Nowadays the number of non-readers seems to be growing: many people, instead of reading a book, prefer to see the film which is based on it. However there are still those who prefer the pleasure of reading, who understand the satisfaction of the imaginary world that a book brings to our minds. For these readers, from teenagers to adults, who understand the feeling that a good novel can bring to them, there are two books I’d recommend.
It is sometimes difficult to find a good novel, especially because there are so many different genres and styles and the reader needs to decide which type of novel suits their taste best. In this review I am going to recommend two different novels, both of which are realistic historical novels with drama as the main focus.
The Cathedral of the Sea by Idelfonso Falconés
This book takes place in the Middle Ages, in the 14th century, and focuses on the everyday life of a generation of peasants in Spain. As I said above, this novel is a drama which tells the story of the people who didn’t have any rights in that era. However, even if fortune has decided to make the life of the characters terrible, this novel is about overcoming difficulty. And this is the main issue; the book not just highlights what should be important in life but also underlines what was always secondary. The characters learn in the course of their lives how to survive a life of strugglel; all of them fight for one goal called freedom.
The Physician by Noah Gordon
The Physician has a similar argument and genre, although it is an easier read as it’s less historical than The Cathedral of the Sea. As with my first recommendation, the genre is drama, but in this case it’s a softer drama. This novel is about more than overcoming a situation of slavery (something that also happens), it’s about achieving your dreams. The main character in this novel is fighting for his whole life to become a doctor, and this fight, this hard work, is what makes the story irresistible and captivating
In my opinion, everyone should at least try to read both of these novels as it is really unusual to find such impressive and well-written stories and such magical worlds in a novel. You should give these books a chance, as it is really likely that the stories will remain with you for the rest of your life. At least this is what happened to me: the first one taught me what is important in life and the second one taught me the importance of having dreams and working harder to achieve them.