The Shadow of the Wind

I have always believed that a book finds you, if it wants you to read it. I think that happens to most of us - to the reader who waits patiently for the book to come along and take him or her on a ride that cannot be forgotten. Two people and very different people at that told me to read, "The Shadow of the Wind". I had the book in my possession, however had not read it till then. I always wanted to, but did not. I guess my time had to come on its own. I had to wait for the book and it has been a wait worth it like no other. "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is everything you expect from a well-written book. The plot makes you turn the pages. The sentences and language make you fall in love with the writer's thought process. The characters make you connect with them at all levels of human emotions and more than anything else, this book is about love for literature and reading, and not letting the written word die. The book is about the search of a boy, Daniel Sempere for the truth about the fate of Julian Carax, the author of a mystery novel (also named The Shadow of the Wind). Daniel adopts the book when his father, a bibliophile and a bookseller takes him to the metaphorical (or real) Cemetery of Forgotten Books and it is there that he owns the book and gets embroiled in its author's life. He sets out to search for more books written by him and to know what happened to him. In all of this, he learns of someone who is named after one of Carax's characters and has set out to burn every single copy of Carax's books and will not stop at anything. Daniel gets involved with him as well and the story thickens. It is one tale after another, intertwined and encompassing the length and breadth of great storytelling, till the reader with bated breath reaches the end of the book. The book is about Barcelona's deepest and darkest secret that is about to be revealed, which of course the reader has to discover for himself or herself. Zafon's characters are haunting and well thought after. He is the master of mood setting. Every page speaks of scenes with mists, clouds, evenings, darkness, the pale lamplight, thunder, rain and Zafon brilliantly so makes the reader a part of his atmosphere and setting, so much so that I actually thought I was living all of it in Barcelona (where the story is set). Zafon speaks of books like living beings, which I also think they are and he makes them real for the readers in his book. To a very large extent, the book is extraordinary because of the way the author is treating every word - with great caution and love. When this happens in a book, it is but natural that the reader will also read every word with great love and joy. With reference to the setting, which is Barcelona before the Spanish Civil War, Zafon talks of politics and life with great passion and almost wants the reader to know how important the setting is to the story. Books about books have always fascinated me and this was also one of those reads. It is very difficult to classify "The Shadow of the Wind" in one genre and yet to a large extent I think the book belongs to Literary Fiction as it covers almost every aspect of life and living. There is courage, intrigue, love, fairy tale quality, Goth, redemption, politics, love, hate, passion and almost every other emotion and characteristic that you can think of in the book. The quality of writing, the old school setting, the power of storytelling, the characters and the plot, all come together and speak of books and reading and the love for them. I could go on and on about this book and the writing, but you know what I mean when I say: Read this book soon or let it find you the way it found me.

I understand why this book series has gotten such good press. It must be a gorgeous read in Spanish. The only trouble is: I read in English. I hate to say something so negative here but the translation is awful. I mean, this translator never wrote a sentence without at least one unnecessary 'that.' Some short paragraphs had as many as nine 'thats.' Yeah, I counted at one point... I am a firm believer the written word should be just a tad better than everyday speech. I don't buy into the modern dictionary's nine or more definitions for 'that.' Ridiculous! It is a pronoun one should use VERY sparingly. Anyone getting past a beginning writing course should know to watch how many times they use it. It is NOT a helping verb. When used with a verb it should trigger use of the gerund instead. Does any writer anywhere know what a gerund is anymore? AI editing will do that for us someday, I do hope. And don't get me started on punctuation. I think Amazon is running everything through a punctuation program automatically adding a comma before every conjunction. The programmer skipped class when the lessons were on commas. You don't need a comma between the two sides of every compound sentence. You don't need a comma before every so, every but, every and. Every, single, one! A comma every single time an oral reader takes a breath. It is enough interruption to make me nuts! I want to read for enjoyment, not do their editing with one finger through a Kindle screen with no way of knowing whether anyone actually ever sees the ERROR corrections. Okay, setting all that aside, I do have to say these books are some of my absolute favorites from a story standpoint. I picked it up (in print, in English) in a Madrid hotel and I reread them every few years. Fermin is one of the best characters I've encountered in many years of avid reading. He is hilarious and tragic, too. The story of Julian and his friends always sticks with me. Somehow they are very believable and understandable to me. Barcelona is a city I love to hate. It has its beautiful side and is fun to envision in the timeframe of the books. I can imagine the city streets and do enjoy the mention of landmarks in a city I know a little. I don't mind reading the teenage boy angst. My imagination goes wild with the scenes and settings in the new and the old parts of the city. If you can overlook some terrible translation faux pas I highly recommend this series of books! And DO read them in Spanish if you can!

