The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1) in Reading with Style

Mar 06, 2010 Wendy rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery-suspense, audiobooks, in-translation, gothic, metafiction

"It was almost midnight when we reached the front door of Bea's house [...] The night porter hung about, smirking at us, obviously indifferent to my first whispered exchange at the front door. To him, experienced in such matters, it must have seemed a string of cliches and banalities." (182-3)

Not just the porter, Daniel. Me too. I just could not get into this book.

Perhaps the audiobook version is partly to blame, in which a bittersweet piano tune starts up in the background every time the main c ...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Penny (Literary Hoarders) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: what-book-club-read, books-read-in-2010

This book was chosen for our book club.... I LOVED THIS BOOK!! It had everything in it! Mystery, intrigue, forbidden love, books, history.....everything! His style of writing was like reading butter - beautiful beautiful writing. I couldnt' do anything for the past two days but sit and finish reading this book. It was wonderful! ...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Sam rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, books-of-2016

This is the kind of book that reminds me why I love reading. It's everything I could possibly want in a novel, and the execution is beautiful! It's dark and Gothic, filled with mystery and intrigue, romance and scandal, twists and lies, all wrapped up in phenomenally beautiful prose.

This book grabbed me from page one and never let up. The atmosphere and the mystery of the novel absolutely mesmerized me and sucked me in completely. I loved all the twists and turns, and apart from one big one whi ...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Kelly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Within the first few pages, I fell in love. That love grew so much that I wanted to cry because I had finished it. Daniel is granted one book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a secret haven for books that have been left behind waiting to be discovered and loved once more. He grows so enamored with the story that he wants to read everything the author of 'The Shadow of the Wind' has ever written. To his dismay he discovers that there are little to none to be found because a mysterious figure ...more

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Jul 20, 2022 Kim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, read-again, books-about-books, historical-fiction, europe, fantasy, magical-realism, libby, 1000books, series

There was so much to love about this book. The language is beautiful, there are many memorable passages that especially speak to people who love books. The way that Daniel's life parallels Julian's, the gothic elements, the mystery, and the setting all add to the way it just draws the reader completely into the book.
I alternately read and listened to the book, and both experiences were great. Highly recommend. ...more

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