Customer Reviews

Gaudi Afternoon: A Cassandra Reilly Mystery

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cassandra Reilly is at work in Barcelona translating novel when she gets a call in London from Frankie Stevens that Frankie's husband had gone missing. Frankie thinks her vanished spouse is somewhere in Barcelona and asks Cassandra to find him. Cassandra obliges and in the course of her search encounters a foot therapist names April Schauer, a sax layer supposedly from Prague, seedy bars in Barcelona's red-light district, dreamlike gardens of Parc Guell, and high adventure in a madcap mystery where appearances are deceptive and surprises are the order of the day. Gaudi Afternoon is a superbly crafted and energetically written mystery that will fully satisfy even the most demanding devotees of the genre.

Barbara Wilson can write! I've also read her book "Cows and Horses", actually I've read it more than once. I intend to read many more of her books.

"Gaudi Afternoon" is written with style, wit and flair. I loved every single page of it. It made me laugh outloud, and kept me guessing.

Set in Barcelona, Spain, the environment is so well reflected in the book, Ms. Wilson definitely is either familiar with the area and it's people, or did extensive research.

The narrator, Cassandra, is kept guessing as much as we are, as the plot twists and turns--but never loses it's reader.

No one is really as they initially seem, from the character, Frankie, who hires Cassandra to find her husband Ben, right through to a surprise about Ben's girlfriend, April!

One of the things that makes this mystery unique is the fact it doesn't revolve around the usual murder.

Everything about "Gaudi Afternoon" is refreshing and unique.

I picked up this book for a dollar at a local Brown Elephant second-hand store. I bought it because I've vacationed in Barcelona, and I was enchanted by the city. Happily, this book really brought back memories of Barcelona, and was a fun, fast-paced, entertaining read. For a good time, read Gaudi Afternoon!

Firstly there are two recurring themes in the book, that of feminism and of homosexuality. These theme relate well to Barcelona (where the book is set) as its sets the city in its context of modernoty and post-Francoist liberation. You will learn about the Spanish/ Catalan divide and also get a taste of Gaudi's wonderful and quite frankly rather wierd architecture. You will sit in a Ramblas' Cafe watching the world go by. Yes, the book certainly gives you a taste of Barcelonian life from the comfort of your arm chair. Lesbianism is a prominat theme in the book and we see how homosexuality has in effect come out of its' proverbial closet since the Transition to democracy. There is certainly an "anything goes" policy about the city (from what we can gather from the book).Other than that it is a rather ordinairy novel with little action and little plot. But for an insight into Catalan Culture its THE easy-read novel. Frankly there's little effort gone into the story line from the author. we're blue in the face from reading it but if you like Mills and Boon with a bit culture thrown in for good measure its the book for you! ENJOY!! ali and Ben.

If you've been to Barcelona, this book will help you reminisce. That's pretty much it.

The story is quite bland. A ring of thieves attack the city, and the main character, an American lesbian freelance translator, gets caught in the middle of it. In pursuit of the bad guys, she goes up and down Barcelona and its beautiful monuments.

The plot is thinnish and i HATED the ending (don't worry, i won't reveal it... but i found it very frustrating). This book is mediocre beach material.

If you really want to learn more about Barcelona, pick up anything by Eduardo Mendoza. Now, that's good writing!