"Memories are worse than bullets" from page 427 of "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon captures the coloring of this story - imbued with the memories of the key players. The tale is elegantly written (though a bit too long), beautifully translated (with a few glaring blunders), and totally mesmerizing. It was hard to put down and easy to pick up again. As to the funniest translation mistake, see Page 343, "...that the dice had been cast," a whopping misunderstanding of the phrase "the die has been cast." The setting is 1940s and 1950s Barcelona (with side trips to Paris). The author has captured the feel of post civil-war, post world war II Spain perfectly. And, as a bonus, there is a tour map with pictures and guiding narrative at the end of the book for those who want to trace the steps of the book's characters as they lived in this story. Some of the over-intellectualizing critics here (see the very few negative reviews) kind of miss the point. This is a great story, written by a very talented story-teller, filled with wonderfully developed and interesting characters. Is it literature? Is War and Peace literature? Is Madame Bovary? Is anything written by ANY modern author literature? We all know Dan Brown does not write literature - he writes outlines for screen plays, for instance. I actually don't care. I loved this story and the way it was written. There are innumerable lines to underline and ponder. "Telling the truth should be kept as a last resort, Daniel, even more so to a nun," spoken on Page 253 by my favorite character in the book, the hilarious Fermin Romero de Torres. Or, "The most efficient way of rendering the poor harmless is to teach them to imitate the rich," page 198. And, "...what destiny does not do is home visits. You have to go for it," page 225. Most of the negative reviews omit to say that this book is hilarious, time and time again. It is also sad, filled with pathos and violent in places. One sees both the good and terrible side of men and women. The story bogs down somewhat during the long narrative by Nuria Monfort, where we learn important details of the various mysteries and intrigues central to the unraveling of the story. At times here and elsewhere in the book the writing suffers from what I would call TMI (too much information), when less would be better. The story is complicated as are the players, but all to the better. The reader has to "work" a little bit to catch on to the threads of the story, but in the last analysis the mystery is not so hard to solve. Any astute reader can be well ahead of the story teller here, but that does not ruin anything. I do not really know what a gothic novel is, but apparently this is a modern version of "romance mixed with horror." The romance part vastly overshadows the horror part in this story. But the horror is quite graphic and sufficient. The evil character is indeed evil. It's hard to decide who the central character is" Daniel or Julian, as their lives and personalities become intertwined. My major criticism focuses on my confusion about the "voice" of the story. Who really is the narrator? Ostensibly it is Daniel, but...............there are many pages where other voices take center stage. At times I had to read 3 or 4 pages of these other "voices" before I was sure about exactly who was "talking." Carlos Ruiz Zafon does not have as big a problem as Arturo Perez-Reverte about "voice of the story," but Zafon confused me at times. There really is no denouement. Like all good, real stories, all of the players and themes simply merge together at the end, and the epilogues finish off any further questions a reader might have. I found the ending very satisfying. "The Shadow of the Wind" is an enormously pleasurable read. If there were "in between" categories, I would give it a 4.6, but I'll round up the rating to a 5. And happy to do so.

