Name: Matthew Jackson's review of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Item: The Shadow of the Wind
Rating: 4
Author: Matthew Jackson

Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Representing the letter “Z” in a series of 26 collectible editions, a new design of a classic novel follows the son of an antiquarian book dealer who stumbles upon a dark secret while trying to discover why all copies of a mysterious author's books are being systematically destroyed.

The Shadow of the Wind

Anna Jasmine

“so long as we are being remembered, we remain alive”

Der Schatten des Windes

noomi

Es gibt keine toten Sprachen, nur abgestumpfte Geister.

Einmal hörte ich einen Stammkunden in der Buchhand- lung meines Vaters sagen, wenige Dinge prägten einen Leser so sehr wie das erste Buch, das sich wirklich einen Weg zu seinem Herzen bahne. Diese ersten Seiten, das Echo dieser Worte, die wir zurückgelassen glauben, begleiten uns ein Leben lang und meißeln in unserer Erinnerung einen Palast, zu dem wir früher oder später zurückkehren werden, egal, wie viele Bücher wir lesen, wie viele Welten wir entdecken, wieviel wir lernen oder vergessen.

Jedes Buch, dass du hier siehst, ist jemandes bester Freund gewesen.

„Ich kann mich nicht mehr an ihr Gesicht erinnern. Ich kann mich nicht mehr an Mamas Gesicht erinnern“

The international bestseller and modern classic - over 20 million copies sold worldwide 'Shadow is the real deal, a novel full of cheesy splendour and creaking trapdoors, a novel where even the subplots have subplots. One gorgeous read' STEPHEN KING 'An instant classic' DAILY TELEGRAPH The Shadow of the Wind is a stunning literary thriller in which the discovery of a forgotten book leads to a hunt for an elusive author who may or may not still be alive... Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Lost Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Julian Carax. But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind... A SUNDAY TIMES bestseller and chosen for the Richard & Judy book club. 'Part gothic mystery, past ribald comedy, part political thriller, part Borgesian parable, and all marvellous' SUNDAY TIMES 'A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading' INDEPENDENT 'A magical tale' CECILIA AHERN 'One of those rare novels that combine brilliant plotting with sublime writing' SUNDAY TIMES 'Gripping and instantly atmospheric' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'A book lover's dream' THE TIMES 'Irresistibly readable...Walk down any street in Zafon's Barcelona and you'll glimpse the shades of the past and the secrets of the present' GUARDIAN 'Diabolically good' ELLE 'This gripping novel has the feel of a gothic ghost story complete with crumbling, ivy-covered mansions, gargoyles and dank prison cells...this is just the sort of literary mystery that would have found favour with Wilkie Collins' DAILY MAIL 'A deeply satisfying, rich, full read' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'An astounding critical success. There's an intricate plot, a gothic atmosphere and an elusive quest, as well as murders, intrigue and star-crossed lovers' GUARDIAN

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books 1

Victoria Justice

As I walked in the dark through the tunnels and tunnels of books, I could not help being overcome by a sense of sadness. I couldn't help thinking that if I, by pure chance, had found a whole universe in a single unknown book, buried in that endless necropolis, tens of thousands more would remain unexplored, forgotten forever. I felt myself surrounded by millions of abandoned pages, by worlds and souls without an owner sinking in an ocean of darkness, while the world that throbbed outside the library seemed to be losing its memory, day after day, unknowingly, feeling all the wiser the more it forgot.

Once, in my father's bookshop, I heard a regular customer say that few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a place in our memory to which, sooner or later - no matter how many books we read, how many words we discover, or how much we learn or forget - we will return.

I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day.

On the contrary. Fools talk, cowards are silent, wise men listen.

He sculpted his sentences neatly, measuring them out with a cadence that seemed to promise an ultimate moral that never emerged.

Never trust anyone, Daniel, especially the people you admire. Those are the ones who will make you suffer the worst blows.

La Sombra Del Viento

Paula

Matthew Jackson

The Shadow of the Wind Bestseller's Choice Audio

I think I would've liked this more as a physical book...

It's very melodramatic, and the audiobook has a piano track that plays whenever something happens, adding to the drama, and just making it confusing honestly

But it was fun! Nothing toooo shocking i think, but fun!

Stas

I think I would've liked this more as a physical book...
It's very melodramatic, and the audiobook has a piano track that plays whenever something happens, adding to the drama, and just making it confusing honestly
But it was fun! Nothing toooo shocking i think, but fun!

La sombra del viento

yuyu

Zafón kreiert ein wohltuendes und atmosphärisches Stimmungsbild. Die besondere Tiefe der Charaktere und die Liebe für stimmige Details erwecken einen authentischen Eindruck. 

In der zweiten Hälfte des Romans verkommt die schiere Anzahl an Personen und Handlungssträngen zu einem zusammenhanglosen Wimmelbild, das den fesselnden Lesefluss allerdings nicht beeinträchtigt. 

