Anyways, I'm just feeling quite excited because I really want to share this book that I've been reading to improve my Mandarin writing skill, okay fine that's not the point! XD The point is, this book is very nice! wahahah!! Okay, pictures of the versions of the book! =D Well, I'm not sure how many version do they have for this book, but yeah, I'll just paste them all up here! XD
It's called the 'Cathedral of the Sea'
Chinese version of the novel.
Spanish - original version
English version
English version? xD
English version again~ xDWell, like I said, I don't know why do they have so many version of this novel but yea, I'll just put them all up here!! xD And here goes the reivew of the book! Since I'm quite lazy to think of what to write, oh, maybe I don't mind to write in Mandarin? Since I bought the book in Mandarin version. =x
This book is a good example of why one shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. The HB borrowed this book from a friend and my first reaction when I saw it was :O It is over 600 pages you see.
Out of sheer curiosity, I flipped the book open and read the first page, and from then on, I could hardly stop. Cathedral Of The Sea was originally written in Spanish and then translated into English. It is a good historical novel set in 13th century Barcelona.
The story centers around the construction of the Santa Maria Del Mar cathedral. The author describes the construction in such detail that you can’t help but imagine the real thing. The protagonist in this story is Arnau Estanyol, born a serf, survives numerous ordeals and is made a baron. He is portrayed as a great man, and his devotion to the Virgin Mary is unwavering throughout his trials in life. One has to wonder though, can an individual actually go through THAT much trials in life?
Arnau’s benevolence is to a fault. His lifelong kindness towards his fellow bastaixos, his generosity towards clients, outcasts and peasants; I could almost see a halo on his head
Arnau does have his share of enemies though. They plot to bring about his downfall, and they suceed. All is not lost however. You have to read the rest of this book yourself to know what happens. I am no storyteller, but all I can tell you is that this book left an impact on me. I think it was the details in the book that made it stand out. War, threat of starvation, anti-Semitism, the injustice of the Inquisition and politics of the church; this book was written with A LOT of research put into it.
The price tag on the book reads EUR19.20, so I’m guessing it’s gonna be really expensive to get in Malaysia or Singapore, but if you can, get your paws on it. What else can I say, it’s just “one of those books”.
Credits to : Whimsicaljottings
Oh yes, I cried for more or less about 5 minutes while reading this novel once. Lol, I can't deny it's a good novel, for this is the virgin creation of this author~! He has done a lot of effort on writing this book! You'll know it when you read it! =D
