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

Der Schatten des Windes

Mika

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 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.

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.

La sombra del viento

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 

Savannah

Sarah Pino

** spoiler alert **
           3.5/5

Writing & atmosphere: so freaking beautiful. 

However, I could not look beyond the sexism and objectification of women. 

Also, its A LOT to take in and feel like i had to force myself to read more pages so that wasnt fun.

Cristian Garcia

AMAZING! I tried to find the book in Spanish but I only managed to get a Kindle version in english. However, the prose is absolutely brilliant, I was "kidnapped" by the story from the first page. I enjoyed it tremendously and I did not want to finish. The way the author plays with words was beautiful. I can't wait to start the 2nd book, esta vez en español.

Prashanth Srivatsa

It's easy to dismiss this as a beautifully written thriller and nothing more. But underneath the complex plot and characters, there is a chord that links me to it and refuses to break. Zafon is all about the soul, staging his act in the sweaty, but dreamy streets and dimly lit apartments of Barcelona. Amid memorable characters and a story about the last copy of a forgotten book and the lives connected to it, The Shadow of the Wind manages to dazzle through its careless romances, old-style mystery and in our undying fascination in rooting for the good guy.

Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles. To this library, a man brings his ten-year-old son, Daniel, one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book and frol\l the dusty shelves pulls The Shadow of the Wind by Juliån Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Juliån Carax and to save those he left behind.
--back cover

Midori Kobayashi

why i did put off reading this for so so long? undoubtedly a classic for a reason (although some of the quotes in there visibly made me cringe) overall a solid 4.5/5 stars!

Kristen Claiborn

I was pretty skeptical about whether I would enjoy this book for many reasons. I'm a shallow reader, I want to be entertained. I appreciate learning new things and reading that forces me to think, but that is rarely among the reasons for adding a book to my TBR list. I started this book, and after finishing just two pages, and seeing 486 more pages ahead of me, I groaned inwardly. I was already exhausted by what I felt was unnecessary tedium-so many words! I was afraid I had made a terrible mistake. 
 Nope. No mistake. Everything about this book is fantastic, which clearly wouldn't be possible without all those words. I loved how Zafon was able to bring to life the relationships between a reader and books, a writer and his work, and a reader and a writer. A book affects every person who reads it very differently, and this book highlighted that phenomenon. I also enjoyed the mix of characters from quirky to seeming stoic; pure evil to morally ambiguous. I was on the edge of my seat through the entire book and was thoroughly satisfied by the ending.

MΛPBӨY

A rambling story with many threads of the story that all seem related and yet I'm not sure which of them is relevant. Witty yet slightly rambling, yet halfway through the story and still we only have one name and not entirely sure what the resolution will or should be. It's becoming a deeper and more detailed mystery wrapped in the guise of a boys simple search to uncover the truth of his favorite author.

It took a turn that I was not expecting, so ultimately I'm not sure who it is burning his books. Guessing the son of the man who took him in. Noooope. Explained by the longest manuscript in history. It ended up being a read that wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but I was too far along to just abandon.

Fátima Martins

De los mejores libros que leí en mi vida.
Está escrito de una forma tan hermosa que no pude evitar sumergirme de lleno en la historia y conectar con los personajes.
Zafón tuvo la capacidad de sorprenderme todo el tiempo, nunca supe lo que iba a pasar después, y me encanta eso en un libro. Además nunca se guardaba nada; cuando tiene que ser fuerte y descriptivo lo es sin pudor alguno, cosa que me impactó un poco al principio ya que no acostumbro leer novelas para adultos, pero aún así creo que todo fue necesario para ir construyendo este pedazo de historia.
Cuando llegué al final y lo terminé, sentí que me faltaba algo... no puedo esperar para continuar con la saga que dicen que va mejorando cada vez más...

Libro cargado de grandes diálogos, descripciones de los lugares impresionante y muy emotivo en los últimos compases. 

Sergio Amante

Amina Madadi (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ)

One of my best books for 2016!
In this book, you see life, as it is, with its moments of love, joy, fear, hate, regrets and happiness.. In it, you see the extent of the damage a person's arrogance, indifference and ignorance can do to a whole bunch of innocent people..
When ten years old Daniel Sempere was taken for the first time to the cemetary of forgotten books, he didn't know that "The Shadow of the wind" by Julian Carax was going to turn his life upside down, wanting to know more about the author and his other works, Daniel found nothing, he was told his book might be the last one existing and that the rest were purshased and then burnt by a strange individual.. Once, in the bookshop, Daniel was surprised to find a photo of Julian Carax with a girl on the counter, from that moment, one of the most complicated and dangerous puzzles was set, a lot of secrets are to be revealed, lives to be changed and almost everybody's going to suffer.. 
It was a page turner mystery, I loved every moment and every place, the descriptions were so detailed you feel you're almost there...
Highly recommended!!!

Haley Murray

Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles. To this library, a man brings his ten-year-old son, Daniel, one cold morn- ing in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book and from the dusty shelves pulls The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Juliån Carax and to save those he left behind.
--back cover

Engaging plots especially for a literary geek or simply a bookworm, I was completely immersed in the book for the past few days as if I was walking down the streets in Barcelona with Daniel (having been there helped me too) trying to uncover the past. Lovable side characters and of course that one villain you just wanna give them a nice kick in the ass. I like the literary devices employed once I reached the end, which shows what a good storyteller Zafón is.  I would love to read this in Spanish (the original language) in order to experience in-depth poetry of the writing but alas, yo no leo español.

