Travel Reading: Novels About Barcelona
LET YOUR FANTASY FLY WITH THESE FICTION BOOKS SET IN BARCELONA
Today we are recommending you the best Barcelona fiction books, because don’t you love reading stories about the places where you’ll travel to? I do, because once you get to your destination, you feel more connected to it as you try to discover the places where fiction was set. Let’s inspire your trip.
Here is our suggested list of must-read Barcelona fiction books:
1
The Cathedral of the Sea, by Ildefonso Falcones
The best book of historical fiction set in Barcelona so far and one of my favorite novels about Barcelona. It explains the construction of Santa Maria del Mar church through the life of a local character that will start as an outcast and little by little ascend on the local social scale.
Middle Ages, architecture, passion and a touch of violence (that was inherent to the time period). It’ll remind you of the Pillars of the Earth. Available on Itunes and Amazon.
2
The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A story within a story, The Shadow of the Wind tells the story of a young man from the Spanish post-civil war times investigates the mysterious life of a writer from the early 1900’s that fascinates him. Wonder around the urban settings of two different Barcelonas.
And don’t miss the second part: the Angel’s Game, and the third part: the Prisoner of Heaven. You’ll also find part one, part two and part three on Itunes.
3
City of Marvels, by Eduardo Mendoza
A classic amongst the novels about Barcelona, and another story of social and economical ascent. Unlike the Cathedral of the Sea, where main character has a big heart, here we’ll be following a greedy and mean person, and his interactions with 3 women announced by a fortuneteller: one to make him rich, one to give him glory and one to make him happy. Available on Amazon (amazingly enough, Itunes only seems to have it available in Spanish).
4
The Time of the Doves, by Mercè Rodoreda
A book that is read in all high schools in their literature class (but it’s not for kids!). Written by a lady author during her exile, it explains the hard life of a working class woman in the Barcelona from the 2nd Republic time, the Spanish Civil War and the post-war time. Quite different to George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia! Only available on Amazon.
5
The best thing that can happen to a croissant, by Pablo Tusset
Continuing this list of Barcelona fiction books, here is a suggestion for light reading and a few not politically correct laughs. This is a novel set in Barcelona in modern days, and it will take you through the intrigues of the local high society and the high-end neighborhoods of the city through the adventures of the black ship son of a wealthy family, trying to find out why his brother and president of the family owned company disappeared. Available on Amazon.
AND BONUS! Want to understand what all that Catalonia Independence thing is about?
6
Victus, the Fall of Barcelona
If you are interested in knowing what’s all this fuss about Catalans wanting to be independent, you’ll want to dig out into some historical facts about Barcelona and understand what happened in 1714. An addictive book of historical fiction set in Barcelona during the War of Succession. Available on Itunes and Amazon.
What other novels about Barcelona do you recommend?
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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Last update on 2024-10-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API