Book Review: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) Few novels capture the sheer magic of storytelling the way Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind does. Set in post–Civil War Barcelona, this haunting literary mystery is part coming-of-age tale, part gothic romance, and part love letter to books themselves. Zafón’s writing envelops the reader in a world where stories are living things—fragile, dangerous, and immortal. The novel opens when a young boy named Daniel Sempere is taken by his father to a secret, labyrinthine place known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books—a repository for works lost to time. Daniel selects a single novel, The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax, unaware that this choice will alter the course of his life. As he grows up, Daniel becomes obsessed with uncovering the fate of Carax, whose books have been systematically destroyed by a mysterious figure. What begins as literary curiosity soon unravels into a web of intrigue, passion, revenge, and tragedy. Zafón’s prose, even in translation, is breathtaking—lyrical yet accessible, cinematic in scope but intimate in emotion. He evokes the dark beauty of Barcelona with sensory precision: the damp cobblestones, the decaying mansions, the fog that seems to breathe secrets. The city itself becomes a character—moody, enigmatic, full of shadow and whisper. The novel’s structure is masterful, interweaving past and present, fact and fiction, as Daniel’s search mirrors Carax’s own doomed journey. Every revelation feels earned; every coincidence, fated. The characters—Daniel, his witty companion Fermín Romero de Torres, the elusive Carax, and the malevolent Inspector Fumero—are unforgettable. Fermín, especially, provides both comic relief and profound wisdom, grounding the story’s darker elements in humanity and warmth. At its heart, The Shadow of the Wind is a meditation on memory, obsession, and the enduring power of books to preserve truth and emotion long after their authors are gone. It’s about how stories connect lives across time—and how love, though often tragic, is what gives them meaning. For readers who cherish The Name of the Rose, The Book Thief, or The Night Circus, this novel offers that same intoxicating mix of mystery, melancholy, and magic. It’s a book to get lost in—a story about stories, where every page seems to murmur a secret of its own.

