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The Gaudi Key: A Novel
 
 
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The Gaudi Key: A Novel [Paperback]

Esteban Martin (Author), Andreu Carranza (Author)
2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 4, 2009

Since ancient times their name has been spoken only in hushed tones. Cloaked in anonymity, they guard history's greatest and most devastating secret.

In the early twentieth century, when Barcelona was celebrated as the center of modernist art and design, the grand master of an ancient religious brotherhood prepares to die—passing the care of a sacred relic to a prominent member of his order, the revered artist and architect Antonio GaudÍ. The relic, an artifact dating back to the early Christian era, could prove disastrous if it were to fall into inappropriate hands—and many secret societies, some driven by purest evil, inhabit the dark underworld that exists beneath the city's brilliant creative glow.

Nearly a century later, MarÍa, the granddaughter of the great architect's apprentice, unwittingly finds herself entrusted with a desperate mission. Following clues, with the help of her mathematician boyfriend, that are embedded in a cryptic message left by her grandfather and in the intricate symbolism of GaudÍ's designs, MarÍa must race against time to unearth the fabled lost object and discover its true meaning . . . with violence, catastrophe, and death in terrifyingly close pursuit.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Martin and Carranza's Da Vinci Code knockoff, members of a secret group known as the Corbel, who worship the Dark One, orchestrate Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí's apparently accidental death in 1926. Their purpose, carried out over centuries, is to destroy the Knights of the Moriah, who guard the greatest secret in Christianity. In 2006, 92-year-old Juan Givell, the last grand master of the Moriah, must pass his knowledge on to his attractive 26-year-old granddaughter, who will then, along with her mathematician boyfriend, take up Givell's mission to finish the Great Work. Far too often in a plot involving an ancient relic, the Templars, the Vatican, riddles, secret diaries, torture and many brutal murders, the action grinds to a halt as someone stops to deliver a lecture on a historical fact or theory. Ardent fans of Gaudí's work will best appreciate this erratic enterprise. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In the tradition of The Da Vinci Code, this mix of thriller and adventure tale set in Barcelona centers on the life and work of real-life architect Antonio Gaudi (1852–1926) and his largest project, La Sagrada Familia, a Catholic church that remains unfinished. Readers who enjoy heavy doses of religious history, mysticism, and secret societies will revel in the detailed backstory, which follows the 3,000-year life of a sacred relic guarded by a secret order, the Knights of Moriah, against the Corbel, an equally secret satanic sect. Maria and her boyfriend, Miguel, both academics, are drawn into the dangerous game when Maria’s grandfather dies, leaving her to find the hidden relic and fulfill the prophecy. The realistic characters and the intriguing combination of religion and architecture will draw readers, but the uneven pace may deter them. The first two-thirds of the novel is very slow—nearly brought to a standstill by lengthy flashbacks—but the last third abruptly kicks into overdrive, as the body count grows and frenzied action dominates. This narrative schizophrenia is disconcerting, but Da Vinci Code fans are used to bipolar pacing. --Jessica Moyer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (August 4, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061434922
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061434921
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,549,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (3)
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Average Customer Review
2.6 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Too many riddles, October 12, 2008
By 
C. M. Struik "cstruik" (Breukelen, Utrecht Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Gaudi Key: A Novel (Hardcover)
This should have been called The Gaudi Code, as it is a clone of the famous Dan Brown(e?) bestseller. If you want to know more about Gaudi, but are too lazy to study real literature about him, of if you enjoy endless riddles that can only be solved by the protagonists, this may be for you, though the storyline is predictable and lacks credibility. For me it lost all attraction when the puzzles could only be solved if the two heroes confessed their never-ending love for each other.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Gaudi Secret, November 23, 2008
This review is from: The Gaudi Key: A Novel (Hardcover)
If you never read Davinci Code this book would be a lot better. Unfortunately its Spains Davinci Code. Very similiar. Aside for that its very good. The characters are a little confusing at first, but once you get into it its good.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but a bit tedious, October 17, 2008
By 
Ace (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   
This review is from: The Gaudi Key: A Novel (Hardcover)
I love Antonio Gaudi's works -- they are so organic, his works flow, they are almost alive, especially his exceptional (unfinished) cathedral. Gaudi himself was a very unusual person -- introspective, reflective, religious, and it is said, fasted for 20 days before undertaking the design of La Sagrada Familia.

Whether they are secular or religious, Gaudi's works definitely transcend time.

Although The Gaudi Key can be summed up as an "interesting read", it does not always "flow" -- it is not built on the very best of foundations. Sentence structure could really be improved, as some of the sentences are annoyingly choppy. Like this. Plots are, in some places, a bit long winded.

I found the book and its main plot interesting, but the action was a bit too prolonged and uneven.
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