I wanted to love this. But sadly I just couldn't. I wish this was just two POVs. Just Ana and Daniel. But instead I felt too much was happening elsewhere that I struggled to get into the main story.
While the pacing and writing style itself was easy and quick to get through. The story let me down.

Really enjoyed Beyond Shades of Grey and Salt to the Sea by Sepetys so was looking forward to this - I really enjoyed the setting she chose this time around but unfortunately just much preferred some POVs to others and thought there were maybe too many.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I absolutely loved The Fountains of Silence - a tale of romance, friendship, families and secrets in Franck’s Spain. While the core plot kept my interest throughout I was also intrigued by the excerpts from historical archives which introduced many of the chapters.

Sepetys is so good at creating characters and stories which stand alone but also shine light on less well known periods of history. Of course I’d heard of Franco, and had even read some other novels and non-fiction books covering the period, but I knew nothing of the stolen babies, a heartbreaking part of Spain’s history.

This was my first time reading work from Ruta Sepetys and I was impressed with her beautiful style of writing. I had never read anything based in Spain during the Franco years and I loved learning about the time period. I can't wait to read more from the author in the future.

I loved 'The Fountains of Silence' so much. I had never learned anything about the Spanish Civil War before and it was interesting to see the aftermath of this and the dictatorship of Franco. I loved the multiple perspectives as you were able to see how the story didn't just affect the one or two people but a whole group. I also loved the perspective from both Spain and US as you were able to really see how isolated Spain was.

I loved OUT OF THE EASY and this is another riveting novel. Few authors can evoke a sense of time and place like Ruta Sepetys. Her books transport you to the setting, in this case 1950s Spain which is under the weight of a dictatorship. The characters in this book are well drawn and it’s a heart-wrenching read. Another must read from Ruta Sepetys!

Ruta Sepetys is a new author for me and I was drawn to ‘The Fountains of Silence’ because it is set in the Spanish Civil War. Only after finishing the book did I realise Sepetys is a Young Adult author though this does not mean she backed away from tackling difficult subjects or that the book lacks emotional depth. Basically, this is a tale of young love in politically sensitive times.
The story starts in 1957 when teenager Daniel Matheson arrives in Madrid, Spain, with his parents. Daniel, a talented photographer, wants to go to J-School to study as a photojournalist; his father wants him to work at the family oil company. Playing diplomat between them is Daniel’s mother, who was born in Spain. The family stays at the Castellana Hilton where they are assigned an assistant, Ana. While Daniel takes photos, his father tries to close an oil deal. Only when Daniel meets Ben Stahl from the Madrid bureau of the ‘New York Herald Tribune’, does he understand his father’s deal involves meetings with General Franco.
As Ana and Daniel grow closer, hiding their relationship and sneaking precious moments together, Sepetys shows the dark side of life under Spain’s dictator. Truths are hidden, atrocities are committed every day, desperate poverty is normal and people live under daily fear of the Guardia Civil, Franco’s police force. Ana’s cousin Pura, who works at the Inclusa orphanage, has a curious mind and is puzzled by some of the things she sees at the orphanage and its associated clinics and hospital. Ana’s brother Rafa and his friend Fuga work as gravediggers where they bury many tiny coffins. Then Fuga discovers that some of them are empty. There are many unanswered questions that are dangerous to investigate; Rafa and Fuga hope Daniel’s photographs will reveal the truth.
Fuga’s lifelong ambition is to be a bullfighter and, wearing a borrowed traje de luces [a suit of lights, worn by bullfighters in the ring], he gets his first chance. In exchange for driving Fuga to the location of the fight, Daniel takes photos. Fuga and Daniel make an uneasy truce.
I was left wanting to know more from certain characters; particularly Fuga, and Julia, Ana’s sister, so critical to the plot but whose voice is hardly heard. Although the viewpoint switches around often, the bulk of the narration is by Daniel. The cast list is long, too long perhaps, which adds to the slightly disjointed feeling of chunks of story remaining untold. Some of the language sounded contemporary rather than post-Civil War Spain – ‘father-son dynamic’ – but Sepetys weaves in Spanish phrases and this adds authenticity and worked well.
Septeys is skilled at describing 1957 Madrid, she creates a totally believable picture. If you know nothing about the Franco dictatorship, this book is a good place to start. I was left wanting to know more; perhaps this is the difference between a YA novel and one written for adults. But ‘The Fountains of Silence’ has made me curious to read more by Sepetys, particularly her WW2 books ‘Salt to the Sea’ and ‘Between Shades of Grey’.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

Madrid. 1957.
Spain under General Franco was a city ravaged with terror. The children of the Republicans were forced to take up odd jobs and keep their mouths shut. The Guardia Civil, Franco's army of men was vicious and brutal and you couldn't escape their clutches alive. Among all this is a family, Ana who works in a hotel as a maid and dreams of going far away from Spain where she can 'finally be free', Julia who has one paramount responsibility and that is to protect her family, Rafa who has enough trauma to last a lifetime but is full of joy and Puri, who works at an orphanage and is privy to a hideous secret that she is incapable of digesting. They are the children of Republicans. Having tragically lost their parents at an early age, they have learnt to survive with a meagre income, while saving a little for the future.

