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Vango #1
Vango: Between Sky and Earth
A breathless adventure from international award winner Timothée de Fombelle charts a desperate search for identity across the vast expanses of Europe.
In a world between wars, a young man on the cusp of taking priestly vows is suddenly made a fugitive. Fleeing the accusations of police who blame him for a murder, as well as more sinister forces with darker intentions, Vango attempts to trace the secrets of his shrouded past and prove his innocence before all is lost. As he crisscrosses the continent via train, boat, and even the Graf Zeppelin airship, his adventures take him from Parisian rooftops to Mediterranean islands to Scottish forests. A mysterious, unforgettable, and romantic protagonist, Vango tells a thrilling story sure to captivate lovers of daring escapades and subversive heroes.
In a world between wars, a young man on the cusp of taking priestly vows is suddenly made a fugitive. Fleeing the accusations of police who blame him for a murder, as well as more sinister forces with darker intentions, Vango attempts to trace the secrets of his shrouded past and prove his innocence before all is lost. As he crisscrosses the continent via train, boat, and even the Graf Zeppelin airship, his adventures take him from Parisian rooftops to Mediterranean islands to Scottish forests. A mysterious, unforgettable, and romantic protagonist, Vango tells a thrilling story sure to captivate lovers of daring escapades and subversive heroes.
432 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
176 people are currently reading
3004 people want to read
About the author
Timothée de Fombelle
49 books426 followersAs a child...
Timothee de Fombelle was born in the heart of Paris in 1973, but often accompanied his architect father on his travels to Africa. Each summer his family left for the countryside (the west of France), where the five brothers and sisters lived like wild horses, making huts in the trees, playing in the river and losing themselves in the woods. In the evening they performed plays for their parents and devoured the books in the library. Childhood remains for him the lost paradise which he re-discovers through writing.
As an adult...
After becoming a literature teacher, Timothee taught in Paris and Vietnam before choosing the bohemian life of the theatre. Author of a dozen plays, he writes, designs, builds sets and directs the actress he admires the most, his wife Laetitia. They have a young daughter, Jeanne Elisha, who already loves climbing trees. Toby Alone is his first novel and has already been translated into 22 languages.
As an artist...
Passionate about books and theatre, Timothee has been writing since he was young. The stage has been his testing ground but it is life, with its joys and trials, which inspires his real work. A great traveller, Timothee recognises that the writing of Toby Alone has been his best journey so far.
Timothee de Fombelle was born in the heart of Paris in 1973, but often accompanied his architect father on his travels to Africa. Each summer his family left for the countryside (the west of France), where the five brothers and sisters lived like wild horses, making huts in the trees, playing in the river and losing themselves in the woods. In the evening they performed plays for their parents and devoured the books in the library. Childhood remains for him the lost paradise which he re-discovers through writing.
As an adult...
After becoming a literature teacher, Timothee taught in Paris and Vietnam before choosing the bohemian life of the theatre. Author of a dozen plays, he writes, designs, builds sets and directs the actress he admires the most, his wife Laetitia. They have a young daughter, Jeanne Elisha, who already loves climbing trees. Toby Alone is his first novel and has already been translated into 22 languages.
As an artist...
Passionate about books and theatre, Timothee has been writing since he was young. The stage has been his testing ground but it is life, with its joys and trials, which inspires his real work. A great traveller, Timothee recognises that the writing of Toby Alone has been his best journey so far.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 541 reviews
April 27, 2016
Dear Vango,
I'm sorry but I'm just not that into you. I stuck with you through the end of the book, but it is time for us to go our separate ways. Don't get me wrong, we had our good times. I mean, who wouldn't want to visit a Scottish Castle, fly in a German Zeppelin, and hang out on a secret Italian island with monks! You are definitely an exciting guy! But I found you largely emotionally unavailable. If we are going to have a long term reader relationship I have to at least feel like I know who you are. Don't give me that "I don't even know who I am" line. And please don't bring up Ethel, Dr. Eckener, and the Cat. I know you had deep, meaningful relationships with each of them, but I am not feeling it. I wish you many happy sequels in your future.
Sincerely,
Jeanie
I'm sorry but I'm just not that into you. I stuck with you through the end of the book, but it is time for us to go our separate ways. Don't get me wrong, we had our good times. I mean, who wouldn't want to visit a Scottish Castle, fly in a German Zeppelin, and hang out on a secret Italian island with monks! You are definitely an exciting guy! But I found you largely emotionally unavailable. If we are going to have a long term reader relationship I have to at least feel like I know who you are. Don't give me that "I don't even know who I am" line. And please don't bring up Ethel, Dr. Eckener, and the Cat. I know you had deep, meaningful relationships with each of them, but I am not feeling it. I wish you many happy sequels in your future.
Sincerely,
Jeanie
January 9, 2015
Vango is
surreal
engaging
poignant
delightful
a beautifully written piece of literature with fascinating characters and captivating scenarios set in one of the most critical periods of world history.
It is fractured yet fluid, sweet yet terrible. It is both modern and timeless, confusing and perfectly sensible.
It will lead you on a chase through time and place, confuse you, make you pause and think hard, and then show you in the simplest of ways what you were missing.
I read this under the impression that it is a young adult novel; if so, it is one of the most mature I have picked up in a long time - not in a graphic sort of way, but thematically, linguistically, emotionally. We are introduced to a hero suffering a crisis of identity, but his is not like those we see in American schools and towns. Vango does not attend a high school, he has no plans to go to university; he has no friends of the conventional sort, and he has decided, at the age of 19, what to do with the rest of his life. Circumstances prevent this story from being short and sweet; Vango's plans are destroyed and his apparent paranoia proved valid. The novel is written in a then-and-now format, with lyrical narration and quick dialogue and lots of tiny little plot twists. de Fombelle employs a quirky plot device in his suspense-building; I don't know what to call it. Several times I was tricked into thinking one event was about to happen, only to have it turned on its head by some word play at the last moment. Each time I was surprised and delighted; for me, the trick never got old. This book is utterly unpredictable.
Perhaps some of the novel's appeal comes from the mere fact of its foreignness; my version is a translation, and I have to wonder what components of the original are irretrievable to an English-speaking audience.
Regardless, the overall effect of the story is reminiscent of being in a dream; I often had the sense of being suspended in a non-reality whilst reading (though the details were, at times, gritty, and the characters certainly real and believable enough) -- Vango has a quality akin to Alice meeting Peter Pan in his world of rooftops and stars, but they've both gone through the looking glass to get there. I want to reread and to ponder; I want to study each character and find the symbolism that must be written in.
Vango is touching; he will make you think. I will highly recommend this story to my rabid readers, to those who love both the classics and the modern, to those who cannot get enough to read, to those who want their books to impact their daily lives and not to fade from the mind when the final page is turned.
surreal
engaging
poignant
delightful
a beautifully written piece of literature with fascinating characters and captivating scenarios set in one of the most critical periods of world history.
It is fractured yet fluid, sweet yet terrible. It is both modern and timeless, confusing and perfectly sensible.
It will lead you on a chase through time and place, confuse you, make you pause and think hard, and then show you in the simplest of ways what you were missing.
