Will I love The Fountains of Silence?

Sepetys takes us back to the Spain of Franco, and tells me - who's been in Spain many times and loves the country - even some secrets of the past. A period that has become a taboo. A time when children of the 'enemy' were discriminated against - as they were considered infected with the same 'decease' as their parents. Children abused in orphanages, babies that were taken away from their mothers and adopted into republican families... It was done elsewhere too, but the numbers were so high in Spain. Sepetys spins a beautiful story around the tragedy that mixes… show more.

My heart was drawn into the story. It made me mad and yet hopeful about humanity

This book mixes history, social classes, cultures, and repression in a broiling stew of love, fear, and the will to survive that kept me captivated.

I wanted to see the characters overcome their own weaknesses as they built their survival skills in this captivating story that takes place in Spain during the Franco dictatorship.

Ruta Sepetys never disappoints. The Fountains of Silence looks at young love under a Spanish dictatorship in 1957. This is such an unusual setting for historical fiction, and I devoured the book in a weekend. Daniel, the son of an oil tycoon, moves to Madrid and sees his privileged world through the lens of his camera.

He uncovers secrets and falls in love with the hotel maid Ana, whose life is affected in every way by the Spanish Civil War. The wealthy young photographer learns life lessons and bravery from the hardships of Ana’s life, with another rich, layered love… show more.