Zumindest in Frage zu stellen, ist die schonungslose Beschreibung verrohter Szenen von Gewalt. Der Autor hätte den Schwerpunkt dieser Geschehnisse weniger auf das Gemetzel und fliegendes Blut setzen können und die Lesenden trotzdem in feinsinniger Weise auf die seinerzeit herrschende Brutalität hinweisen können. 

Nichtsdestotrotz überwiegen in Zafóns Werk gesamtheitlich die positiven Eindrücke. Jedem ans Herz zu legen, der bereit ist, in eine literarische von Pathos und Monumentalität gefüllte Welt einzutauchen.

Finia

Zafón kreiert ein wohltuendes und atmosphärisches Stimmungsbild. Die besondere Tiefe der Charaktere und die Liebe für stimmige Details erwecken einen authentischen Eindruck. 

In der zweiten Hälfte des Romans verkommt die schiere Anzahl an Personen und Handlungssträngen zu einem zusammenhanglosen Wimmelbild, das den fesselnden Lesefluss allerdings nicht beeinträchtigt. 

Zumindest in Frage zu stellen, ist die schonungslose Beschreibung verrohter Szenen von Gewalt. Der Autor hätte den Schwerpunkt dieser Geschehnisse weniger auf das Gemetzel und fliegendes Blut setzen können und die Lesenden trotzdem in feinsinniger Weise auf die seinerzeit herrschende Brutalität hinweisen können. 

Nichtsdestotrotz überwiegen in Zafóns Werk gesamtheitlich die positiven Eindrücke. Jedem ans Herz zu legen, der bereit ist, in eine literarische von Pathos und Monumentalität gefüllte Welt einzutauchen.

Meine Worte werden nicht ausreichen um zu beschreiben, wie erstklassig dieses Buch geschrieben ist. Eine Stadt, die mehrere dunkle Geheimnisse in sich trägt, Geheimnisse welche bis zum Schluss, so sehr man es auch versucht, nicht zu entschlüsseln sind. Liebe, Trauer, Hass, Schmerz, Mitleid, Zweifel - All diese Emotionen werden, ob man es will oder nicht, in einem geweckt. Es lässt einen nicht los und vor Allem aber nicht schlafen. 

Edita 

Meine Worte werden nicht ausreichen um zu beschreiben, wie erstklassig dieses Buch geschrieben ist. Eine Stadt, die mehrere dunkle Geheimnisse in sich trägt, Geheimnisse welche bis zum Schluss, so sehr man es auch versucht, nicht zu entschlüsseln sind. Liebe, Trauer, Hass, Schmerz, Mitleid, Zweifel - All diese Emotionen werden, ob man es will oder nicht, in einem geweckt. Es lässt einen nicht los und vor Allem aber nicht schlafen. 

Man muss es einfach gelesen haben. 

Sehr gut zu lesen. Leicht, romantisch und ein klassischer Zafon. 

Liest sich zeitweise wie ein (sehr guter) Barcelona-Reiseführer. 

Jeremy Mano

Sehr gut zu lesen. Leicht, romantisch und ein klassischer Zafon. 

Liest sich zeitweise wie ein (sehr guter) Barcelona-Reiseführer. 

The international bestseller and modern classic - over 20 million copies sold worldwide 'Shadow is the real deal, a novel full of cheesy splendour and creaking trapdoors, a novel where even the subplots have subplots. One gorgeous read' STEPHEN KING 'An instant classic' DAILY TELEGRAPH The Shadow of the Wind is a stunning literary thriller in which the discovery of a forgotten book leads to a hunt for an elusive author who may or may not still be alive... Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Lost Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Julian Carax. But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind... A SUNDAY TIMES bestseller and Richard & Judy book club choice.

Amna A.

Such a beautiful book with an abundance of memorable characters and unpredictable subplots. Enjoyed every memory and emotion it yielded.

Luke Harkness

Simply phenomenal

This is, without a doubt, up there with one of the best books I've read. It's not the usual genre I go with but the blurb highly intrigued me and I simply could not stop reading (and listening) to this book.

It is is written in such a way that it is almost poetic. It has also taught me a lot about the city of bafcona both geographically and historically and makes me want to return to the feature-rich city.

The story itself keeps you hooked with every word. With the way you love certain characters and dislike others, you're vying for the future of all the characters that are being written about at the time.

If you're looking for a book with a bit of mystery, intrigue, character, romance and that is wonderfully written, do not miss this book!

Nabila Azahra

4,5 / 5 stars 🌟

If I thought the first half was good, the second half of the book was beyond that. As the revelations unfold, my love towards this book grew more and more. There are many interconnected side characters that not gonna lie confused me a little bit at first, but I enjoy reading their glimpse of life story.

