El mar de los hombres libres is one of those books that covers everything we want to find in a good historical novel: concrete facts with real characters, wars and revolutions, adventures, love... Narrated with great delicacy and elegance, in addition to impeccable prose and good documentation, Andrés Vidal performs the wonder of creating a complete and perfect novel where he will also surprise us with an unexpected gift that will make the reader avid for 'something else' see their wishes fulfilled.
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We loved it. We have finished reading excited and convinced that we have read not only a solid, well-structured story with an agile and dynamic story, but also that we have read a narrative that has appeared to us as an illuminating tale about life.
http://www.abrirunlibro.com/2013/05/el-mar-de-los-hombres-libres/
When the news of the publication of the new novel by the author of La heredad de la tierra came into my hands, two opposite feelings arose in me: joy, because of the pleasure that reading said work produced in me, and fear, since That same delight led me to harbor important expectations about the second book Andrés Vidal. After reading El sueño de la ciudad, I cannot help but pour out the great emotions that the novel has transmitted to me; because, again, the author has conquered me as a reader. And how!
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The novel stands out for the superb reconstruction of the atmosphere that reigned in Barcelona at the time; the Tragic Week and the First World War are some of the events that marked the evolution of the city and the people of Barcelona. The construction of the Sagrada Familia, moreover, stands as the personification of the constant change in which the capital is involved, and all of this is described with commendable precision and with exquisite and successful taste. Reading the adventures of Dimas and Laura means going back a hundred years in time and letting yourself be embraced by Catalan modernism in all its splendor.
As for the characters, they radiate magnetism and courage, two qualities that bring them closer to readers. There are luxurious secondaries that help compose the fascinating cast that stars in the novel. On the other hand, the prose is elegant, clean, fresh; The author has not lost his touch and his style is once again attractive and addictive.
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If I saw myself in the position of having to highlight some negative aspect, I swear to you from the bottom of my heart that I would not know what to comment. The dream of the city invites us to relive the past of Barcelona, a unique and resplendent city, at the hands of Gaudí and his great work; an exciting journey and full of feelings that I will soon forget. Although I could talk about Andrés Vidal's second book for hours ―and more lines―, I don't want to lengthen the review any longer and I will be clear: I have enjoyed reading this novel to unspeakable limits.
http://www.traslalluvialiteraria.com/2012/04/el-sueno-de-la-ciudad-de-andres-vidal.html