of Barcelona and the lords. Covers a lot of historical events.Well written and engaging.

This was an easy to read historical novel set in 14th Century Barcelona and telling the life story of Arnau Estanyol. I enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns of the plot. It reminded me of the style of Rameses (Christian Jaques) - not literary fiction but a good read nevertheless.

Hard to put down. It reminded me of the early Spanish picaresque tradition where low life characters struggle to make it in a society dominated by the inflexible code of honour, the bullying power of the Inquisition, vicious anti-Semitism and an unjust feudal system under threat from emerging industry, finance and trade, which in turn are shown to have their own idiosyncratic rules, codes and uncertainties. Women suffer terribly in this story though they exert a powerful influence (as do the slave characters) on events and there is even a suggestion that in and around Barcelona in the late Middle Ages some attempt at a more equitable deal for both sexes was being considered. There's also a thwarted invasion, an outbreak of the plague, a famine and a gem of a church to build.

Great and sometimes brutal story, and interesting historical facts. On the other hand, the writing sometimes was pretty commonplace and puerile.