“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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Beautifully written tale of Barcelona during the Franco era and an unusual story. Two other books combine to bring this saga full circle. One of the most enjoyable reads I have experienced in the last decade and I usually read at least 25 books/year.
I slogged all the way through this doorstop of a book. I must admit it’s stuck with me and that, in the end, I felt I ‘knew’ a time and a place that only exists between the covers of this book. An excellent book to have with you if you are ever locked up in solitary confinement for an extended period of time.
This book made an impression on me, although I read it many years ago. Its lyrical style and unusual story requires another reading sometime in the future.
Couldn’t get through it.
One of my favorite books.
This wasn’t the easiest books to read, but I did really like it. Full, long, complete history of one boy’s odd life.
It was an enjoyable read
I loved it!
This is my absolute favourite book! It manages to build this beautiful world, taking you through historical Barcelona. It’s a book about the magic of books, which I always love. The storyline is twisty and fantastic, and it still manages to make me laugh. A truly perfect piece of brilliance.
This is a great book translated from the Spanish by the same man who translated 100Years of Solitude. Set in fascist Spain in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s, this is a spellbinding magically realistic tale. Don’t miss it. It’s for all book lovers. The subtitle is: The Cemetery you Forgotten Books
The only thing better than reading a good book is reading a good book about reading books. “Well, this is a story about books. ‘About books?’ “About accursed books, about the man who wrote them, about a character who broke out of the pages of a novel so that he could burn it, about a betrayal and a lost friendship. It’s a story of love, of hatred, and of the dreams that live in the shadow of the wind.” My favorite line: “I leafed through the pages, inhaling the enchanted scent of promise that comes with all new books.” I know that scent well! It’s post WWII in Barcelona, and the son of the rare book dealer is introduced to the labyrinthine Cemetery of Forgotten books, where he becomes obsessed with a book entrusted to him. In trying to find more works about the author, he unleashes mystery and misery, and finds many strange parallels between the author’s life and his own.
Friends, this was so magical and beautiful and atmospheric and EVERYTHING <3 <3 <3
As a reader, this hit home with me in so many ways. I was crying on the first page (it was late and I was tired and the writing was beautiful), which severely confused my SO because nothing had happened yet.
As a writer, I learned so much.
I debated whether it should go on my Forever Shelf since it's not the kind of book I usually put on there (and because I had no trouble setting it aside halfway through to read Darkdawn), but I chose to include it in the end because it's just- Just- *sighs* You'll know when you read it.
I think this was the perfect introduction to Zafon for me. I've put the next book in this series on my list, but since it's not a sequel as such (at least I don't think it is-correct me if I'm wrong) I'll read all the other books I've had for years first.
Great story.
The book revolves around a book and the book world, but also post World War II era in Spain . It is very suspenseful and one could never predict any of the story if not accustomed to Carlos Ruiz Zaffon style. I read other books from him but by far consider this one as the best written one and really one if a kind.
Beautiful descriptions of locations and characters. A favorite of mine.
My favorite book of all time. Well written, great story, wonderful characters.
This was a fascinating story, and I really got lost in this world.
Upon the recommendation of a friend who knew I was headed to Barcelona for a professional meeting 9 years ago, I devoured this book en route, finishing it just in time to spend my last day there retracing steps in the book. I like historical fiction that makes me want to learn more about the history of a place, as Shadow of the Wind did: It inspired me to also read the prequel and other work by Ruiz Zafon.
Loved this series and it’s characters. I was so happy to see a 4th book added to the set. Loved seeing the characters in action again.
Loved the whole series and could not put them down.