Last week, I finished Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier. A thoughtful, erudite book, to be enjoyed at one’s own pace. For me, it has a distinctive European approach to storytelling, which reminded me of two other wonderful works – The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco and Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind. Each of these novels takes the concept of books as portals – a gateway, door or rabbit-hole through which our narrator explores someone else’s story. All contain a compelling ‘what if?’. In Night Train, a chance meeting with a Portuguese woman on a bridge provokes Gregorius, a Swiss teacher of Classics, to follow his curiosity. It leads him to a book, ‘Um Ourives das Palavras’ (A Goldsmith of Words), written by Amadeu de Prado. In an uncharacteristic act of spontaneity, Gregorius walks away from his life and boards a night train to Lisbon, just to discover more about the author. Eco’s premise in The Mysterious Flame hooked me instantly. An antique book dealer from Milan has lost his personal memory but recalls every book he ever read. Yambo journeys back to his youth through his books, searching for that mysterious flame to illuminate his sense of self. His memories return, along with those of his country’s recent history, including some he’d rather forget. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books is where ten-year-old Daniel encounters The Shadow of the Wind. He is charged with protecting that copy as the only one in existence. The book enthrals him and he wants to find out more about the author. But Julián Carax is dead and Daniel’s commitment to the book is attracting enemies. Not least a mysterious man seeking out all Carax’s work with the aim of total eradication. The novels mentioned above pull the reader into those other books, into other stories, and deliver more than one tale. A story within a story is a device I loved as a child, growing up with Celtic tales filled with diversions and tangents. Suspense and narrative drive is put on hold while another character takes the stage and changes the pace. There is a huge satisfaction in how the narratives meet, inform one another and return to pick up where they left off. I read all three of these European works in translation. And an uncomfortable echo resonates through every one. The cruelty, persecution, misery, torture and brutality meted out by the dictatorships of Salazar, Mussolini and Franco respectively add a tone of horror and heroism, courage and conscience, but most of all, fear. Many of the individuals who bear the scars – João Eça, Gragnola, Fermín Romero de Torres – represent aspects of human dignity under intolerable suffering. I could talk about the books’ locations and beautiful use of language at length, but what really absorbed me in each novel was the willingness to tackle ideas. Mercier (pseudonym for Peter Bieri, Swiss philosopher) employs Prado’s words to riff on appearances, faith and belief, time, travelling, homesickness, familial love and its influence. Eco explores memory, consciousness and identity through unpacking what shapes a person’s mind. Zafón, by dint of empathy with many characters, asks questions about honour, justice, loyalty and of course, love. The three books are extremely different in tone and style, yet surely the one of the richest and most pleasurable ways to explore Europe, its history, its storytelling traditions and its ideas. Some even involve trains.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón, born in Barcelona in 1964, is known as one of Spain's most successful contemporary writers whose works have been published in 45 countries. His first novel "Prince of the Mist" (1993) earned the Edebé prize for young adult fiction. He has authored an additional three young adult novels, the last "Marina" published in 1999. "The Shadow of the Wind" (2001) is Zafón's first novel written for adults; a second adult novel published in 2008 was entitled "The Angels Game" and his latest novel "The Prisoner of Heaven" (2011). Zafón, while a native of Spain, has lived in Los Angeles since 1993 where he has been developing his writing career. "The Shadow of the Wind" is a novel of the mystery/intrigue/love story genre. It is narrated in the first person by the main character of the work; dialog is denoted and is attributable to the person speaking. The writing style is variably complex with many descriptive passages drawing vivid depictions of persons and places; a talent attributable to the author's penchant for film and screen plays. Although described as an "adult" novel, the writing invokes the author's previous entry into literature writing for young adults. The composition liberally draws from the persona of young characters in the story and invokes that subtlety in the overall cast of the writing. The tale takes place in Barcelona during the early 1900's and extends to about 1958. At its heart, the story is about a small cadre of young men brought together by circumstances while attending an exclusive private school. Each of them has some distinct facet of his current life that weighs upon their association and that will eventually lead to the future fate of each. Of particular interest in the group is one Julián Curax who as a young adult aspires to be an author and writes several books that never seem to attract a following; one of the novels he writes "The Shadow of the Wind" becomes the catalyst for the tale. The story opens in circa 1945 with ten year old Daniel Sempere taken by his father, a bookseller, to a mysterious place called the "Cemetery of Forgotten Books". Young Daniel is sworn to secrecy about his visit and is given the privilege of selecting one of the books to keep for his very own. Daniel selects the novel "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julián Curax and thus begins the quest by Daniel to unravel the mysterious life surrounding the forgotten author and his works. Zafón brings to the reader a compendium of characters in this work all seemingly linked in some way that determines their fate. It requires some tenacity to recall all of the persons and their associations due somewhat to the foreign names used, although Zafón seamlessly and skillfully summarizes them all near the conclusion of the work and this provides a deft help to the reader. While the novel is described as an "adult" work, it only seems so perhaps in its reach into some adult themes, but it could plainly serve a mature young adult reader and would probably seem quite exciting to a supple imagination. Zafón's skill at providing mental images of people and places though his writing is a particular highlight of the composition and that which makes it so enjoyable. The mystery and intrigue is held to a high level and extends to the very conclusion piquing the reader's interest to discover ever more of the tale and fates of the characters. The love story part of the novel brings forth the image of a Shakespearean tragedy replete with the fierce longing of young love that is adeptly woven into the saga. I highly recommend that you add this novel to your reading list. I would rate it "Memorable" and suggest that you won't be disappointed.

If you are traveling to Barcelona, this is a light book to read because of all the identified locations. In the back are maps of Barcelona and locations mentioned in the book. Why three stars, when critics are wetting their pants with excitement? This plot driven, gothic mystery is filled with flat characters and the mystery lacks gravitas. The setting is most intriguing. Daniel, our protagonist, finds a novel written by the enigmatic author, Julian Carax. Upon sharing with others that he has the novel, collectors, weirdo's, and sadists approach him to purchase this book once thought lost. Daniel, intrigued by all the interest, begins his quest to discover what happened to the author and why everyone wants this book. As a literary work, it contains some nicely described moments but the language and expressions seemed too contemporary and thus anachronistic as if someone writing about the past but didn't know how people actually talked, the cliches they would use. In addition, there are several passages where lengthy history necessary to the plot is relayed by letter or monologue--but in such detail that its difficult to believe anyone would write or talk this way. Who includes punctuated dialogue in a letter written to another person? Consequently, the history felt more like a contrived plot device because the author wrote himself into a corner and couldn't figure another way to get out. Of all the characters, I probably enjoyed Fermin the most. Even though his enigmatic past could have been mined for more, his chatty, quick witted dialogue was always fun. By the last several chapters, I just wanted it to end.

