Product Description

Sales presenter, poster, header

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1320 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Review
"A sensation across Europe... a page-turning mystery... a coming of age tale... And it's a hymn of praise to all the joys of reading, stylishly caught in Lucia Graves's entrancing translation." -- Boyd Tonkin INDEPENDENT "crowd-pleaser in the mode of The Da Vinci Code... Intertwining playful detective caper, compelling political thriller and sweeping historical romance, the narrative coils back beyond the savagery of the civil war to the world of the tainted Spanish aristocracy, before slowly unravelling the dark secrets born of Franco's tyranny. Zafon's novel... leave the reader with a palpable sense of enchantment." SUNDAY TIMES "This week's book barely needs an introduction. Almost every book group I know about had read The Shadow of the Wind... the book is about a boy who becomes obsessed with an author. It is set in Barcelona during a bloody time in Spain's history and there is, as you would expect from a bestseller, plenty of death, murder, love and heroism." THE TIMES BOOK CLUB "It was only The Da Vinci Code that stopped The Shadow of the Wind from hogging the top of the bestseller charts last year... an astounding critical success. There's an intricate plot, a gothic atmosphere and an elusive quest, as well as murders, intrigue and star-crossed lovers." THE GUARDIAN "a wonderful portrait of Barcelona - not the sunny, culture rich and fun loving city break destination that most visitors know - but a shadowy, at times dark and atmospheric picture of the city centre streets in the years following the Spanish Civil War." LIVING SPAIN "This bewitching novel has all the hallmarks of a classic Holy Grail story complete with mystery, mayhem, romance and labyrinthine plotting. What elevates it above all others in the genre is its emotional energy, making it a richly rewarding read." DAILY MAIL "one of the most engaging, funny, moving, lyrical books" IRISH EXAMINER "The best book I've ever read" -- AMANDA LAMB WOMAN AND HOME "a magical tale of romance" -- CECELIA AHERN SUNDAY EXPRESS "I couldn't put it down but didn't want to rush is as every sentence is beautifully crafted and every character unique." -- SANTA MONTEFIORE EVENING STANDARD "A page turning exploration of obsession in literature and love" SUNDAY EXPRESS "a great thriller" -- CECELIA AHERN MARIE CLAIRE " the main character's deep love for books and their respective, secret libraries" -- CECELIA AHERN IRISH TIMES 'A real page-turner of a mystery that will have you hooked from beginning to end' SPAINSH MAGAZINE

Review
"A sensation across Europe... a page-turning mystery.... a coming of age tale.... And it's a hymn of praise to all the joys of reading, stylishly caught in Lucia Graves's entrancing translation." (Boyd Tonkin INDEPENDENT )

"crowd-pleaser in the mode of The Da Vinci Code... Intertwining playful detective caper, compelling political thriller and sweeping historical romance, the narrative coils back beyond the savagery of the civil war to the world of the tainted Spanish aristocracy, before slowly unravelling the dark secrets born of Franco's tyranny. Zafon's novel... leave the reader with a palpable sense of enchantment." (SUNDAY TIMES )

"This week's book barely needs an introduction. Almost every book group I know about had read The Shadow of the Wind... the book is about a boy who becomes obsessed with an author. It is set in Barcelona during a bloody time in Spain's history and there is, as you would expect from a bestseller, plenty of death, murder, love and heroism." (THE TIMES BOOK CLUB )

"It was only The Da Vinci Code that stopped The Shadow of the Wind from hogging the top of the bestseller charts last year... an astounding critical success. There's an intricate plot, a gothic atmosphere and an elusive quest, as well as murders, intrigue and star-crossed lovers." (THE GUARDIAN )

"a wonderful portrait of Barcelona - not the sunny, culture rich and fun loving city break destination that most visitors know - but a shadowy, at times dark and atmospheric picture of the city centre streets in the years following the Spanish Civil War." (LIVING SPAIN )

