This was a highly enjoyable and educational book. As a fan of Sepetys' work, I was expecting great things - deep-seated drama, well-researched (and yet widely unknown) historical setting and a host of relateable, complex characters. All three were more than delivered. From an enticing start, Sepetys wove the multiple perspectives to offer the reader a multi-faceted look into the context of post-war Spain, highlighting further the real complexities both at work in the wider society and faced by the characters. The larger character focus and romantic elements made the momentum hard in parts (mainly around the middle), but when things happened, they certainly happened, and the quality of the writing offset some of the struggle in the trudgier parts.

Overall, an interesting, well-approached and well-researched read for both adults and teenagers alike. It certainly offers much food for thought and insight into another hidden history from not so long ago.

I really enjoyed this book. I love Ruth Sepetys writing. This historical novel was set in Franco's Spain and involves a romance between a beautiful Spanish girl and a rich American would be photographer. The ending is a little neat however the historical detail in the book is well done. The influence of the Catholic church, the poverty, selling and stealing babies and bull fighting is all covered. Like all good historical fiction the book has left me curious to research more on the history of Spain during Franco's reign.

I wish I could give this more than 5*! A perfect blend of historical, Roman e, and mystery, Fountains of Silence is packed full of emotions and twists. Beautiful writing!

This book was stunning and it blew me away! It tells the story of Daniel, the son a Texan Oil magnate and his family's journey to Madrid in 1957 during the Franco regime. While there he meets Ana, a young woman working in his hotel with many secrets to keep. The layers of this narrative were just amazing, with so many different aspects of Spain under Franco put under the microscope. It introduced me to things that I had no idea about and definitely piqued my interest in the topic. The characters were really well drawn and felt believable. Yes, at times they were too perfect, but there was always an authenticity to their behaviour that I really appreciated. There is a decadence to the hotel and the parties thrown by the American contingent in Madrid that was very evocative and when juxtaposed with the Orphanage, or Valllecas, where Ana lives, the vast difference between the rich and poor is thrown into stark detail. Ruta Sepetys has a beautiful prose style, very clean and concise, with a lyrical quality that never veers too far into flowery. Some of the content is heartbreaking and raw, but overwhelmingly, this is a story about hope and the importance of family, both born into and found. Overall, I was utterly entranced by this story and I would highly recommend it to anyone!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book.! I am ashamed to say that I know very little about Spanish history, so this book about life in Franco-era Spain shocked me greatly. But it isn't a depressing book, rather it is an excellent and involving story, with many great characters. Well-written, and utterly engrossing, I would definitely recommend this book.

Sepety's story is an egrossing one, although I didn't feel like the fear, paranoia, and persecution of the dictatorship was adequately captured, "The Fountains of Silence" is the ideal choice for someone with an interest in 20th century history and especially in this often untouched period of Spanish history.

Enthralling epic that immerses the reader in Franco's Spain; it's rich in historical detail & atmosphere & is always compelling, despite its length & dark subject matter. Forbidden love, politics, family, death - it's all here. Absolutely brilliant.

An eye opener. Read about a Spain you thought you knew. I knew a bit about Franco but it was always shrouded in mystery. Read this book and you will be amazed to learn about a country you thought you knew and many visited but until relatively recently was ruled by a dictatorship for 40 years. This book is hard to digest in some parts, not just a love story but also a history book I won’t forget and a country I will look at, from now on, with more understanding.

Enjoyed this so much - it was something I knew little about, yet it is recent and on our doorstep. Hard to believe the Spain of today has seen so much pain so recently. But I loved the characters and, although shocking, loved the story.

Original,Imaginative,interesting and informative.I rate this book as one of the best I have read this year and will be buying copies for all my friends. The author encourages readers to explore more about this period in Spanish history which I will certainly do. The story itself is based on well developed and engaging characters with several interesting story lines. I was sorry to come to the end

I read Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys a couple of months ago and found it both beautiful and heartbreaking. Part of what I loved about it was that it gave insight to a lesser known aspect of World War Two, and that is what drew me to this talented author’s latest book. It is set in Spain after the Spanish Civil War, a conflict I knew relatively little about going into this read. I am always eager to know more about subjects I haven’t often come across whilst reading and The Fountains of Silence gave me the opportunity to learn more about an extremely complex war of which the consequences are still being felt today.

In The Fountains of Silence we mainly follow a rich young American, Daniel, who is a visitor to Spain and a young woman, Ana and her family whose lives have been devastated by the Civil War. Seeing this juxtaposition between the real Spain that it’s people have to live with and the glamorous veneer shown to Americans and other tourists is one of the real strengths of this book. It makes the reader question whether they have ever really managed to see the reality of certain countries they have visited. I certainly did for me.

