Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

Voted by members for YA Additional Read



The Fountains of Silence

A 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.

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

I'm going to try to read this one this month. I really like Ruta Sepetys's writing.

I started this on audio (again) and I don't know why. I think it's one that I will prefer physically reading. I need to get through a couple of other physical books first, then I'll try to fit this in. It will probably need to be towards the end of the month.

Is the audio not good Kristie?

I don't think the audio is necessarily bad. It's just that I was being introduced to several people at once and I don't think I was paying enough attention, so I felt like I was getting confused. If I could pay closer attention for a while it would probably work out, but by physically reading it I force myself to focus on it.

This book just became available at my library! Let’s hope I can finish it before the month is up. What has everyone thought so far?

I still haven't managed to get around to it! :(

Kaitlin wrote: "This book just became available at my library! Let’s hope I can finish it before the month is up. What has everyone thought so far?"

I liked it, but I didn't love it. For me, it was a quick read. I thought that the historical significance/setting was more interesting than the rest of the story. I did also listen to the audio and while it wasn't bad, it was unusual, and that may have impacted my enjoyment of the book. I hope you really enjoy it, Kaitlin! :-)

I read it when it was released. I had the same problem with the audio as you did. Too many characters. It was really confusing. I ended up picking up the book and it was way better. I enjoyed the book but it was not as good as the author's previous work to me.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the setting and the characters. It wasn't outstanding, but it was a pageturner.