Bernat seeks refuge in Barcelona with his sister who has married a wealthy tradesman. Bernat breaks in, takes his son, killing one of de Bellera’s men, and flees.Īrnau is the central character of the book, and Ildefonso Falcones uses his life to paint a vivid picture of medieval Catalonia. De Bellera sees this as an affront to his virility and takes his revenge: he orders Francesca to move to his castle to nurse his son while Arnau is left to starve in the castle’s basement. He exercises his droit de seigneur but when Francesca’s child Arnau is born, he is quite clearly Bernat’s with the distinctive Estanyol birthmark on his face.
This brutal interruption by de Bellera sets the story in motion. And so begins this sprawling saga set in 14th century Catalonia. Finally, there’s a clash of drums and cymbals as all hell breaks loose. Then the approach of the feudal lord Llorenç de Bellera and his riders brings in a discordant note. Cathedral of the Sea is an exciting, very readable adventure novel, enriched by realistic descriptions of medieval life, work, finance and politics." - The Independent (UK).The first chapter of this book felt like a piece of music-flutes gently celebrating the wedding of Bernat Estanyol, a Catalonian farmer, and his bride, the lovely Fransesca. Little of this matters once within the story. Unlike the best Stevenson or Dumas adventures, the characters are one-dimensional, without contradictions.
"The plot too often relies on outrageous coincidence the style rarely rises above the ordinary good Arnau is too good.
The melodrama is sometimes laid on thick, but Falcones's rich portrait of medieval society is fascinating." - Publishers Weekly. "The plot features thwarted romance, war, plague, immolations and self-immolations, set in a Machiavellian world ruled by privilege, cronyism and brute force. and has become Spains new Dan Brown." - El Mundo. "With Cathedral of the Sea, Ildefonso Falcones dethrones Eduardo Mendoza and Arturo Perez Reverte. Recommended to libraries with interests in historical novels, as well as new-Spanish writing." - Criticas. Nonetheless, this is a well-written and complex work. " Unfortunately, the historical elements outweigh character and plot development. "Less learned than the work of compatriot Arturo Perez-Reverte, but more intelligent than the average beach book. For a far more spirited work on a similar theme, stick with Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth." - Library Journal. "ost of this novel is tediously dry, concentrating more on history and less on character and plot.
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