The Midnight Palace by Carols Ruiz Zafon

[katekintailbc]

The Midnight Palace
by Carols Ruiz Zafon
(Audio)

Zafon's Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorite books. I didn't like Angel's Game quite as much and Prince of the Mist was just fine. Still, I was willing to give Zafon another try. I stuck this one into the CD player of my car and suddenly realized I was in the middle of disc 2 with absolutely no idea who the characters were, where they were in Calcutta, and what the plot was. So I listened to The Help instead and went back to it afterward for a second shot.

The second time, it took. And, in fact, I was almost instantly hooked. Given Zafon's nationality, I wasn't expecting a story that took place in India. However, I really liked the change, and the world of Calcutta in 1932 seemed so rich and real to me. The characters were wonderful as well--ah, orphans, what would we do without the mystery of you to fuel our fiction?

I really liked the little mystery, even though it was easy to be one step ahead the whole way. Obviously they're bother & sister. Obviously the bad guy's connection to their father isn't as simple as the wise old woman claims. But the way the mystery unfolded and all the details was really what I loved. The supernatural elements, the fire, the haunting images, the writings their father left with so much insight into his character and his dreams and his heart. I loved the Chowbar Society and their headquarters at the Midnight Palace. Some of the characters were more developed than others, but each had a role and each was worth saving by the end.

The ending surprised me! The altercation ended happily but the book... not so much! It was a little bittersweet, I guess, to find out what had happened to the members after the society disbanded. But I'm a sucker for books with narrators whose job it is to observe & record amazing events and the ending made it feel realistic.