Buddy read for The Shadow of the Wind

[NancyJ]

This is the Buddy Read for The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. MargieD2017 and I have this as our #23 choice for Trim the TBR. Everyone is welcome to join in the discussion. So far Amy, Jenny, Joanne, and Jen (later in the month) indicated interest in reading the book. Anyone else? I'll start the book later this week.

The book is long and a mystery, so Spoiler Warnings and Spoiler Covers are requested for any comments after the first five chapters. If you're like me, and you like to make comments while you're reading, please indicate the chapter you're in just before starting the Spoiler cover. That will help people decide whether or not to peek under the cover. Click on "some html is ok" for instructions on how to create a spoiler cover. (view spoiler)[It will look like this. (hide spoiler)]

Has anyone seen recommendations regarding print, kindle or audio versions of the book?

[NancyJ]

I just started the book and I already found several lines that I wanted to highlight. I'm glad I grabbed the kindle when it was on sale a couple months ago. Here is one quote:

"Page after page I let the spell of the story and its world take me over, until the breath of dawn touched my window and my tired eyes slid over the last page. I lay in the bluish half-light with the book on my chest and listened to the murmur of the sleeping city. My eyes began to close, but I resisted. I did not want to lose the story’s spell or bid farewell to its characters yet."

Have you ever felt that way after reading a book?

I felt that way recently after finishing A Heart's Invisible Furies.

[Amy]

And now it becomes clear why this book is so beloved. Strangely enough I had to return my copy of it to the library, which I thought was OK because I knew I had a copy of it at home. But then my own innermystical basement library revealed that it is missing. Probably I gave her lent it to someone because I loved it and I thought they would enjoy it. So I called it out from the library again. And it’s on its way. Could be starting it for the third time in just a few days. I saw on the general feed that Jenny has already begun it.

[NancyJ]

Amy wrote: "And now it becomes clear why this book is so beloved. Strangely enough I had to return my copy of it to the library, which I thought was OK because I knew I had a copy of it at home. But then my ow..."

I hope you get it soon!

Just to clarify, the quote above was from the book, not me. (It described how Daniel felt when he read the mysterious book from the Cemetery of Books.).

I'm really enjoying the book now. The beginning was slow going, but I blame John Boyne for that. It took me several days to come down from Heart's Invisible Furies. I tried to read 4 different books since then, and this is the only one that could hold my interest for more than 50 pages.

I'm about 40% of the way through, and I'm really into it, even though there are a few things about the plot that seemed hard to believe. I haven't encountered anything obviously paranormal, just things that don't make sense - yet. The book has a fantasy tag, so I decided to simply suspend disbelief. This book is popular enough that I'm going to trust that my questions will be answered eventually. (For example: WHY is there a cemetery of forgotten books that they won't let people see? Doesn't that defeat the purpose or is it like the library of congress?)

[NancyJ]

Hi, is anyone else reading this yet?

[[deleted user]]

Yes, I'm 48% through.

You know the quote "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key"? - so far I feel like I've got to the mystery, missed out on the enigma but have possibly found the key!

[Amy]

I am starting the reread in a day or two. But I think we aren't alone. There are more than a few.

[NancyJ]

Jenny wrote: "Yes, I'm 48% through.

You know the quote "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key"? - so far I feel like I've got to the mystery, missed out on the enig..."

haha. I guessed much of Julian's story early on, because of books I read long ago, but second guessed myself due to misdirection.

[NancyJ]

I finished the book and I loved parts of it and disliked other parts. I'm vacillating between 3 and 4 stars. I read this right after Heart's Invisible Furies (which I greatly admired), so it's possible that my rating of any book might have suffered in comparison. (Contrast bias). I think the discussion could tip me one way or the other.

Many people tagged this fantasy, and I look forward to hearing perspectives on that. Was it because the house was (or was thought to be) haunted? Was there a mystical connection between the two young couples that perhaps protected them? (I kind of like that idea, but I don't know if it was my imagination.)

[[deleted user]]

I've just finished it too - 4 stars from me. The book has everything I love in a literary thriller but there is something preventing me from 5 stars, and it's annoying because I can't put my finger on it.

I'm glad I've read it as I know many people love it, however I'm in no rush to read the next book in the series - I would read it if it fitted a tag but I could easily leave it there.

I don't think it should be tagged fantasy but again, I can't explain why I think this.

[Amy]

I’m halfway through on read three. Still love it!

[Amy]

Can you imagine re-reading a book for a third time? I guess it had better be a darn good book. It was! This one remains a very special favorite of mine. A lifetime top ten! I feel like this one (and a few others) comes to you in a special sacred way that is meant just for you, and it finds its way to you, much like the fictional book Shadow of the Wind finds its way to young Daniel Sempere and sends him on a haunting beautiful journey, that is about friendship, love, writing, books, the power of narrative, and parents and children. Just loved it through and through!

Reread it after 1) Rose of Fire and a re-read of 2) the Angel's Game, so I could move onto Prisoner of Heaven and The Labyrinth of Spirits. Can't wait!

[NancyJ]

Amy, you're the perfect person to ask about this. I've been wondering about the cemetery of forgotten books. Do you think of it as a realistic place, or is it something magical? (e.g. like in Harry Potter, there is a magical part of London that muggles can't see.) Is there a purpose to it? Does this become more clear in later books?

[Amy]

I think of it as both real and magical. Much like the ending of SOTW.

Rose of Fire is a 12 pager about how the Cemetery of Books is created. Angel's Game precedes SOTW by about 30 years and the Cemetery of Forgotten books has a similar role as both real and magical, and the older Daniel Sempere father is a boy in it. And we see how he meets our Daniel's mother. I haven't read the next two. But apparently Labyrinth precedes them all but should be read last in the series. Prisoner of Heaven further goes into Fermin from SOTW, and we learn about his connection to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books at the end of SOTW.

[MargieD2017]

I have finished the The Shadow of the Wind and gave it 5 *'s.
I was most impressed by the artistry of the author's writing and his ability to paint the scene with lyrical wordsmithing though there were times when I thought that this play was more important than the story to the author.

I enjoyed the parallel storytelling between Daniel and Julian and loved the character Fermin. The novel is a very intricate depiction of the lives of Daniel and Julian and the people each had around them. The reveal of the tale is through Daniel's eyes as he searches for Julian the author of the book 'The Shadow of the Wind' that Daniel found in the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books'. There is but a minor level of fantasy introduced through this discovery since any old 'antique' bookstore in Europe could equally carry off this name.

I was particularly taken by the inclusion of brutality and romantic relationships that were done with sensitive presentation without sensationalizing. The moments were very real but not the center of the story. Well done, I thought.

Because the story is long and carries a sizable amount of detail, this is a book I would enjoy reading again to restore memory of pieces I had lost during my first reading.

Not sure if I would continue on to read more by this author. It did feel a bit like a marathon read to me though I can't explain why other than life circumstances kept me from reading this in my daily sprints as per normal. On the other hand, there were times when I couldn't read as much as I would normally. Truly a personal experience but thought I would include it to see if any others had this same or similar experience.