The Shadow of the Wind

Daniel Sempere is a young motherless boy who is scared of forgetting what his mother looks like so his father takes him to the Cemetery of Books to select a book that he will look after. The book The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax is the start of his journey to find out what happened to the author and discover who it is that is buying all his books and why they are destroying them.

Set in Barcelona after the Civil War it is a dark and entwined tale. A love story but dark and mysterious, full of shadows and secrets. Daniel’s character seems rather naive, but strong willed and honest. The plot is intricate and the scene setting very atmospheric. The underlying mystery and interweaving of the characters’ narratives gradually reveal show more a tale of love and loss.

I particularly liked the character of Fermin, there is a sense of mystery about his past that is only partially revealed. He is honest when necessary, sensible and genuine, the voice of reason, able to gather and assess information from various sources and provide balance and maturity to Daniel. Daniel’s father grieves for his wife and does his best for his son, but they both struggle with their loss. As booksellers they mix with a variety of people but are respected and don’t judge too harshly.

There is a feeling of melancholy that runs throughout the book, which I attributed to the general mood of the period with Spain suffering from the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, with great hardship and misery as well as distrust and suspicion. There is an underlying current of violence, that brutally erupts at times but feels strangely understated, much to my relief. Although there are violent scenes, these are not overly graphic, but do paint a very clear picture.

This is one of those books that unnerved me slightly, but I am not entirely sure why, it might just be that the end did not tie up all the loose ends. There are unanswered questions remaining so I am keen to read the other three books in the series, but not straight away. I feel that, like this book, they are best read leisurely. show less

I bounced hard off this one, and cannot understand how it has garnered such praise. It seemed to me to be nothing more than a slightly better written—and I emphasise the slightly; it was still a morass of badly edited clichés, overblown metaphors and stilted dialogue—version of The Da Vinci Code. For all its Gothic twists, I predicted pretty much everything that was going to happen in the book by about fifty pages in; if you've ever read a Victorian potboiler, I don't think you'd have much difficulty in doing likewise. I don't know whether it was Zafón's writing, or the translator, but no one should sound the same at ten as they do at twenty. It was definitely Zafón's female characters which made me roll my eyes—passively show more submissive; overly religious and motherly; or good women who are (horrors!) ruined by sex. show less

Have you ever decided to read a book based on the buzz surrounding it only to be disappointed and betrayed by your own high expectations? Well, The Shadow of the Wind is not one of those books for me. Although it came out a while ago, I only recently decided to pick it up after a few people recommended it with great praise, and wow, I was not disappointed. It's probably one of the best books I've read.

Daniel, the protagonist, finds himself in a situation that I'm sure all book lovers can relate to: he finds a book (aptly named The Shadow of the Wind) he loves so much that it borders on obsession. He tries to find other books by the same author, Julian Carax, which leads him to wanting to learn more about the writer himself. show more

Unfortunately for Daniel, he doesn't have the power of the internet to help him on his search. What he does have, however, is an imaginatively enriching backdrop of mid-20th century Barcelona to explore. Admittedly, my knowledge of Spanish history is lacking, so it was difficult for me to connect to certain references and events happening in the story, but I still had no problem getting lost in the Gothic-like mood as Daniel explored the backalleys of the city, unraveling the mystery of Julian Carax's life as he went.

It's definitely not a book that you can just pick up and breeze through. You have to go slowly, switching between the past and present as you go through Julian's life as much as you do with Daniel. It took me a lot longer to read The Shadow of the Wind than it would take for other books of the same length, but what helped was the amazingly diverse cast of supporting characters who help (or hinder) Daniel along his way, each with their own story. And when I say each of them have their own story, I really do mean that you will learn about the backstory of almost every character you encounter at one point or another in the story.

Perhaps the one person who stole the show for me was Fermin Romero de Torres, a rather peculiar homeless man who soon becomes Daniel's best friend, mentor, and occasional relationship advisor. The only character I found one-dimensional was Daniel's father, who often just stays in the background like a dejected puppy.

Some people might find all the sidecharacters if you prefer to focus on one main character and story, but personally for me, an abundance of side characters with their own personality and developed narrative is what makes just a good book a great book or a good show a great show.

