The Shadow of the Wind
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Do I carry on with this?
message 51:
by
Kate
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rated it 2 stars
Oct 18, 2011 11:29AM
I've only read 50 pages yet so I may be wrong, Elizabeth, will let you my thoughts when I'm further into it but at the moment I'm grabbing any free minute to read the next paragraph.
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it's just an amazing book..
I tried, I can't pick it back up. Too wordy, and contrived.
This thread has been a real eye opener for me, as someone who absolutely loves The Shadow of the Wind as do other people I encouraged to read it. I have recommended it as a read for our Book Group - looks like this one will throw up some interesting discussions!
To be honest, I liked this book from page one, it wasn't until the middle of the story that, for me, lagged a bit but then it picked up again. I absolutely loved this book though. I commend your effort, but if after 200 pages you're still not compelled, you might want to just put it down. :)Sounds like you're the same as me though - quittin a book is a big pet peeve!
I read this as part of a book club I used to belong to. I slogged my way through it, mainly because I knew we would discuss it, but it was really a trial to get through. I liked the bookshop idea, but I guess I just couldn't get into his style of writing. The book club was 50/50, love or hate!
Cheryl wrote: "Also I have to add, that Pedro guy? What sort of person considers themselves a "writer" and then goes onto a book site to piss on another author's work? A tasteless one, that's who. I mean who does that? Seriously. It's silly, and smacks of jealousy. It's okay not to like a book sir, but if you want people to read yours you might want to check your vitriol at the door when talking about another author's work."Oh indeed, and yet he rated it 3 stars, from his comments it would seem a lower rating would have been given by him. Someone called him pretentious, I think pompous may have been more apt.
I loved this book! I cannot remember the details as I read it a few years ago. I loved the mysterious feeling of the story and the connection to the book. I loved the tinge of politics. I loved the odd relationships of the characters. Loved it!
Marina wrote: "I loved this book. I think it is really worth while carrying it on to the end. Actually this is a best Zafon book, the others are less good."Marina, I've read all the books by Zafón and my favourite is... Marina! I found the coincidence funny :)
I am spanish and I've read the original version. I have to say that for me this book is fascinating. Some parts were a bit slow, in my opinion, but as other reader said, I had to finish it, otherwise I would have wondered about the end forever :)
And I liked it.
It took me over three months just to get the first 176 pages read. I put it down for a month then went back to it and finished in a week. I haven't tried to reread it; I wonder if I would have as hard of time, now that I know how it ends?! I didn't have a clue where the book was going and why this boy was so obsessed with it, but once I got past that 176 page sticky point, it clicked together and made a great read.
I had the same reaction. Several friends of mine adored this book - it was an all time favorite. These friends love slow, atmospheric literary fiction. I don't - I'd rather have a fast, smart plot that pulls me forward. I put down The Shadow of The Wind about 150 pages in.
Kate wrote: "I started this book with such high expectations after the rave reviews on here. I'm 200 pages in and got bored of it so I got an audio download and started re-listening to the bits I'd already rea..."I was in the same position as you. But I struggled on and finally finished. Was it worth it...absolutly not for me. It was boring from start to finish and I never connected with the feelings of any characters. I still don't know what all the praise was about.
If you often find yourself struggling with the idea of sticking with a book or abandoning it, before you read anything else read The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs. It's been very helpful since I am at a stage of life when I never seem to have sufficient time to read or knit. I enjoyed Shadow of the Wind on audio - while knitting of course! - largely because it had been recommended to me after visiting Spain. I loved the book, but the writing is indeed very stylized and therefore not to everyone's liking. Listen to Professor Jacobs and read at Whim!
It was not a light read, but it is literature and not pulp fiction. Sometimes you're in the mood to be distracted by fluff and sometimes you're in the mood to be transported by art. I agree with the timing of things. I read this over a year ago...got it on vacation in Spain, I think, though it was in English. When I read it, it reminded me of books I read in University as a lit major; specifically, it gave me the same feelings as when I read 100 Years of Solitude or Thomas Pynchons V. I am not saying it is exactly like either of them, but that same magical meloncholy seemed to live in the words and characters. I was happy with the ending and glad I finished. Still, not everyone wants to spend hours feeling meloncholy, so I can understand not getting into it sometimes. Pedro, what are your books about? My Spanish is almost non-existant and the covers of them all look kind of like Harlequin novels. I do not mean anything by that, but why are you so harsh towards this book and other posters? As someone who knows the struggle that goes into writing a book and the subjectivity of readers, you might have a bit more respect for another writer's creation. Your words seem a little harsh.