I read this under the impression that it is a young adult novel; if so, it is one of the most mature I have picked up in a long time - not in a graphic sort of way, but thematically, linguistically, emotionally. We are introduced to a hero suffering a crisis of identity, but his is not like those we see in American schools and towns. Vango does not attend a high school, he has no plans to go to university; he has no friends of the conventional sort, and he has decided, at the age of 19, what to do with the rest of his life. Circumstances prevent this story from being short and sweet; Vango's plans are destroyed and his apparent paranoia proved valid. The novel is written in a then-and-now format, with lyrical narration and quick dialogue and lots of tiny little plot twists. de Fombelle employs a quirky plot device in his suspense-building; I don't know what to call it. Several times I was tricked into thinking one event was about to happen, only to have it turned on its head by some word play at the last moment. Each time I was surprised and delighted; for me, the trick never got old. This book is utterly unpredictable.
Perhaps some of the novel's appeal comes from the mere fact of its foreignness; my version is a translation, and I have to wonder what components of the original are irretrievable to an English-speaking audience.
Regardless, the overall effect of the story is reminiscent of being in a dream; I often had the sense of being suspended in a non-reality whilst reading (though the details were, at times, gritty, and the characters certainly real and believable enough) -- Vango has a quality akin to Alice meeting Peter Pan in his world of rooftops and stars, but they've both gone through the looking glass to get there. I want to reread and to ponder; I want to study each character and find the symbolism that must be written in.
Vango is touching; he will make you think. I will highly recommend this story to my rabid readers, to those who love both the classics and the modern, to those who cannot get enough to read, to those who want their books to impact their daily lives and not to fade from the mind when the final page is turned.
January 30, 2016
Hay una serie de fallos de edición (ortotipográficos, la edición física es de lo más cómoda) que tiran para atrás. Y es una pena, porque Vango es ma-ra-vi-llo-so.
En los primeros capítulos me capturó por el estilo tan delicado y evocador, tan a la par con el principal escenario: el París de los años 30.
Pero luego fueron la trama y sus mil personajes los que terminaron de meterme en su bolsillo. Tiene un ritmo algo más pausado que el de una novela de intriga al uso, pero se le perdona por sus deliciosos mini giros argumentales: aun cuando me había acostumbrado al estilo de entrelazar tramas, siempre me volvía a sorprender.
Es como un Love Actually versión "intrigas de la Europa de entreguerras".
En los primeros capítulos me capturó por el estilo tan delicado y evocador, tan a la par con el principal escenario: el París de los años 30.
Pero luego fueron la trama y sus mil personajes los que terminaron de meterme en su bolsillo. Tiene un ritmo algo más pausado que el de una novela de intriga al uso, pero se le perdona por sus deliciosos mini giros argumentales: aun cuando me había acostumbrado al estilo de entrelazar tramas, siempre me volvía a sorprender.
Es como un Love Actually versión "intrigas de la Europa de entreguerras".
July 26, 2017
I devoured this book, chapter by chapter. Brilliant, complex plot that twists and turns all around and back again. Exciting, funny with some great characters. Phew! I've ordered book 2!
June 24, 2017
Moments from being accepted into priesthood, Vango finds himself shot at and pursued - his only hope is to hide in Notre Dame and find a means of escape as quickly as possible from the mysterious assassin and all of the French police. Having been washed shore when only a toddler, Vango now finds that his past is hunting him down at a time when war in Europe is brewing at a deeply alarming rate and the stories behind those few Vango trusted reveal a world beyond his comprehension. Not only must Vango prove his innocence but he must also understand why half the world is after him.
Special commendation needs to be made to the translator, Sarah Ardizzone, who brought de Fombelle's words to life so much so that it feels like she must have written it herself. Just incredible. As with de Fombelle's Toby books, it is not just the intricately woven plot which seems to effortlessly grip up but the fact that every single character is painstakingly painted to a point where you believe you could meet them walking down the street. I loved every single page and the book should also be acknowledged for its welcome list of very strong female leads.
Special commendation needs to be made to the translator, Sarah Ardizzone, who brought de Fombelle's words to life so much so that it feels like she must have written it herself. Just incredible. As with de Fombelle's Toby books, it is not just the intricately woven plot which seems to effortlessly grip up but the fact that every single character is painstakingly painted to a point where you believe you could meet them walking down the street. I loved every single page and the book should also be acknowledged for its welcome list of very strong female leads.
February 4, 2018
Pirates, Russian aristocracy, zepellins, mysterious monks, Nazis, and family secrets. A real adventure, all set in Europe between the world wars. Vango is washed ashore on a small island off the coast of Sicily with Mademoiselle, and grows up in a safe environment as a wild child of the outdoors, eventually discovering a secretive group of monks on a nearby island. With little companionship, except from the mysterious Mademoiselle, Vango decides he wants to join the monks, but the leader forces him to learn something of the real world before escaping it. Vango gets much more than he expected, travelling the world in a zeppelin and getting into a heap of unexplained trouble. I hope the second book allows us to learn more about Vango, who is still much of a mystery after 421 pages.
I recommend reading Sam's review at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..., which is better than mine.
I recommend reading Sam's review at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..., which is better than mine.
May 27, 2014
Born in 1915 and raised on by a nanny simply known as Mademoiselle, Vango has no idea who he is or where he came from. He and Mademoiselle were rescued from the sea by the strange Mazzetta when Vango was only 3 and they remained on Salina, one of the Aeolian island off the coast of Sicily. At 10 Vango discovers a hidden monastery on another island called Arkudah and befriends its founder, Father Zefiro.
The story begins in April 1934 just as Vango, now 19, is ready to take his vows, following Father Zefire into the priesthood. Lying prostrate in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with others about to be ordained, a shot directed at Vango suddenly is heard. Within seconds, Vango finds himself on the run, a wanted man, for a crime or crimes of which he is completely innocent.
Eluding the very Inspector Clouseau-like Superintendent Augusta Boulard of the Paris police, as well as unknown, but the just as persistent sinister pursuers from Stalinist Russia, and Gestapo from the newly created Nazi Germany, Vango does find aid from old friends.
First with the elderly anti-Nazi German commander of the Graf Zeppelin, Hugo Eckener and second, with young, beautiful Ethel, 16, who witnessed the shooting at Notre Dame. Since the death of their parents, Ethel and her older brother Paul have lived in the family's Everland Castle on Loch Ness, Scotland. Paul is in the RAF, and Ethel skillfully drives a speedy Railton automobile all over Europe looking for Vango.
As Vango remains on the run, a master of disguise and escape, he begins to wonder who he really is and why he is the focus of such an intense international manhunt. The reader, of course, has been wondering this all along. Is the mystery solved by the end of the novel? Well, remember, there is a second book.
What an exciting adventure reading Vango is. I began it one night after dinner and by the next afternoon I had finished reading this 432 page whirlwind of a novel. Timothée de Fombelle has brought together such a varied cast of characters, some real figures from history, others completely imagined, all excellent at the part they play in Vango's story.
Though there is a lot of back story throughout the novel, the central story runs from April 1933 to Christmas Eve 1935, and both the settings and time frame are pivotal points of the interwar years. Politically, Hitler has just seized power in Germany, Stalin had just been re-elected in Russia (thanks to the assassination of his political rival, the anti-Communist Sergi Kerov) and both dictators were beginning to tighten their grip in their respective countries through the use of secret police.