Overall, between Zafón's evocative writing and the big reveal at the end eliciting a scream of shock from me at 1am, I really loved this book. I can't tell if I'm more excited or scared to read the next book in the series, The Angel's Game. While I can't get enough of Zafón's writing, I'm worried that I'll be extremely disappointed since it seems nothing can top The Shadow of the Wind. show less

I’m a sucker for a good translation of literature by writers in Spanish. There’s a flavour to the metaphor and turn of phrase that provides a novel with a certain ambience. In the case of a novel which relies on an often dreamlike atmosphere and a sense of time and places it’s an essential component.

This feels like an authentic recreation of Barcelona under Franco. There’s an oppressive atmosphere maintained throughout, evoked overtly through a near police state and metaphorically through the weather. Love is thwarted at every turn and shadowy figures lurk in every doorway, with fair maidens, charismatic uber-competent sidekicks and a mystery from the past threatening to overwhelm the present – it almost veers into fairy tale show more territory at times despite the distinct absence of overt supernatural elements. It’s also very cleverly structured with the background Carax storyline paralleling the main plot. Perhaps characters display overly superhuman endurance at times and the plot adds one too many melodramatic elements but overall it’s a sumptuous package. show less

A young man working in his father's antiquarian bookshop attempts to track down other works written by a mysterious author. The premise hooked me, it's not a stretch to say my life's dream would be to work in an antiquarian bookshop solving book-related mysteries. Perhaps that's why I was so disappointed by how melodramatic this tale turned out to be.

Zafon is an energetic writer, and my opinion is clearly in the minority here, as the book boasts a 4.3 rating from a staggering 670k reviews. Nonetheless, there were too many distractions, plot holes, and eye-roll-inducing lines for me to be able to recommend this one.

I love Gothic literature. When Daniel was taken into the Cemetery of Forgotten Books by his father, I knew that I would love this book as much as I loved The Angel's Game. My instincts were correct. Daniel selected The Shadow of the wind by Julian Carax during that visit and thus began a love of reading and an unrelenting search for more books by Carax, which were nearly impossible to find because someone was systematically burning all of Carax's books. Daniel is prepared to do whatever is necessary uncover the mystery surrounding this book. He finds that simply by having the book in his possession puts him and those with whom he is close in danger from sources he would never before have imagined.

I think that the Cemetery of Forgotten show more Books is one of my favorite literary locations. It is a safe harbor for books that may otherwise be forgotten. Who among us would not want to lose ourselves among seemingly endless corridors filled with books that are otherwise lost to the world? Knowing you could save only one book to bring back with you into your life, how would you choose? Once you've made your choice, imagine how much your heart would pound as you read it. What book could be as special to you? Imagine if someone tried to buy it from you. Would you let them? What if someone tried to take it from you by force, if necessary, with the express purpose of destroying it? Would you fight for it? If so, you understand Daniel's character and you'll be invested in his story like no other.

Although Daniel is the main character and I enjoyed him very much, I loved Fermín Romero de Torres. Fermín is the vagab0nd that Daniel saved from the street. He is quirky and unreliable. He could be Daniel's salvation or Achilles heal. He adds laughter mixed with anxiety. Fermín is the reason why I could never watch a film adaption of this book. If his character was marred in any way, I would be crushed. He is one of my all-time favorite secondary characters in literature. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any other character to match his place in my reader's heart. He makes me glad to be human.

If ever there was a Gothic author who appealed to book enthusiasts, it is Carols Ruiz Zafón. Both The Angel's Game and The Shadow of the Wind are gripping Gothic mysteries. Where David from The Angel's Game is an author, Daniel is a reader. For both, there is danger in every corner. The peril in which they find themselves because of reading and writing amplifies the importance of both in this world. If such things were without power, they would never be at risk from characters like Fumero or Andreas Corelli. So, if I ever make my way to Barcelona, I will see the Barcelona of Daniel and David. I, a woman who doesn't normally give in to the supernatural or fantastical, will keep alert for the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. If I find it, I may never return. show less

El libro está escrito padrísimo, y la mayor parte del misterio está de maravilla...

Pero, si se pudiera quitar a Daniel y dejar sólo el resto, esta sería una mejor novela. Me molestó mucho toda la angustia y frustración adolescentes , sacadas tal cual de una novela YA.
Eso y que todo lo que dice el compinche de Daniel es un caso de "es que en esos tiempos los hombres eran misóginos y machistas", pero bien pudo haber hecho un personaje que no lo fuera.