The Shadow of the Wind

By Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Book Overview

"Anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really, you should." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

"Wondrous...masterful...The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero." --Entertainment Weekly, Editor's Choice

"This is one gorgeous read." --Stephen King

"I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetary of Forgotten Books for the first time..."

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Juli n Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax's books in existence. Soon Daniel's seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona's darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143034901
• ISBN13: 9780143034902
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Very compelling

A kind of hard start but once you get going, you are drawn in! Lovely writing style and a gothic setting. A must read if you like history and a twisty tale.

Hard to put down

486 pages scared me because I have a short attention span but wow, I was reading this book when I woke up, middle of the day, and right before I went to sleep and you just get lost in it and can’t stop. This book is essentially a book about the mystery of a book, so you get a mystery aspect while meeting all of the characters and going through this book itself. It’s a very confusing concept but wow, this author is incredible

So captivating and addictive!

This is the second time reading this book and I even bought a copy for my mom so we could talk about! I love the writing and mystery and descriptive plot.

For Any Literary Fan

Shadow of the Wind is a beautiful poetic book set in Barcelona during Franco's rule. I enjoyed it's plot and the coming of age story of our narrator, Daniel. My only complaint is that it gets a little bogged down at times. I think there is too much detail at points and you lose track of the story, but Zafon quickly corrects it. Overall, I wish I could do 4.5 stars.

Amazing read

It’s been a while since I read this book, which came to me highly recommended by a friend. A unique plot, intertwined with history that most of us are only minimally familiar with. Highly recommended!!!

Genuinely one of the best books i've ever read!

This is possibly my new favorite book of all time. It's tragic, wonderful, terrifying and beautiful all at the same time. The writing is absolutely magnificent. I found it so hard to put down and wanted to savor every second of reading it.

My favorite book EVER

I read this for the first time years ago and ever since it became my favorite. After moving to college, I seemingly lost my first copy of the novel so I repurchased it happily. I’ve read it multiple times and it gets better with every read. A slow burn that ignites your love for reading;)

Great plot, beautiful prose

Great plot, beautiful prose, fantastic characters! This is one of my favorite books. A slow burn but well worth it.

An enjoyable mystery

This is a well written mystery that takes place in Spain in the years following the country's civil war. A young man named Daniel becomes obsessed with a local author who disappeared during the height of the conflict. As Daniel unveils more facts about the author he comes to find that their lives parallel one another in many ways. I found the German translation to be somewhat challenging at times. The sentences can be quite long. Not a good book for beginning German students.

Una lectura llena de placer

Este es uno de esos libros que nos hacen revivir la esperanza de que la literatura no ha muerto. Hay pocas novelas hoy en día que se dejen leer como esta. No sé qué es mejor: si el estilo del autor (cuidado, pero sencillo; hermoso, aunque sin ningún barroquismo) o la anécdota que cuenta, que nos remonta y rescata esa novela decimonónica donde la trama creaba todo un universo lleno de suspense. Una vez que se empieza, es imposible dejarlo.

The Critic's Rave Reviews are all Correct

The enthusiastic praise and adulation which critics have accorded the english publication of Carlo Ruiz Zafon's first novel, "The Shadow of the Wind", may trouble the reader who begins the book, worried that little might match his expectations. After all, reviewers who compare a writer's work to a combination of Umberto Eco, or Jorge Luis Borges, or Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or other literary giants, compel the reader to expect to be transported when they open the book.Not to worry.Once started, the single downside for the reader will be knowing that the experience must end. The plot is quite complex, the jacket cover's synopsis will give the reader all he needs to know. The important thing is to read it slowly and carefully.A mystery story, a fairy tale, a love story (actually several love stories), a passion for literature, a treatise on politics, a bawdy tale, with love, hate, courage, intrigue, loss of innocence, humor, cowardice, villainy, cruelty, compassion, regret, murder, incest, redemption, and more. Add to this delicious mixture characters who come alive, and whose thoughts and feelings you will feel deeply.What a great pleasure to discover; an extraordinary first work, one which towers over the endless and repetative volumes which inhabit today's "Best Seller" lists. Read it, and become hypnotized.Edward JawerWyncote, Pa.ejawer@comcast.net

Will become one of the great novels of our time....

Excellent read. Very realistic characters involved in an extremely misterious, almost surreal plot.A tribute to books, literature and the power of both to change lives. A love story. An ode to youth and the immortality of the soul. Passion in its purest form. Definitely worth your time. Without a doubt this book will be there for a long time.