The Zeppelin had been in use since before World War I and during the war was actually used for bombing raids over England. By 1934, the Nazis had insisted that a swastika be painted in the right fin of the Graf Zeppelin (in the novel, Eckener has trouble with the Gestapo after painting over the swastika), a real nail-biter scene. Commander Eckener and Captain Ernst Lehmann of the Graf Zeppelin are two more characters taken from real life that populate Vango.
Vango was seamlessly translated from the French by Sarah Ardizzone. I can't think of one awkward sentence in the whole book and I think she has really captured the feel, the flavor and the style of the storytelling, which reminded me very much of novels written during that period of time. And as epic as Vango is nothing is superfluous. Everything is there for a reason.
All this results in a very exciting and interesting Zeitgeschichte. But the mystery remains - who is Vango and why does someone want his arrested or even dead? And what is the meaning of the Latin words "How many kingdoms know us not" that are embroidered on the handkerchief Vango is almost never without? I have not idea!
I don't any of the answers to the mystery raised in the story, but I can't wait to read the second book: Vango: A Prince Without a Kingdom. Maybe the answers to all the question raised in Vango: Between Sky and Earth will be answered. One thing I do know is that this is historical fiction at its best!
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This was an EARC received from Net Galley
This review was originally posted at The Children's War
The story begins in April 1934 just as Vango, now 19, is ready to take his vows, following Father Zefire into the priesthood. Lying prostrate in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with others about to be ordained, a shot directed at Vango suddenly is heard. Within seconds, Vango finds himself on the run, a wanted man, for a crime or crimes of which he is completely innocent.
Eluding the very Inspector Clouseau-like Superintendent Augusta Boulard of the Paris police, as well as unknown, but the just as persistent sinister pursuers from Stalinist Russia, and Gestapo from the newly created Nazi Germany, Vango does find aid from old friends.
First with the elderly anti-Nazi German commander of the Graf Zeppelin, Hugo Eckener and second, with young, beautiful Ethel, 16, who witnessed the shooting at Notre Dame. Since the death of their parents, Ethel and her older brother Paul have lived in the family's Everland Castle on Loch Ness, Scotland. Paul is in the RAF, and Ethel skillfully drives a speedy Railton automobile all over Europe looking for Vango.
As Vango remains on the run, a master of disguise and escape, he begins to wonder who he really is and why he is the focus of such an intense international manhunt. The reader, of course, has been wondering this all along. Is the mystery solved by the end of the novel? Well, remember, there is a second book.
What an exciting adventure reading Vango is. I began it one night after dinner and by the next afternoon I had finished reading this 432 page whirlwind of a novel. Timothée de Fombelle has brought together such a varied cast of characters, some real figures from history, others completely imagined, all excellent at the part they play in Vango's story.
Though there is a lot of back story throughout the novel, the central story runs from April 1933 to Christmas Eve 1935, and both the settings and time frame are pivotal points of the interwar years. Politically, Hitler has just seized power in Germany, Stalin had just been re-elected in Russia (thanks to the assassination of his political rival, the anti-Communist Sergi Kerov) and both dictators were beginning to tighten their grip in their respective countries through the use of secret police.
The Zeppelin had been in use since before World War I and during the war was actually used for bombing raids over England. By 1934, the Nazis had insisted that a swastika be painted in the right fin of the Graf Zeppelin (in the novel, Eckener has trouble with the Gestapo after painting over the swastika), a real nail-biter scene. Commander Eckener and Captain Ernst Lehmann of the Graf Zeppelin are two more characters taken from real life that populate Vango.
Vango was seamlessly translated from the French by Sarah Ardizzone. I can't think of one awkward sentence in the whole book and I think she has really captured the feel, the flavor and the style of the storytelling, which reminded me very much of novels written during that period of time. And as epic as Vango is nothing is superfluous. Everything is there for a reason.
All this results in a very exciting and interesting Zeitgeschichte. But the mystery remains - who is Vango and why does someone want his arrested or even dead? And what is the meaning of the Latin words "How many kingdoms know us not" that are embroidered on the handkerchief Vango is almost never without? I have not idea!
I don't any of the answers to the mystery raised in the story, but I can't wait to read the second book: Vango: A Prince Without a Kingdom. Maybe the answers to all the question raised in Vango: Between Sky and Earth will be answered. One thing I do know is that this is historical fiction at its best!
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This was an EARC received from Net Galley
This review was originally posted at The Children's War
February 27, 2022
Sin saberlo , Vango se encuentra enredado en una maraña de espías internacionales. Contexto Europa de los años 30 .
Muy entretenido, pegadizo y vertiginoso. Sin partes aburridas, en cada capítulo la historia avanza. No estoy seguro de cuantos tomos componen ésta saga pero definitivamente quiero leer el siguiente 🤲
Muy entretenido, pegadizo y vertiginoso. Sin partes aburridas, en cada capítulo la historia avanza. No estoy seguro de cuantos tomos componen ésta saga pero definitivamente quiero leer el siguiente 🤲
January 7, 2025
Fantastico! Wow, what a ride this was! The two books in this series really seem to be just one book splint in half, so I shall review them as a single unit. Random thoughts:
Vango is completely unforgettable. Even though I don't know what he looks like, the author paints such a crystal clear portrait of his soul that I feel I know him well. This troubled young man has no idea where he came from and I was completely invested in finding out his heritage along with him. And nearly every character in this book is vividly drawn. You grow to love them all (except for the bad guys).
This author has fine-tuned the art of showing to such a degree as to be breathtaking. He really tells nothing but lets you see the story for yourself. Utterly brilliant.
Another thing this author does quite cleverly is set you up to believe a scene is going a certain way, only to mischievously turn everything on its head. It is completely mind-twisting and terribly delightful all at the same time. It also makes you suspicious and looking for alternate meanings in every detail of and character that enters a scene.
And FUNNY - I have never laughed at a book so much. de Fombelle's sense of humor is witty, surprising, tender-hearted, mischievous, a bit irreverent, and sometimes ridiculous.
This story is monumentally complex (very Dickens-like) with a huge cast of characters and many plot lines woven together. You really have to use the brain to keep everything straight. In the end it all comes together in a glorious, satisfying ending. Everything has a purpose in the end.
One last thing that impressed me was the author's ability to evoke the time-period so clearly...it really felt like I was going back in time while reading this book. Even the prose is similar to works of the era it took place in. The historical detail is spot-on.
This is a classic tale of exquisite charm and beauty - it is so rare to find modern authors who write with such skill. My hat is off to Timothee de Fombelle - he has truly created a literary work of art.
Notes on content: There is a smattering of language here and there. There was a slight bit of adult type innuendo that most children would probably not pick up on. The tone of this book is very much adult-level, so it would take a mature child to appreciate it, I'm thinking. Probably more appropriate for young adult and adults.
Vango is completely unforgettable. Even though I don't know what he looks like, the author paints such a crystal clear portrait of his soul that I feel I know him well. This troubled young man has no idea where he came from and I was completely invested in finding out his heritage along with him. And nearly every character in this book is vividly drawn. You grow to love them all (except for the bad guys).
This author has fine-tuned the art of showing to such a degree as to be breathtaking. He really tells nothing but lets you see the story for yourself. Utterly brilliant.
Another thing this author does quite cleverly is set you up to believe a scene is going a certain way, only to mischievously turn everything on its head. It is completely mind-twisting and terribly delightful all at the same time. It also makes you suspicious and looking for alternate meanings in every detail of and character that enters a scene.