After finishing "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon it is difficult for me to stop thinking about it. Rarely do I read a book that can be a well written literary work and a page turner at the same time. The Shadow of the Wind is one of those novels where Zafon has crafted an enchanting story while paying tribute to his hometown, Barcelona. He describes the city and its mysterious environment with such beautiful detail. Zafon's world feels magical, yet realistic told in a tale profoundly expressed through themes we suffer from everyday including heartbreaking romance, internal revenge, and dealing with the loss of a loved one. The Shadow of the Wind connects all of these themes by the power literature has on us. The novel's hero is young Daniel Sempere who suffers from not being able to remember the death of his mother. One day his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books where he finds a book called "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julian Carax. After falling in love with the book Daniel becomes obsessed with discovering who the mysterious Julian Carax is and what happened to him. As Daniel digs deep into Carax's past he discovers one of Barcelona's most disturbing secrets and at the same time his own drifting innocence. Zafon creates a unique and moving tale with Daniel and Julian, where the young book reader begins to realize that his own life is paralleling the author he has grown to admire. Here the novel reveals a great tragedy that becomes a horror to read and Zafon handles it delicately between Daniel and Julian concerning broken friendship, forbidden love, and a malicious evil with a history that plans to join their destinies. "The Shadow of the Wind" is a real pleasure to read from its fast paced mystery to its wonderfully drawn characters including Daniel, his lovable retired secret agent sidekick Fermin Romero De Torres, his love interests, Bea Aguilar and Clara Barcelo. I enjoyed how Zafon weaved his romances into the story, developing Daniel's struggles with growing up between the two women he has affection for. He is nine years old when he falls for Clara, the gorgeous blind niece of the bookseller Gustavo whom he visits her to read to. It felt so true to life when Daniel learns how foolish his crush is when he witnesses Clara's affair with another man. His second love is when he is seventeen and has become a mature young man as he grows more intimate with Bea Aguilar who is his best friend's sister. Through the time he spends with Bea, Daniel learns what it means to fall in love in someone. In the end the novel is a moving story about love between two men, Daniel and Julian who venture through their own darkness to give each other the strong measure of peace they desire and hope to achieve. Zafon handles every sub plot well in this book including the adventure Daniel must embark on to discover Julian and himself turning the story into a well crafted epic. From the moment Daniel discovers The Shadow of the Wind in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books to the climax with Julian Carax's adversary Inspector Franciso Javier Fumero, the story is a rare wonder. I will not spoil anymore for you beyond that Inspector Fumero is one of the most evil villains you will ever read in fiction. For those of you readers who want to read a stand alone tale "The Shadow of the Wind" is a single novel that brings every character and sub story to a fulfilling end. It is a book that everyone should give chance if you love to read; a beautifully woven story of adventure, romance, friendship, family, death, and spiritual redemption. Zafon has written a wonderful story that has something for everyone while faithful to the message that literature is powerful and can affect our perception of the world whether its through our eyes or the author's. This is one of those books that can turn a person who despises reading into a devoted bibliophile. Gorgeous from start to finish and one of my favorites next to "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry and "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer.

