The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Jamie by:
The girl at the Ferry Building Bookshoprecommends it for: Anyone. So good.
There's probably nothing much I "learned" in the introspective sense, but this is a novel like a novel ought to be. This is an epic film on paper, gloomy and engaging, smokey, noir with crumbling ruins, young love, disfigurment, lust, torture...the stuff of Dumas, DuMauier and, as of late, The Historian. I woke up at five a.m. and had to sweet talk myself back to sleep: all I wanted to do was read. One Friday, after work, I took sanctuary in The Hotel Biron, those little tables in t...more
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Read in April, 2008
I bought a copy of this book last September at the library's book sale, but it languished unread on my shelf until yesterday. What prompted me to pick it up was this: I was browsing through the backlist and pre-orders at Subterranean Press because of an author I'd found who releases specialized, small run stories that I thought I'd like to read. (Caitlin R. Kiernan) Turns out her books now run about $40-60 a pop and are generally only available third hand. As I browsed down the list, I saw that ...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Davey by:
Lady in Bookstorerecommends it for: Adult Readers
4.5 stars
Ooooh Hooo!! This is a good book! Carlos Ruiz Zafon, for those that don't know, is an acclaimed Spanish writer. This book was huge in Europe and was translated a few years ago into English. Zafon is a very capable writer and has done an extraordinary job here.
"The Shadow of the Wind" takes place post Spanish civil war, in the Gothic section of Barcelona. It is a book about a book (look up book burning in Barcelona). It has it all - unrequited love, murder, loneliness, ...more
Ooooh Hooo!! This is a good book! Carlos Ruiz Zafon, for those that don't know, is an acclaimed Spanish writer. This book was huge in Europe and was translated a few years ago into English. Zafon is a very capable writer and has done an extraordinary job here.
"The Shadow of the Wind" takes place post Spanish civil war, in the Gothic section of Barcelona. It is a book about a book (look up book burning in Barcelona). It has it all - unrequited love, murder, loneliness, ...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Duc by:
Waldemarrecommends it for: book lovers.
Among other subjects, this book is really about how one can loose motivation for life, (even to the point of self destruction) and for creativity and expressions. It is a round about way, (maze like) an adventure to recover that spark to write again. A key instrument of the recovery process is a Mont Blanc, Meisterstuck, presumably belonged to Victor Hugo.
Some biographical information on the author: Carols was born in Spain, is a screenwriter living in California. He wrote this book in S...more
Some biographical information on the author: Carols was born in Spain, is a screenwriter living in California. He wrote this book in S...more
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Read in September, 2005
From the very first page the book grabs you and takes you away to a time and place set 55 years ago through the eyes of a young, innocent, extremely likable and intelligent boy named Daniel who lives in Barcelona, Spain during the political upheaval and the problems of the area caused by the war and revolution. Daniel has a host of very helpful characters around him including his father, a beggar, a blind older girl whom he is obsessed with, the writer of a novel that Daniel has read and loved a...more
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Read in June, 2008
Good book with a somewhat gothic atmosphere. Plot is nicely complex. The story unfolds gradually but without leaving one feeling as if the plot is progressing slowly. Numerous storylines and bits of mystery and deception keep one engaged.
Characters are largely undeveloped, although it's not so noticable as to detract much from the quality of the book; plot, not character development, is definitely the important aspect of this novel. Fermin Romero de Torres is a colorful, larger-than-life ...more
Characters are largely undeveloped, although it's not so noticable as to detract much from the quality of the book; plot, not character development, is definitely the important aspect of this novel. Fermin Romero de Torres is a colorful, larger-than-life ...more
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Read in May, 2007
**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**
I found this novel by accident, while quickly browsing shelves at the local library, and let me just say it was the best accidental find i've had in years. From the very first line to the end i loved it, and as a reader i am not easily pleased by anything. I love stories out of the ordinary that captivate my imagination and run away with it. That is exactly what "The Shadow of The Wind" did.
Right off the bat the plot intrigued me, Daniel Sempere is taken ...more
I found this novel by accident, while quickly browsing shelves at the local library, and let me just say it was the best accidental find i've had in years. From the very first line to the end i loved it, and as a reader i am not easily pleased by anything. I love stories out of the ordinary that captivate my imagination and run away with it. That is exactly what "The Shadow of The Wind" did.
Right off the bat the plot intrigued me, Daniel Sempere is taken ...more
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"Every book, every volume has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it, and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its page, its spirit grows and strengthens." ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This is a great mystery set in post-war Barcelona. The characters are rich and unforgettable. I loved the twists and turns, the story kept me hooked, it was hard to put down and it often kept me reading into the night. ...more
This is a great mystery set in post-war Barcelona. The characters are rich and unforgettable. I loved the twists and turns, the story kept me hooked, it was hard to put down and it often kept me reading into the night. ...more
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recommended to Fenixbird by:
Diane, Scottk, Becca & Peggy
recommends it for: Barcelona Spain 1950's literary tone
recommends it for: Barcelona Spain 1950's literary tone
Hunting for this one...on the basis of Diane's outstanding recommendation (in group's Did you Get Any Books for Christmas??) WOW! lot & lots of people's favorite book~ set in 1950's Barcelona..here is a portion of a shared review by Publisher's Weekly: "from Publishers Weekly:
Ruiz Zafón's novel, a bestseller in his native Spain, takes the satanic touches from Angel Heart and stirs them into a bookish intrigue à la Foucault's Pendulum. The time is the 1950s; the place, Barcelona....more
Ruiz Zafón's novel, a bestseller in his native Spain, takes the satanic touches from Angel Heart and stirs them into a bookish intrigue à la Foucault's Pendulum. The time is the 1950s; the place, Barcelona....more
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My favorite book since <i> Blindness<i>. A must read for bibliophiles and a pretty good mystery, if you like that sort of thing. Below is my booktalk for this one, also from library school.