Scott QuickTidal wrote: "Books are subjective. This is, for example, one of my favourite books ever, and that's because this is a true, gothic style novel about gothic novels, with various plot points and stories within st..."totally agree with your whole post.
I was never bored with Shadow of the Wind. It had been recommended to me and I had no idea what to expect but loved every page of it. However, I love travel, geography, history and the beauty of good writing which were all incorporated within the book. I have a policy now to force myself through even a book I am not enjoying just for the discipline and because I might find something redeeming by the end. But if someone absolutely hates a book they must decide if and when to give up and go on to something else.
I thought it was such beautiful writing.... but sometimes the best literature is work to get through. I say stick with it if you can just because the writing of this author is just incredible. The story is slow and doesn't really capture you until it all comes together at the end.
Kate wrote: "I started this book with such high expectations after the rave reviews on here. I'm 200 pages in and got bored of it so I got an audio download and started re-listening to the bits I'd already rea..."Kate wrote: "I started this book with such high expectations after the rave reviews on here. I'm 200 pages in and got bored of it so I got an audio download and started re-listening to the bits I'd already rea..."
I loved this book!
I quickly found it was not my kind of story.
The book is simply amazing, at least to me.
i loved this book because it's historical and it's a little romantic. Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a brilliant author because he cares about the characters and the plot. i have yet to read The Angel's Game because it sounds good to me. i quite like reading historical romance books because it interests me.
I loved this book also and I consider it among one of my favorites now. However, anyone who is bored reading it should not force themselves to read it. You will miss the beauty of this book if all you can think about as you're reading it is how you will be ever get through reading the whole thing.
I struggled through it and only completed it as it was a book challenge on readitswapit. Wish I hadn't bothered, too many good books out there!
I like it a lot but you're gonna get so many varying responses on here, I'm not sure why you'd even ask. If you don't like it, stop reading it.
I read it when I had plenty of time on my hands, but would not have persevered otherwise, I found it a laborious.
One of my favorites ever. Ver well written but it is even better if you can read it in spanish
I just finished the book and I loved it!! but I have these questions:Did Daniel give Julian the last letter from Penelope?
Did Julian ever discover the truth about who was his father???
What do you think?
I usually don´t bother to continue with a novel if I´m not hooked after 60 - 70 pages. I put it aside and wait a while or just accept that this wasn´t for me. I liked this one very much but never got through his second novel.
I passed this book on to a friend and he absolutely loved it. He said it was such a unique book. I guess I got a chain reaction going because he is now going to pass it on to a friend of his. I'll be honest that I had a little trouble parting with it originally. I am trying not to keep every book I like due to space constraints, but I really wanted to share this great book and pass out the word about Carlos Ruiz Zafon. So glad I shared it. I'm hoping that if I don't get the book back (that's my wishful thinking so that I'll be "forced" to keep it) the book will keep getting passed on to different readers. This is a book that must be shared.
In the beginning it was boring but as i kept on i realized it was a good story,i really like the twist and turns of the story.In all is worth reading.
Kate wrote: "I started this book with such high expectations after the rave reviews on here. I'm 200 pages in and got bored of it so I got an audio download and started re-listening to the bits I'd already rea..."I loved it, so much that I have read it twice. So I think yes you should read it, I don't think you will be dissappointed.
I found it the same as you....long and dull. Lifes too short to waste on a boring book.
This book was one of the best I have ever read. Yes, the writing style is easy, but that doesn't mean that the book is "childish". Its very interesting and I loved how everything tied together in the end. You definitely need to finish it.
Don't read a book that you do not like, why should you?For me however this is one of the best books I've read and one of few books that I found so intriguing that I started reading it again the moment I finished it!!!
I somhehow suspect that the english translation might not be allt that good judging from some of the reviews.(I read it in Icelandic)
Or maybe I'm just a "dumb undergradute"
I managed to get to the end. Can't say I enjoyed it. I like books with characters that I can love, hate or empathise with. I didn't get any of this. It may have been beautifully written, but I'm a pleb. and that goes right over my head.