And FUNNY - I have never laughed at a book so much. de Fombelle's sense of humor is witty, surprising, tender-hearted, mischievous, a bit irreverent, and sometimes ridiculous.
This story is monumentally complex (very Dickens-like) with a huge cast of characters and many plot lines woven together. You really have to use the brain to keep everything straight. In the end it all comes together in a glorious, satisfying ending. Everything has a purpose in the end.
One last thing that impressed me was the author's ability to evoke the time-period so clearly...it really felt like I was going back in time while reading this book. Even the prose is similar to works of the era it took place in. The historical detail is spot-on.
This is a classic tale of exquisite charm and beauty - it is so rare to find modern authors who write with such skill. My hat is off to Timothee de Fombelle - he has truly created a literary work of art.
Notes on content: There is a smattering of language here and there. There was a slight bit of adult type innuendo that most children would probably not pick up on. The tone of this book is very much adult-level, so it would take a mature child to appreciate it, I'm thinking. Probably more appropriate for young adult and adults.
March 16, 2022
V prvom rade musím vyzdvihnúť aký má Vango perfektný slovenský preklad! Ľúbezný, nádherný, skvelý, úžasný, tak hrozne pekne dobový, že som sa niekedy až pozastavila nad tým, z ktorého roku je táto kniha.
Jedným slovom je táto kniha krásna. Proste len krásna, to mi napadne ako prvé, keď sa povie Vango. Viacerými slovami sa naozaj krásne hrá s historickými udalosťami.
Strašne som si to prepojenie s históriou užívala. Rovnako tak aj mystery linku, ktorá sa tiahla celou knihou. Kto je Vango, odkiaľ prišiel a prečo ho prenasledujú? Kto sú vlastne všetci jeho priatelia?
Páčilo sa mi ako sme postupne dostávali odpovede a hlavne ako bola kniha rozčlenená medzi jednotlivé postavy a miesta, ako sa pekne striedali a my sme "videli" všetko v reálnom čase.
Mala som z toho bondovský pocit, akoby som pozerala film a nie čítala knihu. Atmosféra ma úplne strhla, či už to bol vykreslený upršaný Paríž, alebo slnečné talianske ostrovy, či paluba zepelínu, vďaka pár vetám som z toho mala pocit, že som presne tam, v 20. storočí.
Vango je skvelé dielo a už sa teším na pokračovanie, ktoré budem čítať rovnako pomaly ako toto, nech mi dlhšie vydrží.
Jedným slovom je táto kniha krásna. Proste len krásna, to mi napadne ako prvé, keď sa povie Vango. Viacerými slovami sa naozaj krásne hrá s historickými udalosťami.
Strašne som si to prepojenie s históriou užívala. Rovnako tak aj mystery linku, ktorá sa tiahla celou knihou. Kto je Vango, odkiaľ prišiel a prečo ho prenasledujú? Kto sú vlastne všetci jeho priatelia?
Páčilo sa mi ako sme postupne dostávali odpovede a hlavne ako bola kniha rozčlenená medzi jednotlivé postavy a miesta, ako sa pekne striedali a my sme "videli" všetko v reálnom čase.
Mala som z toho bondovský pocit, akoby som pozerala film a nie čítala knihu. Atmosféra ma úplne strhla, či už to bol vykreslený upršaný Paríž, alebo slnečné talianske ostrovy, či paluba zepelínu, vďaka pár vetám som z toho mala pocit, že som presne tam, v 20. storočí.
Vango je skvelé dielo a už sa teším na pokračovanie, ktoré budem čítať rovnako pomaly ako toto, nech mi dlhšie vydrží.
July 29, 2018
Es un 4.8. Este libro está lleno de historias que se entrelazan. Me encantó. Tiene a la vez tantos hechos históricos y personajes que existieron en realidad. Es una exquisitez. Vango puede parecer un personaje muy raro por todo lo ágil que es. Mientras iba descubriendo un poco más acerca de la historia de Vango, me ponía un poco baja de ánimo :S Me gustó mucho este libro.
February 20, 2012
What a beautiful and interesting book. I can't put it down, it takes me from Paris to Berlin, Scotland and more. And this book is what I need these days, I'm starving of adventures.
November 22, 2013
Outside Notre Dame, a group of men who were about to become ordained priests are lying, facedown on the cobbled stones. A group of policemen, led by one superintendent Boulard are making their way through the crowd, searching for one 19-year-old man;
Just then, one of the seminarians stood up. He wasn’t very tall. His robe was weighed down with the rain. His face was streaming. He turned full-circle in the midst of so many bodies, none of which moved. On every side, plain-clothes policemen emerged from the crowd and began to advance towards him. The young man bought his hands together as if in prayer, then let them fall to his sides. The clouds in the sky were reflected in his eyes.
“Vango Romano?” the superintendent called out.
The boy nodded.
Thus begins Timothée de Fombelle’s book, ‘Vango: Between Sky And Earth.’ Originally published in 2010 in France (‘Entre ciel et terre’) the English translation of the book (by Sarah Ardizzone) has only just been released this year.
The book begins in 1934, with Vango the main suspect in the murder of a priest. After the confrontation at Notre Dame, Vango is saved by a passing Zeppelin and goes on the run. Vango’s bid for escape will see him cross the skies to Germany and beyond – and as his tale unravels and intersects with those around him, his story backtracks to 1918 and the Aeolian Islands where he and his nurse found refuge as survivors of a shipwreck. And then jumping ahead to 1925, and the discovery of a secret island called Arkudah – then to 1929, when Vango found himself aboard the Graf Zeppelin for the World Tour, and met a young Scottish heiress who he’d never be able to forget … and, finally, circling back to the 1930s, as Vango comes to realise his life-long paranoia may be grounded in a frightening reality.
Timothée de Fombelle was a playwright before becoming an author. In 2006 he released his debut novel, the first book in children’s series ‘Toby Lolness’ and met great success – the ‘Toby’ books have since been translated into 29 languages and the first book is being made into a movie. With his second series, ‘Vango’, de Fombelle has once again proven himself – here is a breathtaking new series woven around an international murder-mystery, peppered with historic characters, grand events and featuring one of the most fantastically compelling protagonists.
I knew after about three pages that ‘Vango’ would be a favourite book of 2013 for me (never mind that it was first published, technically, in 2010) and I was 100% right. Timothée de Fombelle’s playwright roots shine throughout the book, but nevermore so than in the exhilarating and beautifully staged opening chapter. Notre Dame de Paris setting, police charging through a crowd who had gathered to watch young men become priests – and an accused murderer among them. I knew I was hooked because as the lovely character of Ethel notes; "I like the idea of a priest who climbs cathedrals to escape the police."
Even before Vango scaled the side of Notre Dame to escape police superintendent Boulard by hitching a ride on a passing Zeppelin (!) de Fombelle had me hooked even with the minor details in such an extravagant set-up; like young Scottish miss, Ethel, who was in the crowd watching Vango being ordained with a tear in her eye.
From that first explosive opening chapter, de Fombelle plays with pace and flashbacks like a true virtuoso. Now a fugitive, Vango starts backtracking through his life to pinpoint when the danger began – he has been forever paranoid, always afraid of being followed or monitored, and now recent events have proven him horribly right.
