But I do admit that it's one of the nice twists in the story... You just don't see it coming...

When when you get to it, it's like Nuria Munford slap you in the face...

Which makes this book one of 2009's great random finds!!! Waaahhooo!!! ^.^ A feast for all bibliophiles!! ^^,

jzhunagev wrote: "I felt frustrated when Daniel and company decided to keep the secret for themselves and never said it to Julian..."

Julian already has a broken heart, why slap him with insest as well? It is better to leave him thinking that once upon a time he truly loved and was loved in return.

Did any of you guys felt like melancholic when you finished reading this novel? I'm almost in tears when I got near the end for the love that never was. Thinking of that makes me sad right now.

I felt frustrated when Daniel and company decided to keep the secret for themselves and never said it to Julian...

Truly, this one is a tragic story... :'(

Heh.

See what I mean? It made lynai nostalgic...

jzhunagev wrote: "Moldy books always makes me nostalgic....
"

Moldy books remind me of Typhoon Frank that destroyed and washed away all my lawbooks! :((

Moldy books always makes me nostalgic....

jzhunagev wrote: "i think that's one, beng...
That the place i want to live for the rest of my retirement...
^_^"

Are you sure?
Daniel said it smells off mold.

i think that's one, beng...
That the place i want to live for the rest of my retirement...
^_^

jzhunagev wrote: "Is it just me, but I've been thinking this book is incorporate with some magical realism in it.
What do you guys think?"

I thought the book cemetery is magical...

Is it just me, but I've been thinking this book is incorporate with some magical realism in it.
What do you guys think?

I'm sorry,Marco. I don't like taking all the fun away by telling some of the salient twists of the novel.
Just plod on. It wouldn't hurt if you'll read a chapter a day (though there are some looooong chapters, I think).

Just study first, that's important...

OKay....just spoil me! I'm too flooded with schoolwork to read the book muhahaha :P

Reading this book the second time still takes the breath out of me... What can I say but Zafon is a kick-ass prose-visualist when he narrates a story. The whole book feels a long winded movie that so smooth, you're being rocked in a silken cradle.

This definitely a mystery that doesn't hurry itself...
Imagine Daniel investigating all of this until he's in his 18 or 19 y/o, I think...

Discussion Questions

Zafón's book shares the name name as the Julián Carax novel. What is the significance of The Shadow of the Wind? To what does it refer?

Who is the stranger who wants to burn Daniel's copy of The Shadow of the Wind? At what point did you guess his identity and why?

‘Not evil,’ Fermín objected. ‘Moronic, which isn’t quite the same thing. Evil presupposes a moral decision,intention, and some forethought’ (page 158). Fermín determinedly distinguishes evil from thuggery whenspeaking of Don Federico’s beating during his night in prison. What instances of evil are there in the book andwho are the perpetrators?

‘The man who used to live within these bones died, Daniel. Sometimes he comes back, in nightmares’ (page 335). What do we learn of Fermín’s past life? How would you describe him? How important is he to Daniel, and Daniel to him?

The Shadow of the Wind begins just six years after the Civil War. What impression did you gain of Franco’s Spain from the book? How important is the novel’s setting? Why do you think Zafón chose to set it at this point in Spanish history?

‘This boy reminds me of myself,’ Julián tells Nuria (page 458). In what ways does Daniel’s life echo Julián’s? How do they differ?

‘Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you,’ Julián tells Jorge when he declares:‘Books are boring.’ (page 215). To what extent does this idea explain Daniel’s fascination with The Shadow of the Wind? Do you agree with Julián?

Humour plays an important part in the book. How would you describe that humour? Were there particular passages or characters that you found amusing?

Zafón maintains an atmosphere of suspense throughout his novel, a suspense that becomes more intense in the last half. How does he do this?

What did you think of the way the book ends?

The Shadow of the Wind has been described as ‘thriller, historical fiction, occasional farce, existential mystery and passionate love story’. How would you describe it?

Beng wrote: "Yup! But hardbound copies are ridiculously difficult to find here."


yeah you're right beng, I think all the hardbound copies have been sold out at the states so they just deliver the trade paperback ones... i have mine in trade paper back....

Spoil me now!

Yup! But hardbound copies are ridiculously difficult to find here.

Did you know that this book has a sequel of sorts, going by the title of The Angel's Game

So guys, what do you think about this book?

This is where you rant and rave about this book...

So to those who're reading this post and hadn't read the book yet you are fairly warned...

Rant and rave AAAAWWWWWWWAAAAYYYY...