Sandrin

Oh gosh, this is a love letter to literature and to everyone who adore reading.

The author has created an unsettling ghostly version of Barcelona where loneliness, yearning and passion constantly mix and clash. Sparks! Absolute sparks!

I would say the main strength of the story, other than the compelling mystery, were the friendships and the dialogues, because the prose would just flow when the characters would talk and it never felt forced. Fermin, my beloved madman, you have my whole heart.

The only part I didnt quite like was how the mystery was solved, maybe due to the fact that it felt like the easy way out. 

Still it was an engaging and delightful story about loneliness and throughout it the author weaves tiny threads of hope and the promise of love.

➺ 4/5 🌟

potential spoilers ahead, be warned... 

'There are worse prison than words'

the second half is actually the best part of this book, in my opinion. especially when all the mysteries surrounding the unknown writer julian carax and his past are starting to unfold, and all the unexpected plot twists are starting to unravel. i didn't expect to cry, but i did. there are certainly parts that were so upsetting and so devastating, it made me so emotional. 

maybe i'm a sucker for a sincere, unconditional friendship but my favorite characters from this book might be fermin and miquel, the most sincere best friends of daniel and julian. i was not very into daniel's romance but seeing it having a parallel with julian's, i can live with that. this book also has one of my most hated characters i've ever known. i was anxious at first because i thought he wouldn't get the ending he deserves. but what happened to him was a bit satisfying. 

this might have a 'happy ending' for most of the characters, especially daniel, but knowing the truth that happened in the past, i can't bring myself to feel happy when i think about julian, who's living somewhere in paris, all alone but accompanied by a single pen gifted by daniel. it's sad and i finished this book with a heavy heart

there are quite a few trigger warnings here so read at your own discretion, but this book is wonderful.

 🩰

He tenido todo el rato la certeza de que estaba escrito por un hombre. No es nada bueno eso, pero está bien escrito.

hileahrious

** spoiler alert **
           Al final es una historia interesante, pero es un trabajo llegar al final por la forma de escribir de zafon, que es muy pesada. Luego tiene un final bastante obvio y aburrido la verdad, nada nuevo - todos viven felices etc etc. No lo recomendaría.

 Nobody managed to portray the splitting of the same soul between two different bodies as magnificently as Zafón did. The reader sometimes finds himself confused as he struggles to distinguish Daniel’s story from Carax’ story. The two personalities blend together in a mixture of sorrow and torment that hardly leaves one’s mind after reading such a powerful piece. I found myself hooked right from the start: it was the first book that made me want to savour every page of it with no rush, whatsoever. This was not a simple book, nor a simple tale that you can tell others. It is something you have to read yourself, to understand all the facets of Daniel’s story, which will indefinitely shift your own’s.  Be ready to be hit, for the good and for the bad.

Arianna

Laura Mauler

I didn't especially like the writing style, where large chunks of the story are filled in by various characters who unceremoniously spill it all out in monologues; I prefer dialogue and action to reveal the story. The protagonist wasn't relatable, he seemed only half-formed when compared to other characters and so I only cared half as much about whatever happened with him. The supporting cast, specifically Fermin and the father, were the characters who actually felt real and worth caring about.

At the end of the day it's all about whether or not the book was a good read. For me, the good bits just did not stretch far enough to make the rest of the book worth it.

This is a difficult book to rate, as I get the feeling that I would be giving the original Spanish version five stars, if my language skills were up to it. It's a multi-layered story, a little over-wrought in places, but very evocative of Barcelona, a city I always enjoy visiting. 

There are some unique characters in this book, and it's easy to identify with the main protagonist. If you do decide to read it, be aware (trigger warning) for a particularly brutal death in childbirth.

Doug Belshaw

This is a difficult book to rate, as I get the feeling that I would be giving the original Spanish version five stars, if my language skills were up to it. It's a multi-layered story, a little over-wrought in places, but very evocative of Barcelona, a city I always enjoy visiting. 

There are some unique characters in this book, and it's easy to identify with the main protagonist. If you do decide to read it, be aware (trigger warning) for a particularly brutal death in childbirth.

Kahli Scott

I was compelled to read this book after booking a trip to Barcelona, wanting to immerse myself in the Gothic atmosphere and learn a bit about the city I was about to visit. The setting and atmosphere are indeed one of the most interesting aspects of the book, and I felt myself often caught up in the mood and beautifully poetic writing style. I loved walking the streets of Barcelona and imagining the characters doing the same.

But the two big issues I had were that 1. I don't feel that the mystery paid off in the end; given all the suspense, I wanted my jaw to drop a bit more, and 2. (and this is a big one), I really didn't like the presentation of the female characters. Nearly every female was a motherly figure or a potential love interest for Daniel, and this is getting to be a pretty tiresome trope.