The author is one of my favorites although I have to admit that "The Shadow of the wind" is not one of his best. Being one of his first the "magical realism" as written by Gaenolee, does captivate and make it an original and unique style. I think you should either try other of his novels, or just give it back. I find it frustrating to read a book I don't like, but then I feel it's not correct, so i just put all the energy and patience to finish it. But that's me, you should definitely try and look for a book you truly like.
Kate wrote: "I started this book with such high expectations after the rave reviews on here. I'm 200 pages in and got bored of it so I got an audio download and started re-listening to the bits I'd already rea..."I would also add to this discussion that sometimes a book resonates with you at a different time in your life. Maybe it is a book to put on your list and try it again 10 years from now. I did that with "Possession" which I could not wade through the first time but picked it up 10 years later and really enjoyed it.
How can anybody not love Zafón 's lovely style of writing, and rich, descriptive metaphors? I practically inhaled the book, I was so eager to finish it. Of course, it is long, and has the setting of a plot within a plot, hence it might feel unrealistic for people used to novellas and fast paced books.Tastes differ, right? However, if the first couple of pages of this book didn't grip you, it's unlikely that the rest of it will.
I guess I'm just one of the dumb undergraduate's who happened to like this book very much. This is one of my favorite recent reads. In the first few pages, we are introduced to a fantasy scene. For me, that was the setup for a great mystery. Yes, there are some chapters which moved slower than others, but they all contributed, for me, to the final resolution. I recommend you finish, but then an unfinished book haunts me.
I loved this book, but everyone has different tastes and if you are not enjoying it by this stage then I think you should give up. To me at the time it was a new book, it was so different, I fell in love with it but then I read the author's other works and have been very disappointed with them as they are basically all reworks of this one book
Pedro wrote: "Hollow and chaotic. Improvised, childish. One of those books really dumb undergradutes like. You can drop it. You won't miss anything."I'm a major in French Literature and it's one of my most cherish novels. It reminds me of why I fell in love with books in the first place. So I am curious: Am I dumb? Cause I would love to have your opinion on that matter!
Debbie wrote: "I found it the same as you....long and dull. Lifes too short to waste on a boring book."you would realise sometimes the times you spend on things you think is a waste always comes out as worthful.
Páll wrote: "Don't read a book that you do not like, why should you?For me however this is one of the best books I've read and one of few books that I found so intriguing that I started reading it again the m..."
No you are not a dumb undergraduate,i agree with you it was a very good book.
Not everyone likes the same type of book, we all have the right to like or dislike a book, it doesn't mean that we are wrong or right...we also have the right to not finish a book too! As a bookseller, I know by talking with a customer whether to recommend Shadows of the Wind to them or not. I also think that your mood at the time you read this book determines how you will like the book.I personally loved Shadows of the Wind, but I also know that it is not everyone's Cuppa Tea. I wasn't as taken with Angel Games, but when I read The Prisoner of Heaven, I was in awe!! And suddenly realised how the books came together. Because of this, I will now go back and read Angels Game
If you're bored by it, drop it. Donate it to Friends of the Library or a literacy program or the Goodwill. I didn't think it was Great Literature, but Zafón is a good storyteller and I enjoyed the challenge of reading it in the original. Would I read it again? Probably not.
I'm afraid some books are meant to be read in the language they were written,and this is one of them.It is a book worth reading in Spanish, the way the author writes is beautiful. Just imagine reading The Hunger Games in Spanish.Even if it is correctly translated, it sounds funny.
i. wrote: "I'm afraid some books are meant to be read in the language they were written,and this is one of them.It is a book worth reading in Spanish, the way the author writes is beautiful. Just imagine re..."
In French, it has got to be the best translation I have ever seen. Maybe it is because of how rich and imaged both languages are in comparison with English' s practicality.
It was beautifully translated into English too! Probably the most beautiful book I have ever read. It lost nothing in translation!!
So, if both Book-a-holic and Alicia say that the translations were good, give it another try.I have read all the books by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and although I liked some of them more than others ,all of them were written beautifully.His first novels were for children and teenagers and his last book , the third novel of The Shadow of the Wind series , The Prisoner of Heaven,was incredible as well.
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