Part of the charm of ‘Vango: Between Sky And Earth’ is how de Fombelle has manipulated history for his story. The author plucks historic figures from the depths of time and turns them into characters – like Hugo Eckener (commander of the Graf Zeppelin) who de Fombelle has written as a great friend of Vango’s (they met on the 1929 World Tour) and as a quick-witted, if quiet protestor to Hitler’s increasing regime. There are also snippets of story told from the perspective of young girl, Svetlana, who turns out to be Svetlana Alliluyeva – Josef Stalin’s daughter. These historic guess-who’s never felt clunky, but were a wonderfully natural mix in the storytelling.
And the storytelling is marvellous. From a mysterious young woman called simply The Cat, to Russian spies and hidden islands – ‘Vango’ is like no other story you would have ever read. It’s like a hyper-coloured espionage, spy-thriller with backwards-and-forwards timeline, a charmingly paranoid protagonist, some heart-clutching romance and a cliffhanger you’ll happily topple into.
I was so happy to get to the end of this book and discover that, despite the sequel ‘Un prince sans royaume’ having been released in France back in 2011, the English-translation of ‘A Prince Without a Kingdom’ is coming in 2014. Thank God!
Just then, one of the seminarians stood up. He wasn’t very tall. His robe was weighed down with the rain. His face was streaming. He turned full-circle in the midst of so many bodies, none of which moved. On every side, plain-clothes policemen emerged from the crowd and began to advance towards him. The young man bought his hands together as if in prayer, then let them fall to his sides. The clouds in the sky were reflected in his eyes.
“Vango Romano?” the superintendent called out.
The boy nodded.
Thus begins Timothée de Fombelle’s book, ‘Vango: Between Sky And Earth.’ Originally published in 2010 in France (‘Entre ciel et terre’) the English translation of the book (by Sarah Ardizzone) has only just been released this year.
The book begins in 1934, with Vango the main suspect in the murder of a priest. After the confrontation at Notre Dame, Vango is saved by a passing Zeppelin and goes on the run. Vango’s bid for escape will see him cross the skies to Germany and beyond – and as his tale unravels and intersects with those around him, his story backtracks to 1918 and the Aeolian Islands where he and his nurse found refuge as survivors of a shipwreck. And then jumping ahead to 1925, and the discovery of a secret island called Arkudah – then to 1929, when Vango found himself aboard the Graf Zeppelin for the World Tour, and met a young Scottish heiress who he’d never be able to forget … and, finally, circling back to the 1930s, as Vango comes to realise his life-long paranoia may be grounded in a frightening reality.
Timothée de Fombelle was a playwright before becoming an author. In 2006 he released his debut novel, the first book in children’s series ‘Toby Lolness’ and met great success – the ‘Toby’ books have since been translated into 29 languages and the first book is being made into a movie. With his second series, ‘Vango’, de Fombelle has once again proven himself – here is a breathtaking new series woven around an international murder-mystery, peppered with historic characters, grand events and featuring one of the most fantastically compelling protagonists.
I knew after about three pages that ‘Vango’ would be a favourite book of 2013 for me (never mind that it was first published, technically, in 2010) and I was 100% right. Timothée de Fombelle’s playwright roots shine throughout the book, but nevermore so than in the exhilarating and beautifully staged opening chapter. Notre Dame de Paris setting, police charging through a crowd who had gathered to watch young men become priests – and an accused murderer among them. I knew I was hooked because as the lovely character of Ethel notes; "I like the idea of a priest who climbs cathedrals to escape the police."
Even before Vango scaled the side of Notre Dame to escape police superintendent Boulard by hitching a ride on a passing Zeppelin (!) de Fombelle had me hooked even with the minor details in such an extravagant set-up; like young Scottish miss, Ethel, who was in the crowd watching Vango being ordained with a tear in her eye.
From that first explosive opening chapter, de Fombelle plays with pace and flashbacks like a true virtuoso. Now a fugitive, Vango starts backtracking through his life to pinpoint when the danger began – he has been forever paranoid, always afraid of being followed or monitored, and now recent events have proven him horribly right.
Part of the charm of ‘Vango: Between Sky And Earth’ is how de Fombelle has manipulated history for his story. The author plucks historic figures from the depths of time and turns them into characters – like Hugo Eckener (commander of the Graf Zeppelin) who de Fombelle has written as a great friend of Vango’s (they met on the 1929 World Tour) and as a quick-witted, if quiet protestor to Hitler’s increasing regime. There are also snippets of story told from the perspective of young girl, Svetlana, who turns out to be Svetlana Alliluyeva – Josef Stalin’s daughter. These historic guess-who’s never felt clunky, but were a wonderfully natural mix in the storytelling.
And the storytelling is marvellous. From a mysterious young woman called simply The Cat, to Russian spies and hidden islands – ‘Vango’ is like no other story you would have ever read. It’s like a hyper-coloured espionage, spy-thriller with backwards-and-forwards timeline, a charmingly paranoid protagonist, some heart-clutching romance and a cliffhanger you’ll happily topple into.
I was so happy to get to the end of this book and discover that, despite the sequel ‘Un prince sans royaume’ having been released in France back in 2011, the English-translation of ‘A Prince Without a Kingdom’ is coming in 2014. Thank God!
August 10, 2022
Ce livre ne me laissera qu’un unique regret : celui de ne pas avoir le tome 2 sous la main, là, maintenant.
Combien de royaumes nous ignorent ?
Combien de royaumes nous ignorent ?
December 26, 2024
Most unexpected 5 star read! This was witty and quick and altogether extremely entertaining. Vango is on the run from Nazis and Scottish hunters and Russian communists and the globetrotting action was so exciting. There was also a cheeky little romance 🥰 and I am so excited to read the second book!!!
June 8, 2017
Formidable! Magnifique! Etc etc. I devoured the majority of this book, over 300 pages, in 24 hours while off work with a fever so this may not be the lucid review. Simply: it's almost impossible to put down. Each chapter ends with a hook or reveal so cleverly planned. The whole plot structure is a complex narrative with Vango at the centre surrounded by a complex web of characters. Ethel is superb, a strong yet young female presence, reminding me of Lily from Cogheart. In fact the fast-paced narrative reminds me a lot of Cogheart / Moonlocket, and the zeppelins are another shared feature. I'd be interested to hear if teachers have shared this with UKS2 classes. Although knowledge of Stalin, Hitler and Nazism isn't essential to understanding and enjoyment of the text, I think the plethora of characters and jumps in chronology would be a challenge to most primary readers. Right, I'm off to order Vango 2.
May 30, 2017
What a delightful book. It is beautifully written; containing such passages as:
Small miracles can accompany great misfortune. He had always thought that. You just need the confidence to believe it.
Let her make the most of it while she can! Which is what you might say about a hen that's still prancing around when it's got a date with the saucepan.
"Should I untie the horse from the piano on the second floor?" Peter the gardener inquired of the housekeeper without batting an eye. Realizing something was most definitely up, Mary began to take charge of operations.
Fast paced and set during WWII the plot jumps from place to place and person to person-- while the reader tries to keep up.
Small miracles can accompany great misfortune. He had always thought that. You just need the confidence to believe it.
Let her make the most of it while she can! Which is what you might say about a hen that's still prancing around when it's got a date with the saucepan.
"Should I untie the horse from the piano on the second floor?" Peter the gardener inquired of the housekeeper without batting an eye. Realizing something was most definitely up, Mary began to take charge of operations.
