Marina

By: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Narrated by: Daniel Weyman

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's haunting gothic mystery, which has long been a cult classic in Spain and is now an international bestseller.
"We all have a secret buried under lock and key in the attic of our soul. This is mine."
Fifteen-year-old Oscar Drai meets the strange Marina while he's exploring an old quarter of Barcelona. She leads Oscar to a cemetery, where they watch a macabre ritual that occurs on the last Sunday of each month. At exactly ten o'clock in the morning, a woman shrouded in a black velvet cloak descends from her carriage to place a single rose on an unmarked grave.
When Oscar and Marina decide to follow her, they begin a journey that transports them to a forgotten postwar Barcelona-a world of aristocrats and actresses, inventors and tycoons--and reveals a dark secret that lies waiting in the mysterious labyrinth beneath the city streets.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Watcher in the Shadows:"Zafón cuts between his various characters with cinematic skill, and his habit of telling stories within the narrative is put to spine-tingling use...Good, solid scares."—Booklist

Praise for The Prince of Mist:
* "Awesome."—School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for The Midnight Palace:
"With shades of modern horror classics....Zafón has crafted a highly original plot set within an exotic setting."—Booklist

No disappointment in this story

It has the awe and mystery expected from Zafon. A wonderful story on many levels.

Spellbinding

Sad that the pages stopped abruptly at the back endsheet. Sad that, now, this tale is over. Flipping back to page one, for me a rare occurrence indeed.

Dark, but Beautiful

Dark, haunting but just beautiful throughout. Atmosphere reminds me of Edward Scissorhands and Dark City

Ruiz-Zafon's Favourite Child's

As usual, I was so sad when this story was over. I love the world as it exists in Ruiz-Zafon's mind, knowing that I am safe here in my world. His books are SO realistically scary, in beautiful prose that reads almost like poetry!

Gothic Tale

This is a lyrical story the impacts you viscerally...I saw links within the prose paying homage to other great writers and iconic stories...the narrator is fabulous!!!

Beautiful, enchanting

If you loved shadow of the wind, you may end up loving this book even more. A beautiful narration that was absolutely perfect for the story.

All of it

It's all Carlos Ruiz Zafón gives you in each of his books. You just end felling like you just finished a part of your life, felling like you just have lost people you knew and will miss.

Wonderful!

Absolutely loved it! The only thing that slightly bothered me was that the audio version does not follow the written version 100%. There are a few words here and there that are different but not a very big deal and doesn't detract from the story. I would definitely recommend!

Magical, Gothic, a Story of Love and Death

I first fell in love with Zafon's timeless and magical descriptions of Barcelona, then the mystery hooked me.
With elements of magical realism, this is the story of three epic loves, and how death touches and changes them all. It left me breathless, standing in the mist of daybreak, wondering if I walked in the story or in my real life.

carlos ruiz zafon s style is exceptional

loved it, couldnt get my hands of it. if you dont want a possible spoiler, stop reading now. carlos ruiz zafon amazes me everytime with his writing style. poor hermain, and oscar. the beach...... oh man, my heart goes out with this book, i feel like crap and depressed. but amazing book all in all.