Your Rating and Overall Opinion of The Shadow of the Wind

[Scott]

What do you think of the January book of the month, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón? Any general comments or opinions?

[hnseoecom]

I like it, i think it is interesting

[PainKillerIndy]

Let me start by saying that I loved the book.

I’ve been on roll for the past few months. One great book after another and I wish it doesn’t stop. The story took me to a place and time while reading. I was quite transported to Spain. Not only spiritually, but the imagined trip to the narrow streets of Barcelona felt very real. Sometimes I would go away from the pages wondering the streets of the city. I sat in the café. I visited Sempere’s old bookshop, and Clara’s apartment.

After finishing a book, I usually sit with myself with a cup of coffee trying decipher what I read, looking for hidden meanings, life lessons not morals, I never look for those really. And still can’t make up my mind. The book is about a quest, solving a mystery, it talks about books and above all it is about love. These are among my favorite things. The story felt very personal. I identified with it, I honestly for a moment believed that Carlos Zafon wrote it specifically for me. Sometimes the narratives are light but the horror of the civil war, the miserable lonely lives that everyone is living and the cruelty of time and bad people take you back to the reality of the situation and the urgency of the quest.

Daniel is a sensible young man. I quite like him. His determination is what I liked most about him. It did cost him and others a great deal of grief but a mystery is only there to be solved. The author kept pointing the similarity between Daniel and Julian and it might be true that both took similar paths in life, both loved wholeheartedly, but I still can’t see him doing what Julian had to do. I can’t picture him as a killer, or any criminal of sort. He might not play by the roles laid by others, he might get too passionate but he remains sensible and I imagined him having a gentle soul. Another momentous figure in the book is Fumero. I hated Fumero because I feared him. He reminds of someone who used to torment me to death as a child. Other characters in the book played their parts however small or unimportant. Some more than others were fully formed. I felt others should have been given more to grow like Bea for example. She was nowhere to be found, and suddenly she is Daniel love interest and I felt that sometimes the story shifted from uncovering the mystery to Daniel wanting to be with her and keep her safe. Fermin on the other hand, I didn’t care about him much. He is supposed to be wise, a comic relief maybe, but he annoyed me more than anything else. I felt sorry for him when he was telling his story to Daniel but not enough to make him less intolerable.

Before writing this, I just found out that there is prequel called The Angel's Game. I would definitely pick it up, and put it in my TBR list for 2013 and I hope it’s as good as The Shadow of the Wind.
For the mystery/thriller/historical fiction enthusiasts out there this book is highly recommend. For everyone else it’s still a good read. It might not be a great literature but it’s a damn good book nonetheless .

4/5

[Fran]

@PainKillerIndy
I can certainly recommend The Angel's Game ... more of the enthralling city of Barcelona, I am certain you will love it.
I have recently developed a habit of going on Google maps, street view & looking up the locations mentioned in books ... slows down the reading but I love it & it gives me a real "feel" for the places.

[LMichinski]

I am only half way through this book, but I am loving it. I loved the description of the cemetery of forgotten books, how each book had a soul, the soul of the writer and those that later read it. Also how each book at one time has been a friend, and are now waiting for the next reader. I tend to use an e-reader these days, because I can carry hundreds of books with me, but I still love turning the pages of a good book. I remember the first books I read and how each page held my attention and transformed me to another place, and I couldn't wait to read the next page. Daniel found a book that affected him the same way, and its so far been very interesting to see his journey to learn more about Julian Carax and what has happened to his books. The mystery has captured my attention, and I am eager to see how Daniels quest ends. Some of the characters are a bit annoying to me, like Fumero and Fermin, but I really like Daniel and the close relationship he has with his father. I can't wait to finish the book!

[vsc_vet_tech]

I just got done reading The Shadow of the Wind and I found it was great... I loved this story. I think that this book really reminded me of by I love to read. It was great from the first page to the last. Carlos Ruiz Zafon sure knows how to keep the reader engaged in the book. There were so many twists that I did not see coming. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and see how they were all intertwined. Overall, I thought that is book was a love story in many ways. In the most obvious is the love story between Julian and Penelope. It was also a love story of anyone who loves books...and how this love story is fading with all the new technology of television and video games. There is not as many people who are discovering the love that books can hold and before we all know it many more books may be enter the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

Some of the most shocking twists that I did not see coming were when we found out that Julian and Penelope were in fact brother and sister. I also did not think that the book burner would in fact be the author himself. I was very happy to see that in the end all was as it should be, even if there were many unfortunate deaths along the way.

I would recommend this book to anyone!!

[Meg_egg]

I would highly recommend this book! It was fantastic. I could not put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen and what the next twist was. I have to agree it is a love story about Julian and Penelope but also about the love of reading a book that captures you. I felt like the author was trying to tell me not to give up on holding an actual book in my hand versus changing over to television or a e-reader.

I was transported to Barcelona. It made me feel like I could relate to Daniel and his obsession with Julian. I loved the role of Nuria. She was a mystery that I could not figure out but knew played an important role. Her love for Julian never died even though he did not love her in the same way.

This book reminded me that this world is really a small world and some how some way many of our lives overlap. We tend to repeat history in many ways. Carlos Ruiz Zafon did a great job of showing that we get to pick our own path even if it mimics someone else's path. To never lose hope in living life to the fullest.

[joreasonable]

I remember reading this book many years ago, in paperback, and I loved it.

[beth2school]

I loved this book, enthralling and elegant with a quick pace. Read it a few years ago and still on the shelf.

[aoineko]

I know I'm a little behind on this, but I absolutely love this book. I have given copies of this book to a lot of people. I'm teaching World Lit in the fall, and I was hoping to somehow work this book into the syllabus, but I don't think it will fit.

[beth2school]

I completely relished reading this book. It has a rich texture within the story lines that pulls the reader in. It's a staple on my bookcase. Looking for another similar author since I read both of his books.

[amarini]

I rate it about 3 or 4 stars. I enjoyed the twists and turns when they were picking up clues and the characters. I wish the ending had been less vague and clearly stated whether or not it was an older Daniel with his own kid but overall it was definitely a good choice for summer reading.

[jool]

I read it a long time ago, but I can say with no doubt - this is one of the best books I have ever read. The story, the language, the characters, everything is perfect. While reading this I had this magnificent feeling of entering a magical world of books and words. And words are everything in this book. I don't know about the original version (I know just a few basics of Spanish), but the POlish translation was extraordinary. It was a pleasure to read it, since it was written in such a wonderful language.

[Samanthaheber]

I started the book and sadly neglected it because of new books I received in the mail, but the book is very well written. The story line is interesting and I would recommend it! I will be picking it back up asap.

[lucyrebecca123]

Sounds like one for the list

-- 24 Sep 2013, 14:01 --

Sounds like one for the list

-- 24 Sep 2013, 14:02 --

Sounds like one for the list