“Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show.”—The New York Times Book ReviewA New York Times BestsellerBarcelona, 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 Julián Carax. … entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián 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.
“ 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
”Wonderous… 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)
“One gorgeous read.”—Stephen King
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This novel brings you into post Civil war era Barcelona with a story within a story within a story. The main character is the son of a widower bookshop owner. The mystery he accidentally gets himself into is dark beautiful and exciting. The characters within the novel are fully developed and little things throughout turn out to be so important. I just finished this novel and I kind of want to start over and read it again.
This is one of my favorite books. I love the story. It is also a beautiful book to read as the language and vocabulary used in the book enhance the telling of the story.
Many, many twists and turns but so well worth it. About a third of the way in, I thought the book would become tedious but I stuck with it and was so glad I did. The cast of characters is large and complex. Zafon made Barcelona come to life.
I was unable to put this book down. Have recommended it many times to friends.
The writing was completely compelling and the story so well thought out. Several involved story lines told in an interesting style and all coming together perfectly.
Great atmosphere. You know there is more coming. Intriguing. Well worth the time to read.
One of my favourite books of all time!
Well written.
One of my favorite novels. First in a series of 4. All excellent. Can read in any order.
Beautifully written, but convoluted.
One of the hardest books I’ve attempted to review. Why? It’s a book beyond comment. I feel unequal to the task. One of the best books I’ve read in years, and I loved it because it’s about books. The author captures the very essence of what the written word is to our lives if we only allow them in to our souls.
Beautifully written and a gripping story. Loved it.
I love this book and all of his others. They take you into a world that makes your head spin and keeps you guessing. If you like literary fiction then his books are a must.
Book was translated from original Spanish. Spans several generations whose lives are unknowingly but intricately and tragically interwoven. One of the best books I’ve read this year.
One of the best books I’ve ever read!
This is on my list of the top three best books I have ever read. I loved it.
Wonderful book. Great story, great characters, great writing.
Difficult to follow
The characters were easy to like and the storyline was unpredictable which I really enjoyed
Loved it!
I liked the premise and was interested in the main character at first but as the book, more and more eccentric characters and more mysteries kept being introduced which fragmented the story. I suppose all these threads would eventually come together in interesting ways but by page 153 I realized it had lost its momentum and I just wasn’t enjoying it so I stopped reading it.