Cathedral of the Sea - by Ildefonso Falcones (Paperback)

About the Book

In the tradition of Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth," Falcones pens a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war, set in the golden age of 14th-century Barcelona.

Book Synopsis

An unforgettable fresco of a golden age in fourteenth-century Barcelona, Cathedral of the Sea is a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war.

Arnau Estanyol arrives in Barcelona to find a city dominated by the construction of the city's great pride--the cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar--and by its shame, the deadly Inquisition. As a young man, Arnau joins the powerful guild of stoneworkers and helps to build the church with his own hands, while his best friend and adopted brother Joanet studies to become a priest.

With time, Arnau prospers and falls secretly in love with a forbidden woman. But when he is betrayed and hauled before the Inquisitor, he finds himself face-to-face with Joanet. Will he lose his life just as his beloved Cathedral of the Sea is finally completed, or will his brother save him?

MORE THAN TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE!

Review Quotes

Praise for the #1 international bestseller Cathedral of the Sea

"The passion and heartache, as well as the grit and grime, of medieval Spain come alive...This epic novel...twists and turns through war, women and the Spanish Inquisition...[A] saga filled with colorful characters...[A] fantastic fourteenth-century fresco."--USA Today

"[It's] soap opera on a grand scale, made believable and enthralling by the inclusion of the commonplace brutalities and small compassions of life in medieval Barcelona. Watching Arnau's rise from literal rags to riches is frequently like watching a series of train wrecks; you're horrified but can't look away...[The] plot...is so beautifully structured that the last sixty pages detonate like a string of firecrackers...[The] prose is powerful...Falcones has an eye for the singular, telling detail, and...his characters are...believable...[A] riveting story."--The Washington Post

"[An] absorbing epic...Falcones's rich portrait of medieval society is fascinating."--Publishers Weekly

"[A] sprawling medieval family saga."--Kirkus Reviews

"With Cathedral of the Sea, Ildefonso Falcones dethrones Eduardo Mendoza and
Arturo Pérez-Reverte...and has become Spain's new Dan Brown."--El Mundo

About the Author

Ildefonso Falcones is a Spanish lawyer and the internationally bestselling and award-winning author of Cathedral of the Sea and The Hand of Fatima. With over seven million copies sold, his work has been translated into more than 40 languages worldwide. He lives in Barcelona with his wife and four children.