Fast paced and set during WWII the plot jumps from place to place and person to person-- while the reader tries to keep up.
January 1, 2015
M'ha agradat molt, encara que al principi el media res m'havia deixat molt confosa. Al contrari que en Tobi Lolness, Vango, el protagonista, està ple de misteris, que es repeteixen i repeteixen al llarg de tota la novel·la.
És curiós com en Vango en part surt en segon pla, i sembla que és la peça que fa encaixar tot el puzzle.
De tots els personatges (que no són pocs), potser la meva preferida és l'Ethel, una noia amb un caràcter molt fort i que m'ha encisat.
Ara, a esperar/aconseguir la segona part!
És curiós com en Vango en part surt en segon pla, i sembla que és la peça que fa encaixar tot el puzzle.
De tots els personatges (que no són pocs), potser la meva preferida és l'Ethel, una noia amb un caràcter molt fort i que m'ha encisat.
Ara, a esperar/aconseguir la segona part!
May 3, 2025
Sublime. Absolument pas pour enfant. Ils passeront au côté de toute les subtilités dans l’écriture, de tout ce qui est raconté entre les lignes. La trame narrative est exigeante, souvent elliptique. Les personnages secondaires font pour moi toute l’histoire. Ils sont tous géniaux, limite mieux que Vango qui est trop insaisissable.
August 6, 2016
All I'm saying is if I could give this minus one billion stars, oh believe me, I would.
This book was the first one assigned for us to read for French class. I, myself, am not the biggest francophone out there. I hear them speak french outside of school and cringe. I live in good old Montreal Quebec where if you are francophone everything is made simpler for you and makes you extremely comfortable knowing that your rights are heard. As for us anglophones, we struggle with every new law passing that encourages the usage of french everywhere and advantages the francophones. Anyway, that's a rant for another day, back on topic.
This 400-something page book did not only manage to make me want to gouge my eyes out so that I could not read the rest of it, but it also managed to make me want to cut off my arms or any other body part that allowed me to read brail if the situation required it. Good job.
This book was 400-something pages of pure bullshit. Going into this, I felt like a real high school student reading this huge ass book and needing to highlight and mark important pages (which I used nearly 200 post-its), and now I see how much of an idiot I was for thinking such a stupid thing. If you saw my copy of the book, you'd see nothing but flashy post-its marking new characters or characters relationships, historical events in time, and different scenery, and then you'd see bigger post-its marking the beginning of every chapter. How much I wish I could have those post-its back, really. The school made me read this book. CSA owes me a new pack of post-its, both small and big.
If it wasn't for my French teacher, who made us answer questions about the book every few chapters, I would have never picked up the book and Sparknotes the plot and characters. And really, for the exam they gave us on this book, that would've been more than enough. I really regret going through so much stress over this apparently hard exam that was going to be given to us that was based on the book. The exam they gave us for the Little Prince was much harder than this.
Which is something else I don't understand. Why do teachers give hard exams? Are you purposely trying to make your students fail? Get back on topic, vic. This is making me so angry, but we gotta get back on topic.
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely not. Am I glad that this is done with and that I never have to think about it again? Yes, holy bejesus. What did I do with my copy once I was done with it for good? I burned it. I ripped it apart and my friends and I took all of our copies and burned them, creating this huge bonfire that we then roasted marshmallows with and same goes for some wieners. At least this book was good for something.
This book was the first one assigned for us to read for French class. I, myself, am not the biggest francophone out there. I hear them speak french outside of school and cringe. I live in good old Montreal Quebec where if you are francophone everything is made simpler for you and makes you extremely comfortable knowing that your rights are heard. As for us anglophones, we struggle with every new law passing that encourages the usage of french everywhere and advantages the francophones. Anyway, that's a rant for another day, back on topic.
This 400-something page book did not only manage to make me want to gouge my eyes out so that I could not read the rest of it, but it also managed to make me want to cut off my arms or any other body part that allowed me to read brail if the situation required it. Good job.
This book was 400-something pages of pure bullshit. Going into this, I felt like a real high school student reading this huge ass book and needing to highlight and mark important pages (which I used nearly 200 post-its), and now I see how much of an idiot I was for thinking such a stupid thing. If you saw my copy of the book, you'd see nothing but flashy post-its marking new characters or characters relationships, historical events in time, and different scenery, and then you'd see bigger post-its marking the beginning of every chapter. How much I wish I could have those post-its back, really. The school made me read this book. CSA owes me a new pack of post-its, both small and big.
If it wasn't for my French teacher, who made us answer questions about the book every few chapters, I would have never picked up the book and Sparknotes the plot and characters. And really, for the exam they gave us on this book, that would've been more than enough. I really regret going through so much stress over this apparently hard exam that was going to be given to us that was based on the book. The exam they gave us for the Little Prince was much harder than this.
Which is something else I don't understand. Why do teachers give hard exams? Are you purposely trying to make your students fail? Get back on topic, vic. This is making me so angry, but we gotta get back on topic.
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely not. Am I glad that this is done with and that I never have to think about it again? Yes, holy bejesus. What did I do with my copy once I was done with it for good? I burned it. I ripped it apart and my friends and I took all of our copies and burned them, creating this huge bonfire that we then roasted marshmallows with and same goes for some wieners. At least this book was good for something.
May 10, 2011
Da parecchio non mi capitava di essere talmente presa da una storia da non vedere l'ora di tornarla a leggere, di desiderare che non finisca troppo presto, o ancor di più: di desiderare che continui per sempre!
Vango mi ha incuriosita fin dall'incipit: Notre-Dame, un ragazzo che sta per diventare prete, un'ambientazione che ha dell'affascinante. E cosa succede? Scappa. Non sceglie per scappare la strada: sceglie i tetti, sceglie il cielo. Vango, 19 anni con un passato di cui non capisce il perchè e un presente da cui fuggire senza saperne le ragioni, è un ragazzo semplice e straordinario. Tutte le sue scelte non sonoquelle di una persona normale: deve costantemente mantenere segreti a proposito della sua vita, sulle persone che incontra, deve accettare di non sapere nulla sul suo passato.La sua storia sarà una storia in verticale: le sue fughe, i suoi incontri, il suo percorso saranno una continua salita. Vango: più cielo che terra.
Timothée De Fombelle a questo punto potrebbe continuare a far vivere, parlare, fuggire Vango e a farlo incrociare di volta in volta con i personaggi che avranno un ruolo importante nella sua storia... e invece cosa fa? Si interrompe: parla di altri personaggi, torna indietro nel tempo, ritorna nel presente ma non segue Vango, segue Ethel, e Viktor e Hugo Eckner... Ci si ritrova ad affezionarsi ad ognuno di quei personaggi, che non hanno collegamenti (apparenti) con Vango, a sperare di sapere ancora di più su di loro asperttando eccitati che la loro storia attraversi, si incroci o si scontri col nostro, ormai, amato e adorato Vango.
Sullo Zeppelin, io lettrice, mi sono nascosta assieme al mio ormai caro amico stando in ansia fino all'ultimo secondo; alla polizia mi sono sentita male quando l'assassino col suo colpo di testa ha riconosciuto il monaco; Ethel mi ha convinta del suo amore e ho lasciato che si confidasse con me, cercando di darle la speranza che sì, avrebbe ritrovato il suo amore prima o poi...
