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22nd out of 148 books
—
56 voters
The Gaudi Key
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 Gaudi. The relic, an artifact dating back to the early Christian era, could prove disas...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
August 5th 2008
by William Morrow
(first published January 1st 2007)
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In the Gaudi Key by Esteban Martin and Andreu Carranza it turns out Gaudi was the master of seven knights sworn to protect some relic or the other from the depredations of Chaos, better known as the Corbel, who are determined to consign the planet into anarchy. One wonders then, why they limit themselves to what is essentially a provincial backwater. Why not London? Or Tokyo? Or even Paris? Why Barcelona? (Because that's where their readers are, silly! Makes them feel all loved and fuzzy.) At an...more
Dunque dunque… questo libro mi ha lasciata un po’ perplessa. È costruito su un ottima trama, i personaggi sono credibili, ci sono molti colpi di scena… allora cosa non mi ha convinto? Ancora ci sto pensando, comunque non è che possa dirmi soddisfatta della lettura, almeno non al cento per cento. Credo che le due pecche maggiori stiano in miriadi di informazioni su Gaudì che il lettore non condivide (almeno io) e che quindi stenta a seguire.. e poi, la fretta, la solita maledetta fretta di finire...more
This is another book that is trying to ride on the coattails of "The Da Vinci Code". However. it falls far short of its objective.
The story takes place in Barcelona and an old man is near death. He is found to be one of the Seven Knights of Moriah. The Seven Knights of Moriah preceded the Knights Templar and were to guard a sacred article that was handed down from Jesus Christ.
The man's daughter, Maria, and her boyfriend, Miguel, are given riddles that they must solve in order to find the articl...more
The story takes place in Barcelona and an old man is near death. He is found to be one of the Seven Knights of Moriah. The Seven Knights of Moriah preceded the Knights Templar and were to guard a sacred article that was handed down from Jesus Christ.
The man's daughter, Maria, and her boyfriend, Miguel, are given riddles that they must solve in order to find the articl...more
"The Gaudi Key" (La Clave Gaudi) possesses the grandiosity of its subject's architecture, but lacks his whimsy.
Sometimes you can concoct a literary triumph yet not tell a story so well. Such is the case with Esteban Martin and Andreu Carranza's novel.
"The Gaudi Key," takes Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," moves it to Barcelona, and then attempts to transform a potboiler into big literature. But the authors fail to match Brown's talent for penning the page-turner, and instead weigh their piece...more
Sometimes you can concoct a literary triumph yet not tell a story so well. Such is the case with Esteban Martin and Andreu Carranza's novel.
"The Gaudi Key," takes Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," moves it to Barcelona, and then attempts to transform a potboiler into big literature. But the authors fail to match Brown's talent for penning the page-turner, and instead weigh their piece...more
The only positive thing I can say about this book was that I learned about
Antonio Gaudi. There was a lot of rich information about his work, his life,
and you could catch a glimpse of the how, why, and when of his masterpieces.
The plot in my opinion was quite lame, or maybe It was very similar to the famous
Da Vinci Code book. Some of the parts were, at least to me, unnecessary. I didn't like
the end, in the sense that I expected way more "fighting" between good and evil from
the good and bad boys.....more
Antonio Gaudi. There was a lot of rich information about his work, his life,
and you could catch a glimpse of the how, why, and when of his masterpieces.
The plot in my opinion was quite lame, or maybe It was very similar to the famous
Da Vinci Code book. Some of the parts were, at least to me, unnecessary. I didn't like
the end, in the sense that I expected way more "fighting" between good and evil from
the good and bad boys.....more
I can't judge the plot because I was skipping the pages more than I was reading them, but I really liked the analysis of Gaudi's work.
It finally explained to me his expansive popularity with the Japanese. It pointed out Gaudi's compositions connections to Zen through its imitations of the natural shapes of cliffs, grottoes and plants, with the native stonecrop, Sedum acre, given quite a prominence. Gaudi turned birds' nests, anthills, stalactites, mountains, trees, rocks and plants into towers,...more
It finally explained to me his expansive popularity with the Japanese. It pointed out Gaudi's compositions connections to Zen through its imitations of the natural shapes of cliffs, grottoes and plants, with the native stonecrop, Sedum acre, given quite a prominence. Gaudi turned birds' nests, anthills, stalactites, mountains, trees, rocks and plants into towers,...more
Lots of people have compared this book to "The Da Vinci Code." And for good reason.
