By going to Madrid, Daniel has the opportunity to take unique photos to showcase in a competition to win a scholarship. Daniel simply doesn’t have enough funds to support himself through journalism school. This also was a trip that his father hoped would convince Daniel not to pursue his dreams of photography and instead join him in the oil business. Shortly after graduating high school, they decided to take a family trip to Madrid fulfilling both his mother’s dreams of returning and his father’s need to guarantee a drilling deal in Spain. His mother grew up in Madrid and immerses him in Spanish culture. From his strong Texan accent to the cowboy boots and jeans, it’s a sharp contrast to locals milling around the setting. Living in Texas for all of his life, he is a Texan through and through. His father is trying to secure a big deal in Madrid. They both come from very different backgrounds, giving us an in-depth perspective on both sides.ĭaniel Matherson is an American tourist who is the son of a big oil executive. Our narrators are Daniel Matherson and Ana Torres Moreno. The Fountains of Silence is a novel that delves deep into the strict regime of General Francisco Franco and his iron-tight rule. To paraphrase another great war story, the problems of two young lovers might not amount to a hill of beans in this world, but Sepetys proves resoundingly that they’re what make life worth living.A fascinating historical novel written by Reta Sepetys takes place in Madrid, Spain in the 1950s. Sepetys triumphs with this towering work of historical insight, somehow managing to both devastate and give you faith in the expansive generosity of the human spirit. She carries the reader back in time for an intoxicating and startling glimpse of an era largely obscured from history, revealing the beauty of true connection amidst an unflinching look at the struggles of post-war Spain. One never takes away from the other, but instead only enhances it – the aching young love grows alongside the cast of characters’ journey to rebellion, realization, and acceptance. Her pacing is adept, weaving a slow-burn love story through a bigger tale of a nation coming to grips with its darkest secrets. Sepetys has a gift for breathing life into a historical time and place, making the sights, sounds, and smells of a time long-past come alive with vim and vigor.

The fountains of silence ruta sepetys