The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

Apr 07, 2014 Nancy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, historical-fiction, spain, still-owned

I adored this book. I thought there would be more magic realism, but in fact it was a complex and fascinating historical thriller which just kept you guessing. Occasionally, Daniel's cowardice grated a little, but his development over the course of the story was just fabulous and you could see as his strength and courage built as he dug deeper into the story of Julian Carax. One of the most fantastic parts of this story though was the truly evil villain, Fumero. He is one of the nastiest charact ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2010 Tara rated it really liked it

This is a rich gothic read. I was drawn in from the beginning. The story has elements that I loved. The mystery of what happened to Julian Carax was intriguing. The world Zafon created was mesmerizing, although I did need a break from it in the middle. It was so dark and at times a bit to dark for light summer reading (for me at least).
The villian of the story was perfect. Fermín Romero de Torres was the perfect villian. On the surface he was a police officer upholding the law, but as a reader ...more

Like · see review

Apr 16, 2011 Bea rated it really liked it

OK, I admit to really enjoying this book. It was both tragic and delightful and intertwined two separate lives in such a way as to be almost magical. If I ever re-read a book, this one will be under consideration.

Like · see review

Jun 17, 2014 Rebekah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fantasy, genre-historical-fiction, rating-4, genre-mystery, genre-gothic, well-read, genre-fiction, genre-writing-books-about-books, nbrc-bom-br, genre-historical

I enjoyed this mysterious Gothic read set in Barcelona, even though the ending dragged on in a final letter to wrap up the plot, which was very annoying!

Like · see review