The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
On Daniel Sepere’s 10th birthday, his father takes him to a cemetery. Instead of holding people, however, this cemetery is an underground library, and it is the final resting place of books. It...more
The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
On Daniel Sepere’s 10th birthday, his father takes him to a cemetery. Instead of holding people, however, this cemetery is an underground library, and it is the final resting place of books. It...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
Everyone
This is my favorite book of all time! It is my goal in life to have everyone read this. There wasn't a dull moment and it keeps you guessing.
"The time is the 1950s; the place, Barcelona. Daniel Sempere, the son of a widowed bookstore owner, is 10 when he discovers a novel, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax. The novel is rare, the author obscure, and rumors tell of a horribly disfigured man who has been burning every copy he can find of Carax's novels. The man calls himself Laí...more
"The time is the 1950s; the place, Barcelona. Daniel Sempere, the son of a widowed bookstore owner, is 10 when he discovers a novel, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax. The novel is rare, the author obscure, and rumors tell of a horribly disfigured man who has been burning every copy he can find of Carax's novels. The man calls himself Laí...more
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Read in July, 2007
Loved this book. Interesting plotline, great writing, wonderful characters, very gothic elements.
It takes place in Barcelona, post Spanish Civil War, and concerns a young boy named Daniel whose father takes him to a place called "The Cemetary of Forgotten Books." Daniel is allowed to choose one of beloved, preserved books to keep and protect and he takes "The Shadow of the Wind," a novel by mysterious author Julian Carax. He reads it, falls in love with it, and then atte...more
It takes place in Barcelona, post Spanish Civil War, and concerns a young boy named Daniel whose father takes him to a place called "The Cemetary of Forgotten Books." Daniel is allowed to choose one of beloved, preserved books to keep and protect and he takes "The Shadow of the Wind," a novel by mysterious author Julian Carax. He reads it, falls in love with it, and then atte...more
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Read in October, 2005
I was drawn to "Shadow of the Wind" by its cornerstone premise of a love for books, a love so encompassing that one becomes nearly so immersed in a good story, richly told, that life and art blur boundaries. What a magical process that is! And so I opened the cover and began turning the pages...
A boy wanders through the dusky corridors of a cemetery of forgotten books, brought there by his father. He is allowed to choose one. The reader thrills to the possibilities, just as the ch...more
A boy wanders through the dusky corridors of a cemetery of forgotten books, brought there by his father. He is allowed to choose one. The reader thrills to the possibilities, just as the ch...more
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Read in January, 2008
This is a good story and I can understand why it is a best seller. It has all the makings of an excellent novel; an original idea, many characters, 'coming of age' elements, atmosphere, the romance of Barcelona etc. In parts this book was fab, but I felt that sometimes the writing was a bit laboured and at times, particularly three quarters into the book, almost a chore to read. (This could of course be partly due to the fact it's a translation) At this time (around when they are visiting Jacint...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
mystery lovers, fans of the bittersweet
This is translated from the Spanish--a good translation as far as I can tell, as it maintains a reals sense of clever language. The author has a tendency to begin and end each chapter with evocative statements.
This is essentially a mystery, set in the 1940s in Spain. A young boy, Daniel Sempere, is taken by his father to the Cemetery of Lost Books where he is told he must choose one book that will be his to look after during his life. He chooses "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julia...more
This is essentially a mystery, set in the 1940s in Spain. A young boy, Daniel Sempere, is taken by his father to the Cemetery of Lost Books where he is told he must choose one book that will be his to look after during his life. He chooses "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julia...more
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Read in May, 2007
Downloaded from Audible.com
This is one of my all-time favorite audiobooks.
Narrator: Jonathan Davis
Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks, 2005
Length: 18 hours and 10 min.
Publisher's Summary
Barcelona, 1945: Just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his 11th birthday to find that he can no longer remember his mother's face. To console his only child, Daniel's widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into ...more
This is one of my all-time favorite audiobooks.
Narrator: Jonathan Davis
Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks, 2005
Length: 18 hours and 10 min.
Publisher's Summary
Barcelona, 1945: Just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his 11th birthday to find that he can no longer remember his mother's face. To console his only child, Daniel's widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into ...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Everyone
When Daniel's father first takes him to the Cemetary of Forgotten Books I thought I want to live there! - in this insane world where books are the ultimate prize, guarded and treasured, it's secret passed on from parent to child. When Daniel wanders through the maze of books searching for the one he would take home I walked along side him, I could remember what it was like to discover that book that changes your life - Shadow of the wind is a love letter to reading. The sentiment is so familiar ...more
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I just finished this book by Carlos Ruiz Zafon today while sitting at my desk at work. It was recommended by a friend, and I picked it up immediately after reading the last novel I read, and was again astounded, but in a different fashion. Here is something similar to Marisha Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics, I think, in that it tells a story with a youth as a narrator and winds up in thick mystery that is improbable a touch but charming nonetheless. However, this story is perhaps a li...more
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recommended to Amy by:
Rita
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! It kept me interested from page one. It is a cloak and dagger type dark mystery/love story taking place just before WWII in Barcelona. Having been there, I felt like I could visualize the scenery. The story unfolded beautifully, and the mystery surrounding it kept me wishing I had a nightlight in my room, since I am a bedtime reader. I literally had nightmares after reading every night, but it was worth every one of them! The story begins with 10-year-old Dani...more