La Catedral del Mar (Cathedral of the Sea)

 My tour guide in Spain, José Manuel, recommended a few books to us so I dutifully took note of them.  While searching for books on the Libby app, cross referencing my "Books to Read" list on my phone I decided to search for some of the books he recommended.  The first one to be available on the app was "Cathedral of the Sea" by Ildefonso Falcones de Sierra so I virtually borrowed it and began to listen (even knowing it was a 23 hour audio book).  Very quickly, I was hooked.  Even as I prepared to write this recommendation post I figured I should share a summary of the book and looked it up online.  I had NOT read a summary online before beginning the book, so even that summary would have ruined the surprise for me!  I'll give you the bare minimum and encourage you not to read much about the book before you begin to read, so as to keep the mystery intact.  

The building of the Santa Maria del Mar cathedral is the backbone of the story, as construction (in real life) began in 1329, shortly after the beginning of the tale, and ended 55 years later where the story ends.

"a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war, set in the golden age of 14th-century Barcelona" (Random House).  

I can admit that part of the appeal of the novel was having recently visited Barcelona, but that alone would not have compelled me to recommend the novel.  No, the masterful weaving together of people and places, events and consequences, history and real life made the entire novel a page-turner.  In fact, before I was halfway through the novel I decided to check the physical book out of my local library because I wanted to see how the names and places I was hearing on the audio book were spelled.  In Barcelona they speak Catalan, so the names sound very different to Spanish.  In the end I probably read half and listened to half, and honestly, you might want to do the same.

When the last page was turned and the book had come to close, I thought hard (I have a poor memory) and realized that, despite spending an extra day in Barcelona after my tour ended, I don't believe I visited the cathedral while in Spain.  I suppose I could always return some day...they offer "literary walking tours" for fans of the book...