Some books grab your attention by its title, some enthrall you by its story, a few by the beauty of the language, yet others by the setting, then others by the characters and certain others by the narration or plot. When all these come together in a book, you lose your heart to it,totally. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I haven't read something like this in a long time. Young Daniel wakes up one morning screaming for his long lost mother, and his father , who runs a bookshop that specializes in 'rare collectors' editions and secondhand books', takes him to a run down palatial building. As the large wooden door is opened and Daniel is ushered in to 'A labyrinth of passage-ways and crammed bookshelves rose from base to pinnacle like a beehive, woven with tunnels, steps, platforms and bridges that presaged an immense library of seemingly impossible geometry.' His father welcomes him to the place.... "Welcome to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Daniel......This is a place of mystery, Daniel, a sanctuary. Every book, every volume that you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it 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. This place was already ancient when my father brought me here for the first time, many years ago. Perhaps as old as the city itself. Nobody knows for certain how long it has existed, or who created it. I will tell you what my father told me, though. When a library disappears, or a bookshop closes down, when a book is consigned to oblivion, those of us who know this place, its guardians, make sure that it gets here. In this place, books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever, waiting for the day when they will reach a new reader's hands. In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book that you see here has been somebody's best friend. Now they only have us, Daniel. Do you think you'll be able to keep such a secret?" I was hooked. A wine-coloured leather bound book choses Daniel, one that he had never heard of before . He hadn't heard of the author, either. 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Juilan Carax. The ten year old's life is never the same again. Daniel is so captivated by the book that he wants to get hold of other books by the author. Not many had heard of the author and the strangest fact is that someone else also seems to be searching for Carax's books only to destroy them. As Daniel grows up and as he tries to learn more about Julian, his life seems to mirror that of the elusive author. The multitude of characters that have gone through Julian's life seem to be connected to Daniel as well, in one way or the other. The impish Fermin, Miquel and Jorge who were once Julian's best friends, Fumero who is manically unscrupulous, Isaac the guardian of forgotten books and his ill fated daughter Nuria, the ethereal Penelope who is Julian's only true love - each one of them has their own story that is inevitably bound in some way or other to Julian and each one is so strongly etched , they remain with you long after you have finished reading the book. This a story within a story , imperceptibly ties to each other. Julian's life, is set mostly in the background of the Spanish civil war .in the author's own words, "As it unfolded, the structure of the story began to remind me of one of those Russian dolls that contain innumerable diminishing replicas of themselves deep inside. Step by step the narrative split into a thousand stories, as if it had entered a gallery of mirrors, its identity fragmented into endless reflections." If stories have colors, this one would be a dak brown, with shades of light in between. There are many plots and so many characters and each is linked to the other like the weaves of a lovely and complicated tapestry. Almost throughout the book, you feel as though you are walking down the dark and gloomy streets of a war torn Barcelona with buildings around you that seem to house ghots and vampires, the imagery is that vivid. There is intrigue, revenge, murder, cruelty, mystery and passion. Then there is also love, compassion, passion and hope. It would not be out of place to say that it is almost Shakespearean in plot and characterization. The book is also a treasure house for quotation lovers. Here are a few.. "There are yokels out there who think that if they touch a woman's behind and she doesn't complain, they've hooked her. Amateurs. The female heart is a labryinth of subtleties, too challenging for the uncouth mind of the male racketeer. If you really want to possess a woman, you must think like her, and the first thing to do is to win over her soul. The rest, that sweet, soft wrapping that steals away your senses and your virtue, is a bonus.” “Television, my dear Daniel, is the Antichrist, and I can assure you that after only three or four generations, people will no longer even know how to fart on their own. Humans will return to living in caves, to medieval savagery, and to the general state of imbecility that slugs overcame back in the Pleistocene era. Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say - it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke of everything, and a lousy joke at that.” “The words with which a child's heart is poisoned, whether through malice or through ignorance, remain branded in his memory, and sooner or later they burn his soul.” The icing on the cake is that its all set in the background of books, old bookshops, ancient libraries and most of all people who adore the written word. Verdict: A must read for anyone who loves well laid out plots, strong characters and captivating narration , in short for anyone who loves a well written tale. For me, this is a 'to be read again' one.

Brand new but some imprefection as shown in my photo.

Amazing read.

Good book, exciting story

This book is amazing on so many levels. Well developed characters, amazing setting, interesting plot, fantastic writing style. This kindle version in English the fourth copy I own besides the paperbacks in Spanish, Italian, and Romanian. I've read it in all these languages and couldn't get enough of it regardless of the version. It wholeheartedly deserves much more than 5 stars.