All in all, a pleasant read if you want to get caught up in an atmospheric narrative, but wouldn't rate it as one of my favourites.

I loved it. It was very beautiful, imaginative and mysterious in Gothic style

Shidehdeishidi

Liezel van der Walt 

The best book I have ever read. Hands down.

Bilge Ince

The dead never go to their own funeral.

I don’t know how to express my feeling about this story, I tried to write many times yet didn’t like it and deleted it. It’s a great story, great characters, not just a hero or heroine. 
An old Barcelona story extends even before the world war. It’s a story of death as much as life. Also a story about how can a 15-year-old boy reflects a man buried alive. And a story of love as much as sorrow.
When the book ended, I wanted to cry. Loved it with all my heart.

 It’s funny how we judge others and don’t realize the extent of our own disdain until the ones we love are no longer there, until they are taken from us.

Ayesha ahmed

I love this book from the first page right 'til the end. While I was only halfway through I thought "this is going to be one of my favorites already no matter how it will end" and never did I judge a book when I'm not done reading it completely. But this, everything about it was astonishing! The descriptions, quotes, poetry... It's too good for words to describe.

Un amanecer de 1945 un muchacho es conducido por su padre a un misterioso lugar oculto en el corazón de la ciudad vieja - el Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados. Allí, Daniel Sempere encuentra un libro maldito que cambiará el rumbo de su vida y le arrastrará a un laberinto de intrigas y secretos enterrados en el alma oscura de la ciudad. 'La Sombra del Viento' es un misterio literario ambientado en la Barcelona de la primera mitad del siglo XX, desde los últimos esplendores del Modernismo a las tinieblas de la posguerra. El libro mezcla técnicas de relato de intriga, de novela histórica y de comedia de costumbres pero es, sobre todo, una tragedia histórica de amor cuyo eco se proyecta a través del tiempo.

Jony Ringo

Las palabras se quedan cortas delante de tan magistral obra. Ya quisiera yo tener un sentido tan apurado como Carlos Ruiz Zafón para proyectar algunos de los más bellos, y a veces más tenebrosos, retratos de un lugar y de la gente que en él habita.

(En redacción - aún hay mucho que descubrir)

jinni

i physically gasped multiple times when i read this book, which is something i have never done before.

Colleen

This book first caught my eye because of the series title "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books" which instantly sparked my imagination. 

I often avoid novels written in first person or books that span decades of time, not because I have anything against these writing methods, but because most authors fail miserably at pulling them off. They spend so much time trying to get into the main character's head that they forget to add a plot. For multi-decade books, they span so much time that you either skip years incoherently or they are filled with insignificant details. But The Shadow of the Wind avoids these pitfalls. It reminded me how any style can be great if it is well written. 

The Gothic style is timeless, dark and serious without being overbearing or depressing. The writing is poetic without being ostentatious. The descriptions are beautiful but brief like a well structured foundation that allows your own imagination to fill in the details. With meticulous yet concise descriptions, Zafon sets the stark scene of post World War II Europe which mixes with the flair of Spanish culture and the beauty of Barcelona. The linguistics are unapologetically smart; although some big words and literary references are sprinkled throughout the text, I never felt like they were placed there to show off. Given that a subtle theme of The Shadow of the Wind is the abandonment of books, I felt that this syntax was meant to push the reader to expand their own knowledge.

The story grabbed me from the first pages. I found myself not only engaged in Daniel's journey but also wishing that Julian Carax was real so that I too could read his books. So many parts of this book were moving; I found myself rereading passages just to absorb them more. Like this beautiful quote:

“I couldn’t help thinking that if I, by pure chance, had found a whole universe in a single unknown book, buried in that endless necropolis, tens of thousands more would remain unexplored, forgotten forever. I felt myself surrounded by millions of abandoned pages, by worlds and souls without an owner sinking in an ocean of darkness, while the world that throbbed outside the library seemed to be losing its memory, day after day, unknowingly, feeling all the wiser the more it forgot.” 

The plot moved along quickly and had enough twists to keep you interested. There were a couple moments when I was slightly bothered. One was an instance when Daniel waits a year or two to follow up on clues he is given. The others were the instances when Father Fernando Ramos and Nuria Monfort tell their parts of the story. The style of those monologues differs from the rest of the books, and there were certain details that I didn't feel they would have known. But overall, I was so engrossed in the story that these were barely blips of annoyance and did not detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I don't want to put any spoilers in this review. But I will say that underneath the main story I felt there was a moral that books - and the love of books - are being forgotten. So I will end with this quote:

"Every book, every volume you see here, as a soul. The soul of the person who wrote and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens."

And that is why I read! Both for beautiful words like that and to strengthen my soul and the souls of all the books out there.

This surprised me so much. Was a really good mix of good characters and their development and a really exciting ever changing plot 

Matthew Jackson &
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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