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DEBOLSILLO

The Cathedral of the Sea (Special Paperback Edition)

The Cathedral of the Sea (Special Paperback Edition)

Our review

There is no reader who has read "Cathedral of the Sea" and not fallen in love with it. It is one of those books that marks a before and after in historical fiction in our country, and having it in this special paperback edition is a true luxury.

Ildefonso Falcones gives us an immersive journey into 14th-century Barcelona. Through the eyes of Arnau Estanyol, we experience first-hand the contrasts of the era: extreme poverty, the opulence of the nobility, injustices, love, and the brutality of the Inquisition. The heart of the plot is the construction of the church of Santa María del Mar, built by the people themselves.

An absorbing read, full of twists and emotions, perfect whether it's your first time encountering it or if you want to reread or gift a contemporary classic. His literary agent told us that when he first read it, he thought it would be the Spanish Ken Follett, and he was right.

What we like is that it's a very comfortable format to read anywhere, but with superior quality to a normal paperback edition.

Book details

Synopsis

14th century. The city of Barcelona is at its peak of prosperity; it has expanded towards La Ribera, the humble fishermen's quarter, whose inhabitants decide to build, with the money of some and the effort of others, the largest Marian temple ever known: Santa María de la Mar.

In this context, young Arnau Estanyol arrives in the city, fleeing the abuses of feudal lords. In Barcelona, Arnau will work as a stable boy, stevedore, soldier, and money changer, in an exhausting life that will take him from the absolute misery of a fugitive to wealth and nobility. However, with this new privileged status will also come the envy of his peers and the constant threat of the Inquisition, weaving a web of intrigues, betrayals, and passions that will captivate you from the first page.

About the author

Ildefonso Falcones de Sierra (Barcelona, 1959) is a Spanish lawyer and writer. He studied at the Jesuit school of San Ignacio and later graduated in Law, a profession he combines with his great passion for literature, running his own law firm in his hometown.

He published his first novel, "Cathedral of the Sea," in 2006. The work became an unprecedented global publishing success, establishing itself as the most read novel in Spain in 2007 and being published in more than forty countries. After this overwhelming literary debut, he has continued to achieve international success with acclaimed historical novels such as "The Hand of Fatima" (2009), "The Barefoot Queen" (2013), "Heirs of the Earth" (2016), and "The Painter of Souls" (2019).

Technical specifications

  • Pages: 670
  • Publisher: Debolsillo
  • Binding: Hardcover paperback
  • Edition: 2025
  • ISBN: 9788466388177
Regular price €15,15 EUR
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