Sepetys follows a pattern when it comes to her book. She is inquisitive and leaves behind questions for her readers through a thoughtfully woven tale. The Spanish Civil War was one of the most brutal events the world has seen. Spain in those years held countless, closely guarded secrets. When Ana meets Daniel, a photojournalist looking for a story, she seems to break all her rules. She develops a connection, to the extent of endangering herself and her family. There is a love story hidden beneath countless little stories, each capable of making you shiver down to your bones.

Sepetys writes in a detached manner but manages to conjure up an atmosphere of terror, love, betrayals and every other mood the story demands. She focuses on facts and gives her characters a shape that will be etched in your mind for a long time. Just like 'Salt to the Sea', 'The Fountains of Silence' is poignant, explicit , dark and deeply engrossing. The oppression and fear during Franco's rule and the secret dreams the Spaniards nurtured is all in there, bellowing. As an epitaph in the Spanish Civil War mass grave says, 'We have only died if you forget us'.

One summer, American teenager Daniel Matheson travels to Madrid with his parents. While his father attempts to broker an oil deal, Daniel intends to take photos that will win him a photography contest and a place at university.
Daniel soon becomes friends with Ana, who works as a maid at the hotel he's staying at. Ana's family struggles under Spanish dictator General Franco's rule, something that makes Daniel realise that there is another side to Madrid, and Spain, that the tourists don't see.
As Daniel and Ana grow closer, dark secrets are revealed.
Can Daniel follow his dreams and become a photographer?

Ruta Sepetys is an author that lots of people seem to love, and while I do enjoy them, her books never seem to quite hit the mark for me.
The setting of 1950s Madrid was by far my favourite thing about this book. I don't know much about the history of Spain, so it was enlightening to learn how bad things were under the rule of General Franco. It's rather scary to think of how many people must have been affected by his rule.
Daniel and Ana were both likeable protagonists, but I didn't feel like I fully connected with them.
There were quite a few secondary characters that I liked, but I think Ben and Nick were my favourites.
The story was told from several points of views, which was interesting, but there were times when I felt that the point of view changed unexpectedly or unnecessarily.
The plot was good overall, but given how long the book is not much actually happened. This was definitely a very character-driven book, which I don't mind as long as I really like the characters, but I would have liked a bit more action in this case.
This was an emotional read at times, but it didn't hit me as much as it could have.
The writing style was easy to follow and understand.
I am a bit disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but I did find it interesting and it made me want to find out more about the history of Spain.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

Well, Ruta Sepetys did it again. The Fountains of Silence was an amazing (but also at times horrifying) read! I didn't know anything about Spain during that time, so I learned quite a lot!! The added media reports and oral history commentary were also really interesting to read. I also really liked the characters and their relationships, and I was rooting for them until the end. Now I'm quite sad I've read all of Ruta's books... :P

If you love historical fiction, I highly recommend this!

4 stars

So the minute I heard about this book I was so excited as Ruta Sepetys is one of my favourite writers. This was a really great, well-researched novel. I will say that I found the pacing to be off in places, especially at the beginning I found this pretty hard to get into.

I would say that this is a character-driven novel as most of Sepetys novels are. One of our main characters is Daniel a young American who is passionate about photography who is in Spain with his Spanish mother and American Oil tycoon father as his father is trying to secure a deal with Franco. The other main character is Ana a young Spanish woman who works in the hotel that Daniel and his family are staying at and they eventually cross paths. There are other characters who throughout the book get POVs and eventually, all the stories intertwine with one another.

Overall this was an emotional and intense novel however it was a little slow at times.

What an amazing book, tells the tale of Franco's Spain. An incredible part of history well-written and thoroughly researched. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

While I really enjoyed the historical elements of The Fountains of Silence, I found the story to be dragging quite a bit and I couldn't connect with the characters, which was a shame. I usually love historical fiction, so the setting was by far my favourite part, as you could tell how much research was put into this book and how it felt like 1950s Madrid. For the rest, this story unfortunately didn't hold my interest and I wasn't looking forward to going back to it. I loved Between Shades of Gray by the same author, however The Fountains of Silence wasn't for me.

Unfortunately I did not get on with this book and therefore cannot rate it very highly. I really struggled to connect with the characters and storyline.

While I did enjoy this one overall, I wasn't a fan of the way Sepetys quickly switched between POVs as it kept me detached from the story. I did enjoy the setting though. I would still recommend checking this one out, especially if you've already enjoyed books by this author.

3.5/5

This was definitely an interesting story. Super emotional, although there were so many different story arcs and time jumps. They did all blend together but, until the very end, it wasn't clear why or how, so the narrative was a little jarring and incoherent at times. The forbidden romance element was nice but overshadowed a more emotional, perhaps more captivating story arc of stolen babies which hasn't really been heard before. I also couldn't read Daniel, our protagonist, as a 19-year-old; he definitely read as at least a 24-year-old.

I really wanted to like this. The cover and setting both appealed to me and I’d heard good things about the author. However, I couldn’t connect with the characters and felt the story wasn’t moving very well so I’m afraid I did not finish reading this one. I hate not finishing and appreciated the opportunity to review, but I gave it a good go.

The setting of this book was very interesting and was new to me, both in time period and in local. I did really like the concept and the plot line, however, the book struggled to retain my attention as the writing was very slow and didn't grasp my attention.

I wasn't able to finish the book because I just couldn't find it in myself to care at all about the characters and it's a disappointment as it could've been a very good read.