The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1) in Read a book from each country

Dec 28, 2007 Fenixbird SandS marked it as to-read

Shelves: cultural-awareness, wanna-buys

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. Daniel Sempere, ...more

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Apr 28, 2008 Renee rated it did not like it

(I read this book in Spanish.) I only bought this book because everybody was reading it and it was about Barcelona and I thought I needed to practice my Spanish reading and increase my vocabulary, which has been going downhill. It was interesting to read about the places in Barcelona and I did learn a few new words, but for the most part, I kept asking myself "Why did this guy write this story?" I guess the answer is to make money, which he did. Actually, the story itself wasn't bad, but the boo ...more

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Apr 04, 2008 Sandy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, europe, bibliophiles

I don't know that I can summarize this book. It's a love story, well, a couple of love stories. And books. And war. And crazy people. And the main story loops into and out of the other story (which is also the main story) and back on itself again. I thoroughly enjoyed it even if the ending did tie up everything rather neatly. Lots of twists and turns and it made me want to finish it. ...more

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Aug 14, 2010 Doina rated it really liked it

Shelves: novels

I loved this book. Loved it! Of course I had to pick it up-it was another book about books, and I simply cannot resist those. When I started reading it I was going through a streak of horribly written books that I had to force myself to finish (because I hate not finishing a book), and what a refreshing change this one was. I didn't want to finish it, not because it was horrible but because of the opposite-it was so beautifully written that I didn't want it to end. Absolutely beautiful language, ...more

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Apr 09, 2008 Duc rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Among other subjects, this book is really about how one can lose motivation for life, (even to the point of self-destruction) and for creativity and expressions. It is a roundabout 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 Spanish. No Among other subjects, this book is really about how one can lose motivation for life, (even to the point of self-destruction) and for creativity and expressions. It is a roundabout 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 Spanish. Nothing gets lost in the translations. The book reads the same in English as it does in Polish. The style and structure remain the same. Much of this structure is 'filmic'. That is to say, this book can be made into a film easily. Was this intentional? The author's screen-writing background crafted a book that is both literate and filmic. Does this help or hinder the enjoyment of the book? Part of me thinks it does. I want to read a book for its medium unique in book form. Sometimes, I thought it was like reading a movie, everything fitted too neatly, in a way that is formulaic. I definitely wanted to find out more, much more about the mysterious author, Julian Carax. I did not get the sense of what his brilliance is or about any of the books which he had written. (Is it too far fetched to compare this book to the 'English Patient'? It has elements of secrecy, romance, betrayal, and a burned patient whose story is being told in reflections and refractions of the other characters involved, as though in a prism.) I bring up the ‘English Patience’ as a comparison also for its style and structure. Ondaatje wrote ‘The English Patience’ in a poetic tone and style. It seems difficult to translate this into the film, but the film version tells the same story, just in a different way and just as compelling. I guess this is what I mean by saying that a book should be a book and not a veiled screenplay? It is ironic that the book is about books and paean to books, yet the form is not true to its form. And that’s my main critical concern of this book. Having said that, I enjoyed it! ...more

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Jun 19, 2009 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Romantic yet melodramatic at times. I alternately loved & disliked this book until it spiraled towards its ending. I quite liked the character of Bea, particularly the words attributed to her (by Daniel at the end of the book) about being a reader. I hope I can become a great reader someday, meanwhile I will read my books as they come to me

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Jun 07, 2009 Anna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If you liked Eizabeth Kostova's The Historian, this book would tempting. The characters are nicely presented as well as the city of Barcelona. Nice read about love, betreyal, crimes and policemen in times of general Franco. ...more

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