E alla fine mi sono sentita persa, persa, persa quando la storia non è finita, quando le mille domande che si affacciavano continuamente non hanno ricevuto risposta ma si sono moltiplicate, quando ho realizzato che il passato, presente e futuro di Vango doveva rimanere ancora ignoto: a lui, a me e a tutti i lettori. E non posso che appellarmi alla fantasia, alla bravura e al genio di De Fombelle per chiedere che non ci lasci troppo tempo in sospeso: ogni lettore è Vango, in questo momento, e abbiamo bisogno tutti di sapere.
qui: http://sognandoleggendo.net/blog/?p=3754
Vango mi ha incuriosita fin dall'incipit: Notre-Dame, un ragazzo che sta per diventare prete, un'ambientazione che ha dell'affascinante. E cosa succede? Scappa. Non sceglie per scappare la strada: sceglie i tetti, sceglie il cielo. Vango, 19 anni con un passato di cui non capisce il perchè e un presente da cui fuggire senza saperne le ragioni, è un ragazzo semplice e straordinario. Tutte le sue scelte non sonoquelle di una persona normale: deve costantemente mantenere segreti a proposito della sua vita, sulle persone che incontra, deve accettare di non sapere nulla sul suo passato.La sua storia sarà una storia in verticale: le sue fughe, i suoi incontri, il suo percorso saranno una continua salita. Vango: più cielo che terra.
Timothée De Fombelle a questo punto potrebbe continuare a far vivere, parlare, fuggire Vango e a farlo incrociare di volta in volta con i personaggi che avranno un ruolo importante nella sua storia... e invece cosa fa? Si interrompe: parla di altri personaggi, torna indietro nel tempo, ritorna nel presente ma non segue Vango, segue Ethel, e Viktor e Hugo Eckner... Ci si ritrova ad affezionarsi ad ognuno di quei personaggi, che non hanno collegamenti (apparenti) con Vango, a sperare di sapere ancora di più su di loro asperttando eccitati che la loro storia attraversi, si incroci o si scontri col nostro, ormai, amato e adorato Vango.
Sullo Zeppelin, io lettrice, mi sono nascosta assieme al mio ormai caro amico stando in ansia fino all'ultimo secondo; alla polizia mi sono sentita male quando l'assassino col suo colpo di testa ha riconosciuto il monaco; Ethel mi ha convinta del suo amore e ho lasciato che si confidasse con me, cercando di darle la speranza che sì, avrebbe ritrovato il suo amore prima o poi...
E alla fine mi sono sentita persa, persa, persa quando la storia non è finita, quando le mille domande che si affacciavano continuamente non hanno ricevuto risposta ma si sono moltiplicate, quando ho realizzato che il passato, presente e futuro di Vango doveva rimanere ancora ignoto: a lui, a me e a tutti i lettori. E non posso che appellarmi alla fantasia, alla bravura e al genio di De Fombelle per chiedere che non ci lasci troppo tempo in sospeso: ogni lettore è Vango, in questo momento, e abbiamo bisogno tutti di sapere.
qui: http://sognandoleggendo.net/blog/?p=3754
September 22, 2017
Vango is a story (set in France) about a man who has committed a crime, but doesn't know what he did. He runs away from police officers, and barely escapes them, but throughout the whole book Vango is running from the officers pretty much.
The story does go into detail of the different places that Vango or the police officers are at. This can really help understand where they are, and what Vango can do to escape the officers and really give you a "feel" for the area of where they're at. The story also has a good idea with how Vango is always on the run.
However, those were sadly the only good things I can think about when listing the "good" things about Vango. In my opinion, it really feels like the story is going no where at certain times. It's also very repetitious: Vango runs away, the officers chase him, Vango outruns them (for a little while), the officers find him again, rinse and repeat. Vango goes to other places when he isn't being chased, but it just feels like a way to lengthen the book. The story is stretched out way too much, but at the same time, it feels like it stops before the ending of the book. The story doesn't really "conclude".
All in all, the story has a good idea, but it just feels like Fombelle could have done such a better job with the story. The story is very repetitious, stretched out to much, and it feels like it stopped in the middle of the story. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
The story does go into detail of the different places that Vango or the police officers are at. This can really help understand where they are, and what Vango can do to escape the officers and really give you a "feel" for the area of where they're at. The story also has a good idea with how Vango is always on the run.
However, those were sadly the only good things I can think about when listing the "good" things about Vango. In my opinion, it really feels like the story is going no where at certain times. It's also very repetitious: Vango runs away, the officers chase him, Vango outruns them (for a little while), the officers find him again, rinse and repeat. Vango goes to other places when he isn't being chased, but it just feels like a way to lengthen the book. The story is stretched out way too much, but at the same time, it feels like it stops before the ending of the book. The story doesn't really "conclude".
All in all, the story has a good idea, but it just feels like Fombelle could have done such a better job with the story. The story is very repetitious, stretched out to much, and it feels like it stopped in the middle of the story. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
March 2, 2016
He de reconocer que me he enfrentado a esta historia sin saber nada de ella y siempre afirmaré que es la mejor forme de dejarse sorprender...
Es verdad que empezar una historia con la ordenación sacerdotal de unos jóvenes no me atrajo demasiado... menos mal que seguí leyendo. Unos segundos después, una fabulosa persecución me atrapó hasta la última de sus páginas. Realmente ha sido una experiencia alucinante. No dejaré de recomendarla.
"La historia tiene todos los elementos clásicos de las aventuras de capa y espada como el Conde de Montecristo... Un bello estilo, una trama compleja y unas revelaciones que te dejan sin aliento, además de varios intrépidos personajes femeninos, hacen de esta obra una lectura obligada".
Esta es una historia juvenil recomendada para todas las edades. No me gusta que al catalogarla no os atreváis a darle una oportunidad. Es refrescante, está llena de acción y misterios... no os defraudará. Después de su lectura seguiréis pensando en ella y tendréis ganas de más ¿se puede pedir más?
Este es de los libros que cuanto menos sepáis de él mejor... todo en él es un cúmulo de gratas sorpresas.
Dadle una oportunidad y ya me contaréis; más información en el blog:
http://francisforcoppola.blogspot.com...
Gracias por la recomendación Begoña¡¡¡
Es verdad que empezar una historia con la ordenación sacerdotal de unos jóvenes no me atrajo demasiado... menos mal que seguí leyendo. Unos segundos después, una fabulosa persecución me atrapó hasta la última de sus páginas. Realmente ha sido una experiencia alucinante. No dejaré de recomendarla.
"La historia tiene todos los elementos clásicos de las aventuras de capa y espada como el Conde de Montecristo... Un bello estilo, una trama compleja y unas revelaciones que te dejan sin aliento, además de varios intrépidos personajes femeninos, hacen de esta obra una lectura obligada".
Esta es una historia juvenil recomendada para todas las edades. No me gusta que al catalogarla no os atreváis a darle una oportunidad. Es refrescante, está llena de acción y misterios... no os defraudará. Después de su lectura seguiréis pensando en ella y tendréis ganas de más ¿se puede pedir más?
Este es de los libros que cuanto menos sepáis de él mejor... todo en él es un cúmulo de gratas sorpresas.
Dadle una oportunidad y ya me contaréis; más información en el blog:
http://francisforcoppola.blogspot.com...