"This bewitching novel has all the hallmarks of a classic Holy Grail story complete with mystery, mayhem, romance and labyrinthine plotting. What elevates it above all others in the genre is its emotional energy, making it a richly rewarding read." (DAILY MAIL )

"one of the most engaging, funny, moving, lyrical books" (IRISH EXAMINER )

"The best book I've ever read" (AMANDA LAMB WOMAN AND HOME )

"a magical tale of romance" (CECELIA AHERN SUNDAY EXPRESS )

"I couldn't put it down but didn't want to rush is as every sentence is beautifully crafted and every character unique." (SANTA MONTEFIORE EVENING STANDARD )

"A page turning exploration of obsession in literature and love" (SUNDAY EXPRESS )

"a great thriller" (CECELIA AHERN MARIE CLAIRE )

" the main character's deep love for books and their respective, secret libraries" (CECELIA AHERN IRISH TIMES )

'A real page-turner of a mystery that will have you hooked from beginning to end' (SPAINSH MAGAZINE )

SANTA MONTEFIORE, EVENING STANDARD
"I couldn't put it down but didn't want to rush is as every sentence is beautifully crafted and every character unique."

Customer Reviews

It has a bit of everything and utterly swept me away
This is certainly one of the best, most compelling and most memorable books I have ever read.

It begins with a ten year old boy, Daniel Sempere, being taken to an old building in Barcelona by his father. There the secret existence of a huge, inspiring labyrinth library calld the Cemetery of Forgotten Books is revealed to him. He must choose a book, one of these ancient volumes, to treasure and protect for the rest of his life. Strangely drawn to its title, he eventually picks out 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Julian Carax. Reading it in one night, he knows he made the right choice and that in a way, the book chose him.

However, all is not well in Daniel's world. There is suddenly a lot of unwanted interest in Daniel's book, with both friends and strangers showing a sinister kind of fascination with the novel and its author. He begins to realise that there must be a deeper story, buried in history and the city itself, behind this particular novel and the life of Julian Carax.

As he discovers more about Carax and his work, the mystery deepens. Terrifying people - a disfigured menace and a psychopathic police officer - seem determined to get hold of the book, no matter what the cost in terms of money or even lives. Local myth tells of a man posing as Carax's fictional Devil, stealing any Carax novels he can get his hands on and burning them as he goes.

As Daniel's life continues, more and more characters are introduced, their stories interweaving to gradually build up his - and the reader's - knowledge of Carax and the tragedies of his life and the lives of those close to him. The parallels between Daniel and Julian, and between their lives, become more and more significant, building to a wrenching and incredibly gripping climax when the truth comes out and everything converges in one crashing, terrifying wave of realisation before receding into a conclusive and poignant end.

Set in Barcelona under Franco's violent reign, the city is as much of a character as Daniel himself, coming to life in Zafon's novel as an entity in its own right. The streets are full of vibrance, and the characters reflect every human trait from love, to terror, to humour. The passages describing the place of books in a person's life, and the importance of keeping works of literature alive, were particularly inspiring.

This is one of those books that you will be devastated to finish, and will require some time to digest before you can even contemplate moving onto your next read - one to savour and mull over deliciously!

So near and yet.....
For me the sum of its parts do not add up to the intrigue of the novel's basic premise.

It's a good read, occasionally a riveting read, with some really interesting characters, plots and sub-plots and yet there is something intangible that prevents me from saying this was a truly great read. I felt somewhat let down at the end and I really can't explain why? Perhaps the blistering start to the novel raised my expectations above and beyond the realms of reason, but towards the end the twists and turns seemed formulaic even signposted.

Really captivating read- a great book to take on holiday
I took this book on holiday with me this year and couldn't put it down. It starts slowly, but picks up speed at the mid way point. Although translated from Spanish, it reads well, and all the characters are unforgettable. Plot is good, although at times a bit far fetched, but I thought it was excellent overall!