#ildefonso falcones

[borednurse]

Starting to read: "Cathedreal of the Sea" by Ildefonso Falcones

I have zero idea what the premise is, I grabbed it at the library while being possessed by a greedy ghost of I need everything here. Tbh I'm scared it's not gonna be the best thing but oh well

[mhsdatgo]

Sometimes I think about her and randomly start world wars.

[thequietesthing]

The past doesn't exist. There is nothing to be sorry for. Today is when we start to live. Look... look at the sea. The sea has no past. It is just there. It will never ask us to explain. The stars, the moon are there to light our way, to shine for us. What do they care what might have happened in the past? They are accompanying us, and are happy with that; can you see them shine? The stars are twinkling in the sky; would they do that if the past mattered? Wouldn't there be a huge storm if God wanted to punish us? We are alone, you and I, with no past, no memories, no guilt, nothing that can stand in the way of... our love.

-Ildefonso Falcones ( La Catedral del Mar )

[pensieri-liberi-nella-mente]

Chi cerca di far male ad un bambino non merita rispetto

Cit. Gli eredi della terra

[whilereadingandwalking]

I have a lot of thoughts on this 611-page historical fiction classic, Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones, translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor. When I was exploring Barcelona, I wandered through el Born, and stumbled on the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. It took my breath away. So I loved how much of this novel was dedicated to the construction of the cathedral, telling the story of the bastaixos who carried rocks for it.

Unfortunately, I couldn't cope with the atrocious way Falcones treats women in this novel. Female characters are either in love with the male protagonists and inevitably brutally sexually assaulted or they are conniving, hateful villains. There is no in between. Yes, history was not good to women. But there are no complexities and no depth to these characters, because in between their interactions with Arnau, they disappear completely from the page. If you want specific examples, please visit my Goodreads, where I outlined them all, but suffice it to say that women are treated abysmally in this novel, from Arnau's first wife Maria to his adopted daughter Mar (yes, the cathedral is Sant Maria del Mar. yes, it's heavy-handed), and that all of them are only there to be obsessed with Arnau, be assaulted, or be villains. It’s not great. Trust me. I read all 611 pages.

[athousandtales]

[lasmentirasnosonverdades]

"《La mujer es un fruto que sólo ofrece su fragancia cuando se frota con la mano》, recordó que le había explicado Fátima con voz dulce, remitiéndose a las enseñanzas de los libros sobre el amor. 《Como la albahaca; como el ámbar, que retiene su aroma hasta que se calienta. Si no excitas a la mujer con caricias y besos, chupando sus labios y bebiendo de su boca, mordiendo el interior de sus muslos y estrujando sus senos, no obtendrás lo que deseas al compartir su lecho: el placer. Pero tampoco ella guardará ningún afecto por ti si no alcanza el éxtasis, si, llegado el momento, su vagina no succiona tu pene.》¡Cuán lejos estaban las piadosas cristianas de tales enseñanzas!"

Hernando, La mano de Fátima - Ildefonso Falcones

[stephaniehasekisultan]

First image of Michelle Jenner in the new trailer of La Catedral del Mar TV series.