Gracias por la recomendación Begoña¡¡¡
August 16, 2020
Combien de royaumes nous ignorent
Difficile catalogare questo primo volume di un romanzo, che nasce come libro per ragazzi, ma che non va per questo affatto sottovalutato. È un giallo, ma è anche un romanzo storico, però soprattutto è una grande Avventura, ambientata negli anni Trenta, fra Parigi e la Scozia, fra la Russia e le isole Eolie, "fra cielo e terra", costellata da personaggi indimenticabili (il mio preferito è Hugo Eckener, il comandante dello Zeppelin realmente esistito che, a detta di alcuni, avrebbe forse potuto scongiurare l'ascesa di Adolf Hitler; di certo la sua reale avversione per il nazismo è ben rappresentata nel romanzo; e bellissimo è anche il personaggio de La Taupe, la ragazzina che soffre di claustrofobia e vive la sua esistenza su i tetti di Parigi); l'autore ci porta indietro nel tempo con una storia rocambolesca e piena di enigmi. E poi c'è Vango, il protagonista senza passato, su cui aleggia il mistero più grande di tutti: chi e perché lo vuole morto?
Difficile catalogare questo primo volume di un romanzo, che nasce come libro per ragazzi, ma che non va per questo affatto sottovalutato. È un giallo, ma è anche un romanzo storico, però soprattutto è una grande Avventura, ambientata negli anni Trenta, fra Parigi e la Scozia, fra la Russia e le isole Eolie, "fra cielo e terra", costellata da personaggi indimenticabili (il mio preferito è Hugo Eckener, il comandante dello Zeppelin realmente esistito che, a detta di alcuni, avrebbe forse potuto scongiurare l'ascesa di Adolf Hitler; di certo la sua reale avversione per il nazismo è ben rappresentata nel romanzo; e bellissimo è anche il personaggio de La Taupe, la ragazzina che soffre di claustrofobia e vive la sua esistenza su i tetti di Parigi); l'autore ci porta indietro nel tempo con una storia rocambolesca e piena di enigmi. E poi c'è Vango, il protagonista senza passato, su cui aleggia il mistero più grande di tutti: chi e perché lo vuole morto?
January 8, 2022
Je crois que lire Timothée de Fombelle, c’est un peu comme décider d’écouter un film même si on a raté les 20 premières minutes. On passe un bon moment, mais il faut accepter d’être un petit bout sans rien comprendre puisqu’on entre dans le récit en plein cœur de l’action.
Pour Tobie Lolness, ça m’avait un peu refroidie au tout début, mais je n’avais pas mis trop de temps à embarquer dans l’histoire. Pour Vango, malheureusement, j’ai dû lire la moitié du roman avant d’embarquer. Moi et les romans historiques ou ceux se déroulant dans une autre époque, c’est rarement un match gagnant. Pourtant, je n’ai pas l’impression que c’est ce qui a accroché ici. J’ai un peu l’impression que plus je lisais, plus je me posais des questions... et qu’au final, le premier tome n’aura pratiquement répondu à aucune de ces questions.
Je suis triste d’être déçue... surtout après toutes les critiques élogieuses que j’avais lues. Mais bon, j’imagine que Vango et moi n’étions pas faits l’un pour l’autre.
Pour Tobie Lolness, ça m’avait un peu refroidie au tout début, mais je n’avais pas mis trop de temps à embarquer dans l’histoire. Pour Vango, malheureusement, j’ai dû lire la moitié du roman avant d’embarquer. Moi et les romans historiques ou ceux se déroulant dans une autre époque, c’est rarement un match gagnant. Pourtant, je n’ai pas l’impression que c’est ce qui a accroché ici. J’ai un peu l’impression que plus je lisais, plus je me posais des questions... et qu’au final, le premier tome n’aura pratiquement répondu à aucune de ces questions.
Je suis triste d’être déçue... surtout après toutes les critiques élogieuses que j’avais lues. Mais bon, j’imagine que Vango et moi n’étions pas faits l’un pour l’autre.
December 26, 2021
Immersive writing that casts a feeling of comfort over you as you read. Some great dialogue and well-constructed sentences, but it never really makes any sort of point within that writing. Fun book that falls into a few cliches, and though most were surmountable, one that I could not ignore was the seeming perfection of all of the characters. Neither Vango nor Ethel nor Madamoiselle have any sort of perceivable flaw--Vango is just a perfect boy of unbelievable skill in almost every area who is paranoid he's being framed and is also right on that mark. Not much to relate to as a result. It can also be a little difficult to care about the (overblown) problems these characters face as a result, and only a few days after my finishing of the novel I have forgotten almost every aspect of their personas. Still enjoyed overall.
3/5
3/5
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October 27, 2014In the last days before the start of World War II, a young man whose past is a mystery finds himself pursued by unknown forces bent on his destruction. De Fombelle's thriller has a rich cast of adult and teen characters who hop from country to country via train, fast car, and even dirigible, and whose connections to each other are slowly revealed through flashbacks that are carefully doled out for maximum suspense. But while the plot moves quickly, the focus is still on the characters, their relationships, and the political conspiracies at work behind the scenes. Tween fans of historical fiction and anyone who enjoys a thriller with some substance will enjoy this one. Just don't expect all you questions to be answered in volume one! -CC
February 10, 2022
Évidemment j’ai autant aimé à 18 ans, qu’à 15 et 12 ans (il faut que je le lise tous les 3 ans toute ma vie maintenant je crois, je suis obligée).
Ce livre a une petite place spéciale dans mon cœur, forcément, c’était mon préféré à 12 ans. Mais il regroupe encore tellement de trucs que j’aime et autour desquels j’ai toujours tourné dans la fiction c’est fou (les chassé-croisés à la Demoiselles de Rochefort, les poursuites mystérieuses, les allers-retours entre les pays, les langues, les passages d’un personnage à l’autre [est ce que c’est parce que j’ai lu Vango à 12 ans, que j’aime autant Virginia Woolf à 18?], le fait que chaque personnage peu importe son importance ait une vraie histoire, et évidemment juste Ethel et Vango, mes crushs-type ultime je rigole même pas).
Ce livre a une petite place spéciale dans mon cœur, forcément, c’était mon préféré à 12 ans. Mais il regroupe encore tellement de trucs que j’aime et autour desquels j’ai toujours tourné dans la fiction c’est fou (les chassé-croisés à la Demoiselles de Rochefort, les poursuites mystérieuses, les allers-retours entre les pays, les langues, les passages d’un personnage à l’autre [est ce que c’est parce que j’ai lu Vango à 12 ans, que j’aime autant Virginia Woolf à 18?], le fait que chaque personnage peu importe son importance ait une vraie histoire, et évidemment juste Ethel et Vango, mes crushs-type ultime je rigole même pas).
September 6, 2015
4.5 stars. I'm so happy I gave this book a try and ending up loving it so much. Fombelle's writing style it's so easy and simple to read. It is written in third person pov and is written so well that all the characters are intertwine wonderfully. From the very beginning I liked this book it so mysterious, has unusual adventures, historical fiction and humor through out it. This book is just the tip of the iceberg and I cannot wait to read more on Vango and his mysterious life. I'm looking forward in reading the next book. Totally recommend.
December 5, 2014
1 câu chuyện vô cùng hấp dẫn và tốc độ, có thể khiến ta quên mất những bông tuyết nhỏ xíu lấp lánh trong đó
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