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.

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.

La sombra del viento

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

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.

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.

Aurien Smith

I loved The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. I wouldn't normally have picked up this book, but I had seen so many good reviews I knew I had to give it a try. I was hooked from the beginning. The characters were so well written. In the very first chapters my connection with the main character became very deep. It helps that we connected through a love of books. The plot was fantastic. There were so many twists and turns that when something was revealed, I was always pleasantly surprised. There was one point that I ended up laying on my bed and throwing all my limbs in different directions in excitement and pure awe. I haven't done that before. This book was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a little romance and a whole lot of intrigue.

Annwyn Jensen

This is not the sort of book I would normally read, but I absolutely loved it. There are so many twists and turns. And the way Zafón connects all the parts of the story is almost magical.

Allison

illya

-Predictable
-Sexist: All the women are either mother's whos death is used as a motive or plot device, or young women who are left defenseless and turn to the protagonist for love, portection and/or sex. They all too end up dead or in pain somehow.
-Racist covered by bland humor
-Unlikable characters: No redeemable characters. Trying to make them human with flaws, ultimately makes them unrelatable, bratty, snobish and stupidly stubborn. The reader can't never take a side. Hence becoming unengaging. 

+Good written action
+Interesting plot

Arushi Khosla

One of the most spectacular, transformational pieces of literature I've ever had the good fortune of coming across. Zafon has stealthily entered my relatively immutable list of favourite authors. A little too late.

Dana Kraft

What a great story! Lots of complications, subplots and fun characters. I loved the language that the older characters used, which is also a tribute to the translator. At times I forgot that the protagonist in the story is a teenager. So many things to think about, but the first for me is how much our lives are shaped by our friends and family for better pr worse. 

Lots of memorable quotes and turns of phrase in the book. A couple of my favorites are:

"One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it."

"...sometimes what matters isn't what one gives but what one gives up."

Nimish

Having just been to Barcelona in February and still reeling under the effects of this awesome city, the first thing I did on returning was to check out fiction novels based in Barcelona. 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon came up on every single list that I searched through. I read the gist of the story and it had me hooked. 

The story revolves around a boy Daniel Sempere, who selects this book called 'The Shadow of the Wind' from a store, mysteriously called, The Cemetery of Forgotten Books (there actually was a real life library in Barcelona, that inspired this place in the book). The book that Daniel picks up is by this author Julian Carax - a Barcelona born writer who moved to Paris and then disappeared - assumed to be dead. Daniel soon realises that he is the only person on the planet with the last copy of the book - all other copies burnt by a mysterious figure named after a character in the book itself. The book (not the one that Daniel picks, but the actual book) then takes us across Daniel's life - which eerily mimics the life story of the writer of that fateful book (the book that Daniel picks up), Julian Carax himself. How these divergent stories meet at some point is what makes the journey through the book interesting. 

Set in the post-war Spain, the book alludes a lot to the Spanish Civil War which saw a lot of people being killed all over Spain in general and Barcelona in particular. A lot of the characters in the book have lived through the war and are surviving in this Franco-ruled Spain. The arch nemesis of the story - a character called Fumero is a wildcard revolutionary turned corrupt cop and you never know what he will do next. Daniel's friend Fermin Romero des Torres provides some comic relief throughout the narrative. The woman characters in the book - Clara Barcelo, Beatriz Aguilar, Nuria Monfort, Penelope Aldaya - are bundles of intrigues themselves. 

What I loved about the book was the way Zafon makes you draw parallels between the present and what has happened in the past. Yes, Zafon has neatly demarcated Daniel's era from Julian's era, and you know where he does that. But still, the beauty lies when you try to connect the dots before the fact. 

Reason #2 is that the book maintains all the elements of noir, gothic mystery, like one of those classic gothic mystery novels. Although the books is set in 1940s Barcelona, the way Zafon has described the places, the characters, the mysterious appearances/disappearances of characters; it could be any era from couple of centuries ago.

Reason #3 is that this is a 'Book within a Book' genre at its best. Some of the reflections on books and reading and writing are things you would have bookmarks made out of. Here's a sampling of a few of those quotes:
"Books are mirrors - you only see in them what you already have inside you."
"A story is a letter that the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise."
"In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody’s best friend"
"Few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart."
"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."
....and so many more....

Reason #3 for loving this book is of course the fact that it has been set in Barcelona. Having walked for hours in the Gothic Quarter, it was refreshing to hear about these similar places in a book. Also, one comes across a lot of new places, which will surely make you want to do a 'The Shadow of the Wind' walking tour, next time you are in Barcelona. 

If you like mysteries - just go ahead and get this book. You will not be disappointed.

PS: It is just surprising that there is no movie adaptation of this book. In a way that is good, but I would certainly love to see it being adapted as a TV mini-series at least. Movie adaptation will certainly cut out a lot of lovely aspects of the book.

Danny Engström

Kaitlin Caruso

Not sure if the English version does this book justice (I read it in Spanish). Good mix of history and fiction, great suspense. Not as dark as "El Juego del Angel/The Angel's Game."

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

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