Here's my list of "Instead of (this)...there is (that)"
Rome...Barcelona
Michelangelo...Gaudi
Templars...Knights of Moriah
Aside from those substitutions, there's a lot of straight similarities including codes to solve that refer to the Bible and mythology, grisly murders, and overeducated professionals turned detectives.
In the end, I still thought it was a good read. The riddles weren't as interesting as the DVC, bu...more
Here's my list of "Instead of (this)...there is (that)"
Rome...Barcelona
Michelangelo...Gaudi
Templars...Knights of Moriah
Aside from those substitutions, there's a lot of straight similarities including codes to solve that refer to the Bible and mythology, grisly murders, and overeducated professionals turned detectives.
In the end, I still thought it was a good read. The riddles weren't as interesting as the DVC, bu...more
Mar 24, 2012
Tammy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
thriller/ mystery lovers
Shelves:
contemperary,
thriller-suspence
this was a good book. I dont know how many times I have described something as gaudi and never once thought of the person or his work. I thought it was a description. Read this book you will learn about the person and his work and then you will look it up to find out more. I imagine someone from Barcelona or lived there for a time would really enjoy this.
As Marias' grandfather is dying he lets her know that she is part of a prophecy and has a quest to complete. Enter her mathmetician boyfriend,...more
As Marias' grandfather is dying he lets her know that she is part of a prophecy and has a quest to complete. Enter her mathmetician boyfriend,...more
Firstly, most people won't like this book. It really is an inadequate cousin of Angels and Demons (which I preferred to The Da Vinci Code). But if you love Barcelona, Gaudi, and conspiracy thrillers, it's an enjoyable read. (And by the way, if you have the means to travel and can only go to one place, forget Paris, forget Rome, go to Barcelona, and do two things - first, see La Sagrada Familia - begun by Gaudi and the greatest-ever endeavor into architecture, though it's still in progress. Secon...more
It was a very long books to leave so many loose ends. There were characters that I never figures out what purpose they served and clues that never seemed to be resolved. The dialog was somewhat stilted but that might have be attributed to the translation.
While Maria and Miquel do solve the puzzle left by her grandfather and find the relic, the conclusion seemed to come from left field as the saying goes.
While I enjoyed some of the historical thriller aspects of this novel, I don't think I would...more
While Maria and Miquel do solve the puzzle left by her grandfather and find the relic, the conclusion seemed to come from left field as the saying goes.
While I enjoyed some of the historical thriller aspects of this novel, I don't think I would...more
"The Gaudi Key" (La Clave Gaudi) possesses the grandiosity of its subject's architecture, but lacks his whimsy.
Sometimes you can concoct a literary triumph yet not tell a story so well. Such is the case with Esteban Martin and Andreu Carranza's novel.
"The Gaudi Key," takes Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," moves it to Barcelona, and then attempts to transform a potboiler into big literature. But the authors fail to match Brown's talent for penning the page-turner, and instead weigh their piece...more
Sometimes you can concoct a literary triumph yet not tell a story so well. Such is the case with Esteban Martin and Andreu Carranza's novel.
"The Gaudi Key," takes Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," moves it to Barcelona, and then attempts to transform a potboiler into big literature. But the authors fail to match Brown's talent for penning the page-turner, and instead weigh their piece...more
Oct 09, 2011
C_
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to C_ by:
I've got this through bookcrossing
I liked the story, it was thrilling but also informative. Though I wished it wouldn't be too schmaltzy and kitschy. Sometimes I thought "Oh, come on!" when mystic light fell on the protagonists and they looked deep in each others eyes...that was a little too much for me and I actually didn't expect this. But still, it was a good read and I had fun.I liked the detailed descriptions of the architecture in Barcelona and it was also nice to follow María and Miguel through the city solving all these...more
May be compared to "The DaVinci Code" but definitely isn't the same. I had a boring time reading it, really few pages caught my attention and had to finish it just because I can't start reading a new book without finishing the previous one... so I forced myself through the pages.
The story sounded well at first, talking about architecture, Antonio Gaudí mainly, a secret that could change the humanity or something religious.
I wouldn't recommend it... though there are some people that could like it...more
The story sounded well at first, talking about architecture, Antonio Gaudí mainly, a secret that could change the humanity or something religious.
I wouldn't recommend it... though there are some people that could like it...more
This is not a good book. I love historical fiction mysteries, and this book attempts to be in the same vein as Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and company. And fails. The writing is bad, the characters are unbelievable, the story is ridiculous. I usually have no problem suspending my disbelief if the story is moving quickly and keeps things interesting. But this book stretches things way too far, and while it was a fast read, I could not wait to finish it so that I could move on to something else.