Another aspect that was particularly well done were the relationships in the book. The friendships, romance and family bonds all felt so genuine. The budding relationship between the dignified Ana and smart, well-intentioned Daniel felt completely real to me and progressed in a manner that felt authentic.

Overall I very much enjoyed The Fountains of Silence. Ruta Sepetys is fantastic at demonstrating the depths of human emotion, endurance and suffering in an incredibly effective but actually quite understated way which is part of what makes her books so affecting and thought-provoking.

I can’t believe I’ve never read a Ruta Sepetys book before as this was so good and I have now made it my mission to read every book other book she’s written.

This book takes place in Spain in 1957 after the Spanish Civil war and during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. It follows several povs Julia, Ana and Rafa siblings whose Republican parents were killed during the Civil War, Their cousin Puri who works at the local orphanage and Daniel an American staying in Madrid while his dad his dad attempts to broker an oil deal with the government. And of course all of their lives become intertwined in a way they couldn’t have imagined.

This book is slow paced and very character driven and I can see why some people may not enjoy it however I loved it. This is such a heart-breaking read and Ruta does such a good job at portraying the suffering and despair that those under Franco’s rule experienced.

This book also reminded why I love historical fiction as they ensure that the hardships and horrors of the past aren’t forgotten.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and gave it 4 out of 5 stars

I've enjoyed one of Sepetys work's in the past - 'Salt To The Sea' - and requested this one to give her writing a bit more of a chance, but unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. The content is so heavy and within the first couple of pages, you've been introduced to a lot of characters who do very little. There's something about the way she writes that just doesn't connect with me. But, I think it'd be an excellent choice for someone with an interest in 20th century history, of this often untouched period of Spanish history.

Ruta Sepetys’ work never fails to leave an impact on me. She weaves historical fact with fiction seamlessly. She creates wonderful characters who tell the history of a place and time. She lets the reader into these characters’ lives, makes us care about them. She holds our hearts in her hands.

The Fountains of Silence is another piece of incredible writing. Set in Spain during the Franco reign, this book looks at the country under his firm grip. It examines the lives of the young people who live there, and particularly an insight into the lives of young women at this time through Ana and Puri. Texan Daniel shows us Franco’s Spain from an outsider’s perspective. His Spanish mother has raised him in the language and culture, but he’s never visited the country until now, a time when Franco was beginning to let others into Spain. Through a small group of likeable characters whose lives interweave, we get a picture of Madrid at that time - and uncover some of the atrocities that occurred.

I devoured this book. Sepetys’ writing consumed me. Her descriptions and details swept me up, and carried me to 50s’ Spain. But not only did I enjoy this book, I learned so much. As with Sepetys’ other works, she educates the reader - young adult or...erm... slightly older - of a period in history that, personally, I knew so little about. Her ability to take historical fact, accounts of experiences of people at that time, and create such absorbing, real fiction, never fails to impress me. The Fountains of Silence is another example of her wonderful writing ability. It hurt my heart but also brought hope and joy. I highly recommend it!

This is a great author, whose work always seems very sell researched; you get immersed into the time and place of her stories

