Finished・Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón・Spanish Bookclub

Spanish Reading Book Clubs
21
Chapter 11

I hadn’t appreciated in the prologue that the train station he had been found at was in Barcelona - the Estacion de Francia. I liked the foreshadowing of a plot point we already know from the prologue - ”Si algún día me pierdo, que me busquen en una estación de tren”

I enjoyed following along with the journey in this chapter on Google maps. The winding coastal road from Tossa de Mar towards Sant Feliu de Guixols is on the map. Below is a view from the road pulled from a lookout point on Google maps:

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The romantic rejection by Marina seemed somehow sadly predictable but it’s nice that Oscar found the courage to give it a shot!

The twist at the end of the chapter was enjoyable. Why would such an old man be found dead in such a strange location, and with both hands amputated…? This has been a gentle story of new friendships and exploration so far, but this has been the biggest sign of a darker more dangerous mystery unfolding.

Chapter 12

I had to look back at the Benjamin Sentis story, it was ten days or so ago that I read it. I’d forgotten that the company founder’s son had lost his hands in accident and that Kolvenik had created artificial hands for him.

The second trip to the greenhouse was very tense! I don’t really know what is happening. They seemed to have been attacked by living puppets? Surely that can’t be true. Kolvenik was brilliant with his engineering creations, perhaps these “creatures” are something to do with him?? I loved the way the hand of one of the puppets was spasming on the railtracks at the end of the story, and the head that was made of bone not wood. The mystery is deepening and seems a very unpredictable story at the moment.

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Chapter 13

A gentler chapter after the last one. More backstory and another character to add into the mix. I’m finding it a little tricky remembering all the different elements of the backstories!

Chapter 14

Another intense chapter! This felt very gothic horror - the darkness, the storm, the mysterious creature in the night. The hands with the bloodied wrists holding the portrait. The putrid smell. The creature making its agile escape from the window. Looking forward to what comes next.

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Week 4

  • Chapters 15-19

I’ll keep going with the schedule, but feel free to catch up and post from any week :+1:

Participation Poll

  • I’m reading along
  • I’m still reading but I haven’t reached this part yet
  • I’ve stopped reading this book
0 voters
1 Like
24
Chapter 15

I didn’t know what a camisón was, and tried to guess what sort of clothing she had brought him that was so displeasing for him to wear. Turns out it was a nightgown - sounds like something out of an old nursery rhyme. I liked Marina’s reply - German doesn’t let me have naked boys sleeping in the house…

The funicular up to Vallvidrera sounds interesting. I had a quick look on You Tube and found a video of a much more modern looking carriage than I imagine is the one in the story.

I love a retired old police inspector as a character - I foresee another backstory coming…

Chapter 16

A new side of the story. Kolvenik powerful, controlling, hiding behind expensive lawyers. His death in a fire just the night before police arrived with arrest/search warrants. The mysterious death of two dismembered police officers a year after Kolvenik’s death. Sentis’s death just before he could speak to Florian. The word Teufel written in blood next to Sentis’ body. Kolvenik’s name stolen from the resident of an asylum. And Marina with a mystery illness.

I hope I can keep hold of all these different threads as the story gets steadily more complex and mysterious!

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Chapter 17

First paragraph I didn’t know the word sienes. I thought he had pain in his breasts?! Turns out sienes are “temples”.

Joselito is obviously very famous although I hadn’t heard of him. He has a Wikipedia page: Joselito (singer) - Wikipedia

Not from the movie Paula was watching but here is a clip of him singing: https://youtu.be/z_gCrtBrWFY?si=ddO2FT5JqGPQmv0W

Chapter 18

Great chapter, graveyards at night in the rain, hiding in the equipment basket of a carriage, following a mysterious figure through the old streets of Barcelona. Enjoying this.

Chapter 19

Short chapter. Fun following his pursuit against a map of Barcelona. I didn’t like the sound of balancing on that ledge!

26

Glad to finally be catching up with the book club!

Week 1: Chapters 1-5

I’m really enjoying this so far! I had zero knowledge about the book before starting, so I wasn’t expecting it to be a gothic mystery. The descriptions are so atmospheric - creepy in the greenhouse, yet calmer and more contemplative when describing the various corners of Barcelona. I’m intrigued by Marina and Oscar’s adventure so far and excited to see where things go!

3 Likes
27
Chapters 6-8

I was expecting the spookiness to continue, so I was a bit relieved to discover the sad backstory instead. I wonder how it will intertwine with the mysterious greenhouse lady?

1 Like
28

Week 5

  • Chapters 20-23

I’ll keep going with the schedule, but feel free to catch up and post from any week :+1:

Participation Poll

  • I’m reading along
  • I’m still reading but I haven’t reached this part yet
  • I’ve stopped reading this book
0 voters
29
Chapters 9-10

The backstory about Mijail Kovenik and Eva Iranova was quite interesting, if unexpected. I wonder how the mysterious woman is connected to him, and how this all connects back to Marina, if act all. Really enjoying the story so far, I have to say! The descriptions are so atmospheric and the story is very intriguing.

2 Likes
30

Week 6

  • Chapters 24 - end

Participation Poll

  • I’m reading along
  • I’m still reading but I haven’t reached this part yet
  • I’ve stopped reading this book
0 voters
1 Like
31
Chapters 20-23

This was a good section with a lot of reveals. I think I’d suspected Eva and Mikhail were still alive - I was…partly right! I hadn’t guessed that Mikhail was dead and buried, and then dug up by his daughter and reanimated with a magical serum!

The butterfly serum was an interesting idea. It’s hardly hard science fiction, but it was a neat way of explaining how the corpse like puppets come to life.

It’s an interesting problem for two people to fake their own death, and then one of them to really die and work out the problem of how you bury the body!

1 Like
32
Chapters 24 to end

Finished this off on the train yesterday. Interesting way to end the book. The main mystery came to a conclusion fairly quickly - and was for me the best scary scene in the book! Poor Maria :frowning:

It was nice that we knew Oscar started the book having disappeared for a week and being spotted at the train station. So we knew more was coming, as he hadn’t disappeared after the theatre fire.

And so we got a very different kind of story for the last couple of chapters, the sad ending to Oscar and Marina’s friendship. I enjoyed this part of the story - the bond they shared together in the last few months, and the connections they had with others in the hospital. I particularly liked the idea of him designing and building the model cathedral.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable book. I enjoyed the beauty of the writing and the backdrop of Barcelona. Interestingly, my edition has a quote from an English newspaper (The Guardian) on the front cover, from a review of the English language version that appears to have been published a few years after the original.

The strap line from the article is not the quote from the front cover, it’s another one: ‘Marina is one of those books that are meant to be devoured in one sitting’. In which case, apologies for the six week schedule!

2 Likes
33

Sorry I bailed on y’all with reading the book. Just didn’t have a lot of reading opportunities for a while, then got caught up in other things.

I did make it up through a few more chapters. Bookmark is still there, so I’ll certainly be working through the rest at some point. And whenever I do I’ll be reading impressions here after each chapter or section.

3 Likes
34

I’m glad to hear you are still reading. I hope you enjoy the rest of the book, I know I did.

I’ll mark the title of the thread as finished as we’ve finished the schedule, but please still use the thread to post any impressions or just an update of how you are getting along.

2 Likes
35

I’ve been super busy for the past few weeks, but I hope to get back to Marina soon and post more of my thoughts as well.

3 Likes