Fatin Allen

Mary Garza

Que libro tan bello, espectacular, tan hermosamente escrito y lleno de frases preciosas. 

Zafón me dejo sin palabras y con un buen sabor de boca para seguir leyendo sus libros. 
La sombra del viento lo tiene todo, comedia, misterio, romance, esta bastante completo y sus personajes entrañables, a los cuales les tome mucho cariño sobre todo Fermín que le ponía sabor al libro. La historia tiene excelente ritmo y siempre te deja con querer continuar, en ningún momento aburre no es para nada ​pesado. 
Las descripciones de la Barcelona del siglo XX ha sido espectacular. 

No lamento haberlo leído antes soy fiel creyente que cada libro llega a su debido tiempo y lo mejor de haberlo leído hasta ahora es que fue una LC con gente maravillosa.

Ofelia

** spoiler alert **
           
All'inizio questo libro era così lento che credevo non sarei riuscito a farmelo piacere, poi per fortuna improvvisamente tutto è cambiato e ho iniziato veramente ad interessarmi alle vicende di Julian e compagni. Di Daniel invece, purtroppo, me ne è sempre importato molto poco. Non perché fosse un codardo inconcludente, ma perché sembrava sempre trascinatod alla corrente e da forze e persone migliori di lui. Si, Daniel era curioso ma non sapeva neanche indirizzare la sua curiosità dalla parte giusta e le sue uniche reazioni sono davanti alla gnocca di turno (alle gnocche di turno direi, visto che ne passa tre).
Bel libro comunque, nonostante il protagonista noioso, scritto bene ed avvincente.


«Non avvertì alcun dolore. Il colpo lo scagliò contro le vetrate con la vio-lenza di una martellata che spazzò via tutti i suoni e i colori. Un freddo intenso gli serrò la gola e la luce divenne un pulviscolo. Miquel Moliner fece appena in tempo a girarsi verso il suo amico Julián per vederlo fuggire in strada. Aveva trentasei anni, più di quanti avesse mai sperato di vivere. Prima di cadere sul marciapiede coperto di schegge di vetro insanguinato era già morto.»

By this point, I expect everyone has heard of The Shadow of the Wind, whether directly or in passing.

The writing is beautiful. The story is built of sub-plots upon sub-plots, building an intrigue of how it all fits together, keeping the story gliding forward, despite the slow pacing throughout.

Its dark and brooding, with strong undercurrents of comedy and love.

A love note to books and those who don't only read but absorb them.

By this point, I expect everyone has heard of The Shadow of the Wind, whether directly or in passing.

The writing is beautiful. The story is built of sub-plots upon sub-plots, building an intrigue of how it all fits together, keeping the story gliding forward, despite the slow pacing throughout.

Its dark and brooding, with strong undercurrents of comedy and love.

A love note to books and those who don't only read but absorb them.

A Sombra do Vento

Nelson Zagalo

Cheguei até “A Sombra do Vento” através de várias reviews de amigos no Goodreads, não sendo poucos os que dão 5 estrelas, feito pouco comum, nomeadamente com obras contemporâneas, e ao que se junta ainda vários prémios internacionais. A sinopse tratou de me atrair ainda mais, nomeadamente a ideia de um “cemitério de livros”… Acabei hoje de o ler, e não lhe consigo dar mais de 3.5 estrelas. Deixo algumas razões para tal,

1. A escrita é fluída, escorreita, mas banal, quando sai do normal é para usar palavras retiradas do dicionário que atribuem um ar mais elaborado. Na mesma lógica segue o uso por vezes excessivo de adjectivação. 

2. Os parágrafos de metáforas elaborados que vão surgindo sofrem de falta de criatividade, operando por meio de alguma vulgaridade nos atributos. Deixo um exemplo,

“Lágrimas de pólvora inflamada e lascas em brasa salpicaram o rosto do inspector. O fedor a carne chamuscada inundou a sala.”

3. Algumas das metáforas são também demasiado localizadas no espaço e tempo, faltando-lhe universalidade para chegar a quem não viveu nos anos 50 do século passado em Espanha.

4. O suspense vai sendo desenhado, e o storytelling mantém-nos agarrados, mas a estrutura raramente se densifica, cada pedaço da trama é tratado a seu tempo, como se o leitor não tivesse evoluído, e precisasse de ser guiado pela mão. O livro alonga-se por incapacidade na conjugação dos fio narrativos do enredo, e alguns destes são mesmo completamente secundários ou irrelevantes.

5. Estou a levar em conta que estamos perante um romance de aventura, e não uma obra com pretensões estéticas. Mas se comparada a escrita com por exemplo outro autor do género, como Dan Brown, nota-se uma falta de edição. A história está lá, os personagens, os nós narrativos, o suspense e mistério mas faltou trabalho de edição final. Faltou o design do storytelling, por forma a enfatizar o que tinha de o ser, e a secundarizar e paralelizar o que era menor. Desenvolver uma estrutura mais sólida, capaz de suportar um enredo mais intenso, porque concentrado e menos disperso.

6. O último ponto e que foi o que acabou por me afastar ainda mais foi que o conceito inicial que tanto me tinha atraído, acabou por servir apenas de catapulta do romance de aventura, nada mais. O “cemitério dos livros” é no fim de contas um mero adereço, um artifício narrativo completamente menosprezado pelo autor.

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

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