The Prisoner of Heaven

A Novel

By: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Internationally acclaimed New York Times best-selling author Carlos Ruiz Zafon takes us into a dark, gothic Barcelona and creates a rich, labyrinthine tale of love, literature, passion, and revenge in which the heroes of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game must contend with a nemesis that threatens to destroy them.

Barcelona, 1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife, Bea, have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julian, and their close friend Fermin Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades in the city's dark past. His appearance plunges Fermin and Daniel into a dangerous adventure that will take them back to the 1940's and the early days of Franco's dictatorship. The terrifying events of that time launch them on a search for the truth that will put into peril everything they love and ultimately transform their lives.

Performed by Peter Kenny

©2012 Carlos Ruiz Zafon (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

I am obsessed with this series, and this author!

Any additional comments?

I listened to my first book by this author, and didn't realize that it was the second in a series of three books. (Shadow of the Wind; The Prisoner of Heaven; The Angel's Game) The Spanish names of streets and characters can be confusing at first. But, I love the use of language and beautifully crafted dialogue, as well as the complicated plot. So, I started over, and read all three in the right order.

There are many questions to be answered, and I found myself going back and listening to previous chapters. The intricate story web is not to be taken lightly, and the characters are so finely drawn, and with wise observations of human nature sprinkled in. What a joy it was to read, and reread these books! I plan to let it rest for a few months and then listen to all three all over again. I know that there are nuggets in there that I missed this time. It was kind of like reading the Count of Monte Christo, or the Man in the Iron Mask. Weighty, wonderful literature and skilled story telling.

All three books were read by different narrators, but each was wonderful. Of all the Audible Books that I have listened to over the years, this is my favorite and most admired series.

A wonderful 3rd Installment

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend this book to a friend, but only a friend that has read the other two books in the series. While The Prisoner of Heaven and the Angel's Game are often billed as being able to stand on their own as complete stories, this claim isn't entirely accurate. They do function as mostly self-contained in their respective plots, but the significance and implications of certain events is lost if the reader is not familiar with the events from the previous installments.

What about Peter Kenny’s performance did you like?

His voice for Valls was absolutely perfect for the character: soft, but still menacing.

If you could take any character from The Prisoner of Heaven out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Fermin. He's got the best stories.

Any additional comments?

Since the book are so interrelated, it may be a good idea to be fresh about what happened in the other books. I really wish I had re-read Shadow of the Wind and the Angel's Game before starting this one.

Hooked from the opening lines

Seriously, this book may have the best opening paragraph ever committed to paper. Love the story, the writing, the narrator, all of it. Best series I've read in a long time.

The Prisoner of Heaven

This is about a mystery of life that takes place in Spain during the 1940's and 1950's. It includes historic fiction, authors,writers,and mystery. This adds up to an enjoyable reading experience for me!

prisoner of Heaven

the narrator was pretty unintelligible. Also this story was not as tight and intriguing as the first book was.

Disappointing

As much as I enjoyed the first two books, I was disappointed in this story. Hopefully Zafon can redeem himself with some more original stories.

Amazing books

I have red all 4 books from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. I was actually sad when I finished them because I am not sure I can find another selection that will top off this one. Each book is better than the other. I highly recommend

Poetry or Prose?

I was so excited to learn there was a third book in the Sempere & Son saga that I purchased and started listening to "The Prisoner of Heaven" as soon as I finished "The Angel's Game" and "The Shadow of the Wind." Unfortunately, I was immediately disappointed with the publisher's choice of narrator.

The combination of Peter Kenny's rhythm (i.e., hurry, hurry, wait, wait), the breathiness of his voice, the way he fades on the last word in a statement, and his seemingly unnatural pauses mid-sentence all add up to a feeling of whimsy that directly conflicts with the darkness of this gothic novel. Contrary to the narrators of the two previous novels, which were somber, strong, and exceptionally appropriate, this narrator seems to approach this novel as though it were poetry rather than prose. (I can practically "hear" a waltz playing to the rhythm of his voice as I listen.)

On a positive note, the softness in the narrator's voice lends itself well to the youthfulness of Daniel and makes his character even more endearing.

I am currently only a short way into the novel (chapter 3). At this point, the narrator is so distracting, I'm not sure I will even finish the audiobook. I may switch instead to a hardcopy.

Pick a dialect

The story, while feeling incomplete and unsettled, was still quite engaging as one would expect of Zafon. However, the narrator of this installment in the series needs to pick a dialect and stick with it. Are we speaking with the Castillano lisp and saying "Bartheleno" or not?

the first book in the series is the best

this fine would not stand alone. it depends on reading the prior ones, the first of which is the best