As a fan of previous books by this author, I was very excited to get my hands on an advance copy of this , her latest release.
The Fountains of Silence took me to a time and place that I knew very little about, and made me fall a little in love with Ana, one of the central characters. Opening in 1957, the setting of post war Spain under the rule of Franco is simply but effectively established by the author's descriptions of women queuing under a burning sun , waiting for the butcher, watched by the ominous Civil Guards, referred to as the Crows by many of the characters in the book. This segues into the butcher's assistant's memories of the brutal execution of his father. It is clear, life is hard, times are tough , money is short, and someone is always watching.
In the heart of the city Ana works as a maid in the recently opened Castellana Hilton Madrid. Full of American tourists , it is a world of luxury and opulence, far removed from the home Ana shares with her siblings. Equally alien are the Americans themselves, with their flagrant spending and louche behaviour. Franco's Spain is Catholic and conservative , and the only way of life Ana has known. When she meets a young American man , Daniel, at the hotel she is irresistibly drawn to him despite the warnings of her family and friends.. She dreams of freedom and escape, and feels like he is one of the few who will understand despite the differences in their wealth and station.
Daniel dreams of becoming a photo journalist, something that he is hiding from his father, who expects him to join the family oil business, While his Spanish born mother is supportive, Daniel knows that he must convince his father, and hopes to use the family trip back to her homeland as a chance to compile a portfolio of photographs showing the real Spain, the one that has been cut off from much of the rest of the world for years. When he photographs a nun carrying a dead baby he attracts the attention of the Crows, but stumbles on a story that will have far reaching consequences for hundreds of Spanish families.
We are introduced to several other characters, most notably Fuga, a young orphan who dreams of becoming a matador, and Puri, Ana's devout cousin who works at the Catholic Adoption Centre, and uncovers a shocking secret. Sepetys deftly weaves together the threads of their stories as well as those of Daniel and Ana to create a rich and vivid tapestry that illustrates the harsh realities of life in Franco's Spain and the enduring and sometimes heartbreaking consequences of some of his policies.
It is clear that the book is comprehensively researched, and the author does a wonderful job of incorporating the history into the story in a seamless manner. While I enjoy books which give the reader the story from different perspectives, I did feel at times like this made the book seem a little disjointed, as some of the chapters were short and led to abrupt changes of perspective at times. That is a minor flaw however, and more than made up for by the richness of the detail that made the book so immersive. I found myself completely transported to the world between its pages. I also felt the ending was just a little rushed given the pace that the rest of the book unfolded.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The author is well established with previous bestsellers 'Salt to the Sea' and 'Between Shades of Gray'. Known as a 'crossover' writer whose books are read by both young teens and adults I enjoyed this story as it pitches two very different people in a moment of Spanish history that I knew very little about.
Madrid 1957. Daniel is a young American student who wants to discover his mother's homeland through his camera lens which puts so much of the life around him into frames that alter and sometimes focus more clearly the real situation.
Ana is working for the growing tourist industry as Spain opens its borders to visitors 20 years after the Civil War. But General Franco is still in charge and his dictatorship is still in charge through elements on the streets and in dark corners watching and waiting to find those who might work against the regime.
Unfortunately my e book copy had a bit of muddled text which broke up the pages and didn't allow me to see the photographs that were being interestingly used to show the history of the time. Alongside vintage media reports and oral history commentary from people involved this is making history come to life fully. It runs alongside a tense romance that grips the reader as they plot progresses.
I would look out for the other novels by this author.

This was my first Ruta Sepetys read and i now cannot wait to read more of her works.
This was a beautifully moving, captivating story set during the Spanish Civil War. The writing is fantastic and the pacing is pretty good right up until the end.

If you like Historical fiction you'll love this

This story really resonated with me - it dealt with the period of Franco’s rule in Spain and richly evoked that period. I knew very little but was soon absorbed by the contrasts and the fear, lies and secrecy at the heart of the regime. The book centres around David - a rich A,Erica visiting Madrid for the first time and Ana - a local girl with dead Republican parents and a checked past. The contrast between the rich trappings of the Americans’ hotel and life for ordinary Spaniards is well drawn and horrifying. David - a photographer - wants to explore these contrasts and is encouraged to look for the real stories. He questions the accepted view of Franco’s Spain and becomes aware of the trade in adopted babies. A trade which has long term repercussions within his own family.

This was a brilliant read - totally immersive. Highly recommended..

Hii bookworms!! I review a lot of fantasy, romance, but this is my first review of a historical fiction book. ⁣
⁣
Thank you @rutasepetysauthor @penguinrandomhouse/@penguinteen for the chance to review an early edition of this book!⁣
⁣
THE FOUNTAIN OF SILENCE BY @rutasepetysauthor ⁣
⁣
𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 5/5 STARS ⁣
⁣
𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Ana, Daniel, Rafa, Buttons, Miguel, Ben, Nick, Julia, Fuga. ⁣
⁣
𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Franco, Laura Beth and Shep. ⁣
⁣
𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦: I love historical fiction. I’ve been a history student and I have a genuine love for understanding and learning different periods of the past. When I originally requested this, I didn’t know it was historical fiction but I was beyond pleased when I found out it was. ⁣
⁣
This story, is a beautiful, provocative, heart-wrenching journey of a collection of people during the Spanish Civil War. The burdens each of them have to carry are unique but have the core element of oppression. The story doesn’t shy away from plainly illustrating the harshness that was Franco’s rule—and the American involvement within it. ⁣
⁣
There are individual themes as well, power hierarchies, religion, freedom and at the centre of it all: love. A star-crossed, angst filled love. It’s wonderfully heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. To say I felt the entire emotional spectrum is an understatement but at 1 am I was utterly in love with this book. ⁣
⁣
The cover is gorgeous, but more than anything else the writing one the pages is alluring, descriptive and I truly felt like I was there, with the characters. ⁣
⁣
𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦: Daniel and Ana. My Romeo and Juliet, just with a lot more common sense. Their moments together and growth as a two individuals was a realistic and loving.⁣
⁣
𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥: any reader who loves a romantic historical fiction story about the Spanish Civil War.