It reminded me a lot of the Da Vinci code, set in Barcelona, with the key to the mystery set in Gaudi's works throughout the city. It's heretical, and that might explain some low reviews, but generally it was quite readable, and the symbolism was quite well developed. The characters didn't have a lot of depth, and the relationship with Miguel and Maria was laughable it was so unbelievable, but it gave me a focus for my trip to Barcelona and it was a diverting read.
Mar 14, 2010
Bettie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Bettie by:
Gift from Mikael Summer 2009
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
view all 4 comments
bleh..... I wish I would have stopped reading this book, but I always feel compelled to finish. It was not worth the time. It's an overblown copycat of the DaVinci Code with way too many riddles and puzzles and WAY too much math and symbolism. The glimpses into Gaudi's life and his works were interesting because we loved Barcelona, but if we hadn't been to Barcelona, even that would have been worthless. Don't bother.
Nov 21, 2009
Avigail
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
fiction,
i-own,
spain,
the-book-is-transelated-in-hebrew,
best-sellers,
drama,
litrature,
novel,
religion,
mysteries-thrilers,
suspense
The Gaudi tie-in seemed like it would make for an interesting conspiracy read, and in that I wasn't disappointed. The story moves along quickly, the characters are well developed, and if you have visited Barcelona you'll enjoy all the references to local buildings, streets, cafes, etc. The Gaudi Key was a book that grabbed me and pulled me in within the first couple of paragraphs. It gives an amazing setting and plot that with capture even the pickiest of readers. The characters are very well or...more
Another "Templar" type story with the knights out to protect their charge and not let it fall into "Evil" hands. What made it interesting was the history of Spanish architecture and the mystery riddles that had to be solved to find the Key. I think I've burned myself out with these types of books.
Very similar to a few other currently popular books that have gorgeous young couple in love trying to solve the origins of a mystery that goes back to Christ (got a guess?). It was a great read until the last 10 pages -- the ending was really way too religious for me.
This book had a few interesting factoids and made me want to go visit La Sagrada Familia again, but it was one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. It was like struggling through something one of my mediocre writers in year 7 (6th grade) had created!
Kon met moeite door dit boek heen komen en heb af en toe zelfs hele stukken over geslagen. De schrijvers hebben heel hard hun best gedaan om een spannend boek te schrijven maar dat is voor mijn gevoel dramatisch mislukt. Toen ik met dit boek begon had ik verwacht dat de schrijvers een spannende zoektocht door Barcelona zouden neer schetsen maar helaas werd dat al snel een traag en saai verhaal met teveel informatie en 'geschiedenis'. Als ik zoveel over Gaudi wil leren was ik wel een boek over zi...more
Dec 27, 2011
Zillah
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
dan brown fans
gee this was a waste of time.. the only thing that made me actually finish this was the barcelona setting, and l've given up too many books lately, so l guess that played a role as well.. it seems even more of a stretch than dan brown's books which l thought it was practically impossible..
Nov 22, 2008
Peter
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who liked the Da vince code and wants more.
This seems to be remake of the Davinci Code with Davinci swapped with Gaudi and a code swapped with a key. has Monks, Knights, a secret trail across Barcelona etc etc. I found it a bit laboured but it has piqued my interest in Gaudi.
Esta interesante porque conoces muchos detalles de la vida de Gaudi, y recorres Barcelona como si estuvieras ahi. Pero se va grande con la fantasia y daria para mas si no fuera el mismo estilo del Codigo Da Vinci.
I thought this book was going to be amazing. It really wasn't. The book was kinda boring and I didn't really care for any of the characters.
bizarre ending!! totally unbelievable! a lot of wordy and seemingly useless information in the middle which made the plot really drag.
Read it because I'm headed to Barcelona and wanted something more creative than Hemingway to inspire me. Shouldn't have bothered with it. Think I'll just go get The Sun Also Rises.
..if you like Da Vinci Code you'll like this.
i had nver heard of Gaudi so i'm glad i've learnt alot from this book.
i had nver heard of Gaudi so i'm glad i've learnt alot from this book.
this book is actually by 2 authors. set in spain,present and past. learned alot about Gaudi and his structures. good mystery.
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Esteban Martin is an anthropologist and author, and a founder of Littera, a small publishing house.
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